At the base of Capital Hill, just a short walk from the current Parliament House, is Old Parliament House, now home to the Museum of Australian Democracy. Here you can meet former Australian Prime Ministers, sit in the former Prime Minister’s Office, visit the Press Room and take a look at important historical documents.
Old Parliament House was the seat of the Australian Parliament from 1927 to 1988 following the relocation of the capital from Melbourne to Canberra. After 1988 the Parliament House was moved to the new building on Capital Hill and since then Old Parliament House, houses the Museum of Australian Democracy on the history of the continent’s politics. Designed by John Smith Murdoch, the building was originally intended to house the government for up to 50 years until a more suitable structure could be built. The need for a more suitable building became apparent as early as the 1970s when the government’s needs exceeded the capacity of the building which, among other things, required renovation and refurbishment. The Old Parliament House has a simplified classical style with some neoclassical architectural elements and is immersed in the green gardens that surround it.
