An aerial image of the city of Melbourne that shows blocks, the street grid, tall buildings, and parklands.

16 Nov

Melbourne From The Air: A Changing City, A Changing View

The 2026 Geography Victoria Annual Lecture. From hot-air balloons to drones, from the Exhibition Building viewing platform to Skydeck, Melburnians have long been fascinated by the spectacle of their city from above.

Acclaimed urban historian Prof Graeme Davison AO traces Melbourne’s fascination with the view from above – from Henry L’Estrange’s balloon flights to Charles Pratt’s remarkable aerial photographs. Discover what these images reveal about a changing city and why they still matter to historians and geographers.

Bringing the journey into the present, Marc Milinkovic presents the City of Melbourne Spatial Team’s innovative 3D city model. Using contemporary geospatial technology, this remarkable digital model offers a new bird's-eye perspective of Melbourne, allowing us to visualise, explore and better understand the city's evolving urban landscape.

The venue is an historical building with stair-only access to the theatre room and amenities.