On Tuesday 27th October 2026, eleven Rotarians and friends enjoyed a memorable social trip to Melbourne, combining modern architectural marvels with classic city highlights.

Departing Ballarat at 9.22am, the group travelled by train to Footscray Station before joining Melbourne's underground rail network via the Metro Tunnel to the new Town Hall Station. Located beneath Swanston Street, the station is one of five underground stops built for the Big Build project and was recently named one of the World’s Most Beautiful Stations by the Prix Versailles international architecture awards.

After admiring the station's award-winning design, the group took a short underground walk through the new tunnels to Flinders Street Station and Federation Square to visit ACMI. Australia's national museum of screen culture provided a wonderful space to explore film, television, videogames, digital culture, and art, highlighted by a wander through the current exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image.

Lunch followed at the historic Young & Jackson hotel, complete with a customary greeting for Melbourne's iconic painting, "Chloe". A gentle stroll down Degraves Street - the famous bluestone pedestrian laneway in the CBD - led the group to a tram connecting them to Southern Cross Station for a relaxing train ride back to Ballarat.

A special thank you to Kay Macaulay and the Social Committee for organising such a seamless and enjoyable day out.