A must for all film fanatics!

 

You enter from Bourke St into a huge lobby with a sweeping staircase beside the reception area. At the top of these stairs, you'll find a fascinating museum is divided into two parts and is free to all those who desire to acquire more knowledge about film history and how the Salvation Army functioned.

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At the end of the nineteenth century, the Salvation Army was active in making films, in the Limelight Studio on one of the higher floors of their premises in central Melbourne. The building itself dates to 1888 before the Salvation Army took over in 1895. Here some of the world's earliest moving pictures were produced. You can see the original Limelight film studios where the Salvos were the first in the world to produce moving picture films. Hundreds of films were made, including the mix of movie and magic lantern show, 'Soldiers of the Cross' that ran for 2.5 hours and shocked people with its graphic realism.

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A video tells the story of the studios and there are magic lanterns and hand painted glass slides dating back to 1900. The cinematography rooms include exhibits pre-dating "The Story of the Kelly Gang" which is considered the official first feature film in the world. Here a guide talked about the role of the Salvos in filming important events, such as the opening of parliament in Sydney with a lot of  artefacts, documents, photographs, books.

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You are sure to hear some fascinating stories about the Salvos in Australia.  There is a great little area devoted to the World Wars and particularly the Kokoda trail. You may also hear a few surprising stories on the history why their elevator is so very long, which we won't spoil that story for you, go ahead and hear it for yourself. The staff were extremely friendly, are well educated and kept up intrigued with interesting facts and historic relevance. The staff were largely volunteers and are great people. For film buffs this is a must, it's a fascinating place with insight into early moving pictures and I'm amazed that so little fuss is made of this place. The Salvation Army Heritage Centre is a free museum that does not get enough recognition and it's one of the amazing the treasures that Melbourne has to offer.

 

Opening hours: 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday.

Cost: free entry.
Location: Level 4 in 69 Bourke St, Melbourne
Public transport: Located a 5 minute walk from Parliament Station. Nearest tram stops are the Spring St/Bourke St (routes 86, 96) and Spring St/Collin St tram stops (routes 11, 12, 48, 109).
 

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