Melbourne International Exhibition (1880)

EXPO Melbourne 1880
Inside the halls of the World Heritage listed Melbourne Exhibition Buildings
Overview
BIE-class	Universal exposition
Category	Historical
Name	Melbourne International Exhibition
Building	Royal Exhibition Building
Area	25 Ha
Visitors	1,330,000
Organized by	Reed & Barnes Architects
Participant(s)
Countries	33
Location
Country	Colony of Victoria
City	Melbourne
Venue	Carlton Gardens
Coordinates	37°48′22″S 144°58′13″E / 37.80611°S 144.97028°E / -37.80611; 144.97028
Timeline
Opening	October 1, 1880 (1880-10-01)
Closure	April 30, 1881 (1881-04-30)
Universal expositions
Previous	Exposition Universelle (1878) in Paris
Next	Exposición Universal de Barcelona in Barcelona

The Melbourne International Exhibition is the eighth World's fair officially recognised by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) and the first official World's Fair in the Southern Hemisphere.

Preparations

After being granted self-governance, Victoria (in 1851) and New South Wales (in 1856), saw a steady economic growth as result of the discovery and exploitation of gold reserves. This growth during the 1850s and 1860s led to rivalry between their respective capitals Melbourne and Sydney. In the 1870s the focus turned to the outside world and proposals were made for organising an exhibition modelled on the great exhibitions of Europe, with an aim to promote commerce and industry, along with art, science and education. Melbourne started preparations in 1879 and filed a plan to the Parliament. Melbourne's rival Sydney, the older of the two cities, wanted to be the first and organised an exhibition in record time.^[1] This Sydney International Exhibition started in October 1879, but it focused mainly on agriculture, so it was not really universal and therefore did not meet the criteria for official recognition by the BIE. Melbourne decided to start their exhibition shortly after the one in Sydney, so the participants could transport their exhibits during the winter of 1880.^[2]

Exhibition

1880 Sketch of the Expo site and Royal Exhibition Building

Preparations for the exhibition

The Melbourne International Exhibition was held from 1 October 1880 until 30 April 1881. It was the second international exhibition to be held in Australia, the first being held the previous year in Sydney. 1.459 million people visited the exhibition, but made a loss of 277 292 pounds.^[3] The exhibition was also opened for entertainment and tourism.

The Royal Exhibition Building, set in the Victorian Carlton Gardens was completed in 1880 to host the exhibition, consisting of over 12,000 square metres. The foundation stone was laid by Victorian governor George Bowen.

Aftermath

The building was extended and reused in 1888 as venue for the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, celebrating the founding of European settlement in Sydney in 1788. Some of the original building remains today and is a World Heritage Site.

References

↑ Mattie, Eric (1998). Weltausstellungen (in German). Stuttgart/Zürich: Belser Verlag. p. 54. ISBN 3-7630-2358-5.
↑ Mattie, Eric (1998). Weltausstellungen (in German). Stuttgart/Zürich: Belser Verlag. p. 57. ISBN 3-7630-2358-5.
↑ Pelle, Kimberley D. "Appendix B:Fair Statistics". In Findling, John E. Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 414. ISBN 978-0-7864-3416-9. Missing |last1= in Authors list (help)

External links

International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures and Agricultural and Industrial Products of all Nations

Asia	Nanyang 1910 Hangzhou 1929 Nagoya 1937 Shenyang 2006

Oceania	Melbourne 1866 Sydney 1870 Melbourne 1875 Brisbane 1876 Sydney 1879 Dunedin 1889 Christchurch 1906 Auckland 1913–14 Dunedin 1925 Wellington 1939–40

Europe	London 1756 Dublin 1853 Manchester 1857 Porto 1865 London 1871–74 Vienna 1873 Amsterdam 1883 Liverpool 1886 London 1886 Copenhagen 1888 Glasgow 1888 Frankfurt 1891 Prague 1891 Lyon 1894 Oporto 1894 Berlin 1896 Glasgow 1901 Cork 1902 Hanoi 1902 London 1905 London 1906 Marseille 1906 Dublin 1907 London 1908 Zaragoza 1908 London 1910 Dresden 1911 London 1911 London 1912 Lyon 1914 Cologne 1914 London 1914 Kristiania 1914 Malmö 1914 Semarang 1914 London 1921 Marseille 1922 British Empire Exhibition (1924–25) Antwerp 1930 Stockholm 1930 Paris 1931 Porto 1934 Glasgow 1938

North America	New York City 1826–1897 Bryant Park, New York City 1853 Atlanta 1881 Louisville 1883–87 New Orleans 1884 Atlanta 1887 San Francisco 1894 Atlanta 1895 Nashville 1897 Omaha 1898 Buffalo 1901 Charleston 1901–02 Portland, Oregon 1905 Jamestown 1907 Seattle 1909 Knoxville 1913 San Diego 1915–17 Bronx 1918 Philadelphia 1926 San Diego 1935–36 Dallas 1936 Cleveland 1936–37 Dallas 1937 San Francisco 1939–40 New York City 1964–65

South America	Buenos Aires 1910 Rio de Janeiro 1922

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 142853025 GND: 5539530-2

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