What a treasure the Old Treasury Building is! Located on Spring Street near Parliament House, it is one of the most lovely buildings in Melbourne and tells the story of some grand moments in history.

This is a free museum now and hosts temporary exhibitions on the ground floor.

Kids are encouraged by the amazing staff to delve into the past with a little clipboard and worksheet they can fill in. Mamma says this makes it a more interactive and fun way to learn. The kids receive a little gold certificate upon completion too!

There is a lot to explore on this floor, and then you can head to the basement where the Gold Vaults are located. Catch the lift down and wander through the bowels of the building, and check out a replica of The Welcome Stranger (a Gold Nugget!). There is even a replica of a basement apartment, which adds to the overall cool and slightly eerie step back in time. While wandering around the building, let your mind linger in a time warp of Melbourne's grandiose past. The Old Treasury Building is an underrated and relatively unknown museum in the CBD. The kids love it.

Oh on the last Sunday of each month, they offer Old Treasury Building Tours at 11 am. Tickets are priced at $15 and are well worth checking out.