Melbourne Centennial Exhibition

Melbourne Centennial Exhibition
The Royal Exhibition Building
Overview
BIE-classUnrecognized exposition
NameMelbourne Centennial Exhibition
Area63 acres
Visitors2,003,593
Participant(s)
Countries34
Location
CountryColony of Victoria
CityMelbourne
VenueCarlton Gardens
Coordinates37°48′22″S 144°58′13″E / 37.80611°S 144.97028°E / -37.80611; 144.97028
Timeline
Opening1 August 1888
Closure9 March 1889[1]
Universal expositions
PreviousMelbourne International Exhibition (1880) in Melbourne
NextExposition Universelle (1889) in Paris

The Melbourne Centennial Exhibition was organised to celebrate a century of European settlement in Australia. The Exhibition Building, constructed in 1880 for the Melbourne International Exhibition, was extended and reused. The Centennial Exhibition focused on Australia itself, and emphasised music and painting that attracted many visitors.[2] However the Exhibition was not recognised by the Bureau of International Expositions as a "world's fair".

Parer & Higgins Co. paid £1250 to operate the bar and light refreshments, one of only three areas where the sale of alcohol was permitted.[3]

Dora Elizabeth Armitage was at the Exhibition, where she won a medal for her typing. Her testimonial about her Calligraph typewriter was used by its manufacturers in their advertising.[4]

  1. ^ The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 11 March 1889, p.6 [1]
  2. ^ "Ceremonial Key - Melbourne Centennial Exhibition 1888 Opening, Victoria, Australia, 1888". Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. ^ Parer, Ben (16 February 2018). "Parer & Higgins serve alcohol to the world". Parer History. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Advertising - The Dawn (Sydney, NSW : 1888 - 1905) - 5 Nov 1889". Trove. Retrieved 28 August 2024.