603 Queensberry Street

Clip 1: Ground floor, 603 Queensberry Street

Duration: 6:37

Hello and welcome to the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership and our 603 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne location. The Academy exists to deliver evidence-informed and inspiring professional learning to Victorian government, Catholic and Independent school leaders and teachers.  

Located in North Melbourne, 603 Queensberry Street has a fascinating history and inspiring purpose. This tour commences from the ground floor reception area. Feel free to pause this audio tour and explore this space at your own pace. 

We would like to begin this tour by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of this land – the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation.  We pay respect to their elders past and present and acknowledge their contribution to our community. If you look outside, you will see our Message Stick housed in the Plato Terrace. Created by renowned Aboriginal artist Glenn Romanis, we will explore this area and the story behind our Message Stick later on in the tour. 

For those of you who came in through the front of this building, did you meet Henry Bastow on the way in? This larger than life statue is a nod to the history of this building and education in Victoria more broadly. 

It was Bastow himself helped design this building, which was known as state school 307 back in 1882.  Bastow was the first architect and surveyor to the newly formed Department of Education, and it was through his vision, strong leadership and passionate energy that 615 Victorian schools were built in just 5-6 years.

We will now be moving into the E5 Studio, which is to the left of the reception desk.

Dewey Common Room 

Named after John Dewey – a philosopher and educational reformer in 19th and 20th century, the Dewey Common Room is perfectly designed for workshops, meetings and other functions. 

Looking around this room it is hard to imagine that in the 1800’s up to 80 children would have sat right here - to be taught, literacy, numeracy, music, singing, and even needlework.   

Each room in this building once had a fireplace – usually located at the front of the classroom where the teacher would stand. The classrooms were also very dark as windows were small and located closer to the ceiling, it was only during later redesigns that windows were enlarged to maximise natural light. 

Another historic detail of this building is the grand staircase which is located within the tower of this building. Please exit the Dewey Common Room to view the staircase area.

Stairwell/staircase

Interestingly, buildings of this era often featured towers or spires – these usually included bells which were used to mark different times of day. As class attendance expanded, it was not uncommon for schools to repurpose bell towers and use them as classrooms.

In more modern times, when the builders of 603 Queensberry Street began renovating, the first job was to clear out the hundreds of pigeons that had taken residence in this tower space and other areas around this building. It is hard to picture now but there were metre deep piles of pigeon droppings which had accumulated over the years.  In fact, the ceilings above us were collapsing due to the weight and dampness of the droppings. 

Bird droppings can pose a serious health risk too, so the building was sealed off and covered in plastic - before Hazmat protected workers scrapped and shovelled out the droppings. The entire process took 3 months with over 3 tonnes of pigeon droppings removed. 

We will now be moving to the upper level of this building. Please proceed up the staircase or access the lifts near the rear exit on the ground floor.

Clip 2: Level 1, 603 Queensberry Street

Duration: 1:52

Syndicate rooms 

Moving into the Syndicate Rooms now, there are four group spaces in total. They were designed for break out activities, small group workshops or meetings. Something we are proud of is these interesting textured walls - they’re made from recycled bottles. Also used is hoop pine ply which is fast growing and native to Australia.

Teachers’ lounge

Heading into the teachers’ lounge, the vision of the building’s design was to promote the creative use of spaces and technology to support learning. We want our program participants and staff to feel inspired, creative and positive when they enter our buildings.

Interesting information 

While the modern vision and architectural design of this building is state-of-the-art, there are so many unseen things that made 603 Queensberry Street ahead of its time. 

This building was one of the first to trial a new system of ventilation which later became common in all public buildings of the time. Known as the Tobin Ventilation System it involved inserting 1 metre lengths of vertical mounted tubes from the floor through the inside of walls. These tubes drew in the fresh air and released it in an upward manner. 

This was a superior system to other Victorian era ventilation which released air through the ceiling and roof space areas. This often subjected building occupants to stagnant and damp air – leading to health complications common with the 18 and early 1900s. 

Please make your way back to the ground level where we will visit the below ground Amphitheatre and gallery followed by the outdoor Plato Terrace. 

Clip 3: Amphitheatre, 603 Queensberry Street

Duration: 1:31

As you enter the amphitheatre, we want to get a sense of the professionalism and dedication to learning. Maddison Architects’ award-winning design preserves the limestone, brickwork and render of former State School 307.

As you can see, this room includes a 100-seat theatre – this is where some of our workshops and programs take place. 

Victoria has always had a strong focus on education – dating back to the 1800s. Victoria was actually the first state in Australia to endorse and support free, compulsory education for children and young people. 

Through Victoria’s Education Act 1872, children and young people across the state gained access to free education. It was this Act that saw the emergence of a new era in education where all children - not just the children of wealthy families - could attend school.  By 1872 over 136,000 students were enrolled in Victorian state schools.

As you head back up to the ground floor and Plato Terrace, take a moment to look at some of the amazing historical images of Victorian heritage state schools and facilities. Our small gallery includes exterior and interior photographs and act as a window to the past.

Clip 4: Plato terrace, outside, 603 Queensberry Street 

Duration: 2:16

The final stop on our tour is the Plato Terrace, please proceed outside – to the left of the back exit of 603 Queensberry Street. 

Named after one of philosophy’s most notable icons, the Plato Terrace is a space to relax and reflect. As you look around the Plato Terrace you will notice the Message Stick mounted in the pebble eucalypt garden. This was made by renowned Aboriginal artist Glenn Romanis and shares a message of welcome to Wurundjeri land and the Academy 603 Queensberry Street site. 

Romanis was commissioned to complete over 100 large scale public and community art projects and aimed to convey a sense of belonging and respect to the natural and cultural histories of the land and peoples. 

The orientation of the Message Stick, and the shape and curvature of the leaves represents the creek and river. If you look closely, the Message Stick is an Aboriginal map of the local area and marks notable areas of significance.  

The Message stick tells a larger story and includes a mention of the great indigenous Wurundjeri leader, William Barak. Barak is represented in the form of the triangular markings. Henry Bastow is also recognised in one of these triangles, this is as a way of uniting teaching and learning to the rich cultural history of the Wurundjeri and what they have and continue to contribute. 

Conclusion  

This concludes our tour of 603 Queensberry Street. 

This wonderful building allows us to connect school leaders and highly skilled teachers from across Victoria and deliver high-quality, evidence-informed professional learning.  

The skills that Victorian educators further develop here contribute to student outcomes and help Victorian children and young people exceed even their own expectations. 

Thank you for being part of the 603 Queensberry Street tour.