In 2012 the Royal Australian Mint produced a four coin set that
features the town halls of Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. The coins are of a five dollar denomination and are produced
from bronze with an antiqued finish. This piece was released at the ANDA Money Expo in Melbourne and features the Melbourne
City Hall. The reverse features an elegant front view of the Melbourne
Town Hall with the
legend
"MELBOURNE TOWN HALL" and the denomination "FIVE DOLLARS." The obverse
features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II with the
legend
"ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2012."
Construction of the Melbourne Town Hall began in 1867 at the corner of Swanston and Collins Streets.
(Heritage Council Victoria, 2017)
It was built on the site of an earlier constructed Town Hall which had quickly proven too small to service the rapidly
growing city. The new building was designed by the prominent Melbourne architects Reed and Barnes and included a substantial
public hall, administrative offices, Lord Mayor's rooms and council chambers. In the mid-1880s to late 1890s the new Town
Hall served as venue for a number of important meetings within the Australian Federation movement.
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