Vintage Melbourne

Melbourne has a special place in the hearts of both its residents and visitors, who are often surprised by its charm and accessibility. It is one of the most livable cities in the world and its inhabitants relish Melbourne's human scale and splendid lifestyle. Its grace and elegance is, in large part, due to the people who have worked to preserve, to restore and to enhance the exquisite early buildings which are among Melbourne’s most valuable assets.

Vintage Melbourne takes you on a tour of 42 of the most beautiful historical buildings in the Melbourne city centre. The buildings selected for inclusion in this book were chosen for their visual, historical and architectural interest. The unique images were produced using a digital enhancement technique. Photographs of each building were transferred to a computer where a series of processes combined and enhanced the images, isolating each building within its environment and highlighting its key features.

Enjoy the richness and variety of Melbourne's architectural heritage, for as long as it is prized and preserved, we are all the beneficiaries.

About The Authors

PETER FISCHER - With Vintage Melbourne, Peter Fischer has blended the latest in digital technology with a lifelong passion for architecture and photography.

While his earlier books, Time Exposure and City in Focus reflected this passion and made the most of the technology available at the time, the advent of digital photography has allowed Peter to continue developing his style, combining his technological skills with artistic endeavour.  The results can be seen in the 2005 release Vintage Adelaide and have progressed again in Vintage Melbourne. Peter has created a candid yet creative and inspired representation of some of Melbourne's most glorious buildings.

SUSAN MARSDEN – Dr Susan Marsden is a professional historian whose published work includes vivid and enlightening urban histories and heritage studies. She loves exploring Melbourne and other cities and towns in writing and on foot. She has worked as State Historian in Adelaide, for the Australian Council of National Trusts, in Canberra, as an oral historian in Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin and Newcastle, and as a member of the Australian Capital Territory and the South Australian heritage authorities, and of the National Cultural Heritage Committee. Several histories are published on the Internet, including Urban Heritage and Our House.