Current Exhibitions

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria organises and hosts exhibitions throughout the year which showcase some of the fascinating items in its collection. The Society also exhibits travelling exhibitions from other organisations. All exhibitions are fully accessible and are located on the ground floor of the Drill Hall, 239 A’Beckett St, Melbourne and can be viewed 9am – 5pm Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays) The Past Exhibitions page contains information about recent RHSV exhibitions. Enquiries to: office@historyvictoria.org.au  or 9326 9288

In the RHSV Main Gallery, The Burying of Melbourne

Exhibition poster for 'The Burying of Melbourne' featuring yellow background with black text showing exhibition details (curated by Dr David Thompson, designed by Susan Fitzgerald, running 4 September 2025 - March 2026) alongside a black and white historical photograph of men in suits and hats standing around what appears to be an archaeological excavation site.

Curator: Dr David Thompson
Exhibition Designer: Susan Fitzgerald 

In the mid-1850s some areas of the Melbourne CBD were buried under a layer of clay at the direction of Melbourne City Council, a rather extraordinary event that until recently had been largely forgotten. It is only in recent years that archaeologists carrying out the excavations required prior to developments in the city have uncovered evidence of the clay layer.

A study commissioned by the Heritage Council of Victoria found that the burying was part of efforts by the City Council to control flooding, caused largely by the original laying out of Melbourne’s street grid without due consideration of the flow of water over the underlying topography.

The depositing of the clay layer, metres thick in some places, had a significant effect on the lives and circumstances of those affected but did result in the sealing off of a layer of archaeology stemming from the earliest days of European settlement.

This exhibition, The Burying of Melbourne, describes events leading up to the burial and looks at some of the archaeology discovered beneath the clay.