Melbourne Arts Centre

Arts Centre Melbourne stands in Southbank beside the Yarra River and St Kilda Road. Architect Sir Roy Grounds drew up the master plan, approved in 1960; construction began in 1973 and the complex opened in stages: the concert hall in 1982 and the Theatres Building in 1984. Because of the difficult site, the halls are largely built underground. Above the Theatres Building rises a 162-metre steel spire, rebuilt in 1996 to Grounds' design. Beneath it are the 2,079-seat State Theatre for opera and ballet, the 884-seat Playhouse, the 376-seat Fairfax Studio and, since 2024, the 150-seat Show Room; the separate Hamer Hall seats 2,466. Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Melbourne Theatre Company and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform here regularly. The Arts Centre also manages the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.