GEOGRAPHY VICTORIA

2026 ANNUAL LECTURE

MELBOURNE FROM THE AIR - A Changing City, A Changing View.

Featuring Professor Graeme Davison AO and Marc Milinkovic, City of Melbourne

From hot-air balloons and historic bird’s-eye views to aerial photography and cutting-edge 3D city modelling, discover Melbourne from a very different perspective.

Geography Victoria is delighted to announce that registration is now open for our 2026 Annual Lecture

Date: Monday 16 November 2026

Time: Lecture 7:00pm - 8.00pm | Supper 8:00pm - 8:30pm

Venue: The Royal Society of Victoria (Ellery Theatre) - 8 La Trobe St, Melbourne

Cost: $10 (includes supper)

*Please note, the venue is a historical building and has stair-only access, with a flight of stairs up to the theatre room and amenities.

The Geography Victoria Annual Lecture

It's fascinating to see what Melbourne looked like from above 100 or even 150 years ago?

From hot-air balloons to drones, and from the Exhibition Building viewing platform to Skydeck, Melburnians have long been fascinated by the spectacle of their city from above.

In the nineteenth century, adventurous balloonists such as the accident-prone Henry L’Estrange offered tantalising glimpses of Melbourne from the sky. Artists like Alfred Cooke recreated sweeping bird’s-eye views for newspaper readers, while twentieth-century aerial photographers, including Airspy’s Charles Pratt, captured the expanding city and suburbs in remarkable detail.

Together, these images provide a fascinating record of Melbourne’s changing landscape.

In this lecture, renowned urban historian Professor Graeme Davison explores Melbourne's history from above, asking:

Why are we so captivated by a bird’s-eye view?

And what can these extraordinary images reveal about the city we know today?

About the Speaker

Professor Graeme Davison AO is Emeritus Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor of History at Monash University and one of Australia’s leading urban historians.

A Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, he also studied at the Australian National University. His acclaimed books include The Rise and Fall of Marvellous Melbourne, Car Wars and City Dreamers.

His work brings history and geography together, revealing how places shape people and how people, in turn, transform places.

Geography Victoria is delighted to welcome Professor Davison as the speaker for its 2026 Annual Lecture.

Melbourne in 3D - A new perspective

Marc Milinkovic | City of Melbourne

How can we explore Melbourne from above today?

Bringing our journey into the present, Marc Milinkovic will introduce the City of Melbourne Spatial Team's innovative 3D city model. Using contemporary geospatial technology, this remarkable digital model offers a new bird's-eye perspective of Melbourne, allowing us to visualise, explore and better understand the city's evolving urban landscape.

Contact the host of Geography Victoria 2026 Annual Lecture: Melbourne From The Air - A Changing City, A Changing View

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