Discover what’s on at Fed Square

Mike Nock Trio perform Nock&#8217;s landmark 1981 jazz record Ondas, supported by new-generation fusion ensemble Krakatau.
A work of astonishing emotional depth, Mike Nock&#8217;s Ondas was recorded in Oslo in 1981 and features New Zealand-born pianist Mike Nock, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jon Christensen. More than four decades on, it remains one of German independent jazz record label ECM&#8217;s towering achievements.
Across a 65-year career spanning collaborations with Yusef Lateef, Art Blakey, Bennie Maupin, John Abercrombie and Chris Abrahams, Nock has cultivated a musical voice so distinctive that renowned American jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans once recognised it from a blind listening.
This is a rare opportunity to hear Nock perform Ondas in full, live. Nock will be joined by long-time collaborator Laurence Pike (drums) and double bassist Ben Waples.
Melbourne-based fusion ensemble and Ondas disciples Krakatau will open the evening, having recently re-emerged with their long-awaited new full-length album, Terra Ignota (May, 2026).
Set Times
7pm – Doors 
7.30pm – Krakatau 
8.45pm – Mike Nock

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Music

Mike Nock Trio performs Ondas + Krakatau

Open House Melbourne Weekend is Australia’s largest architecture and built environment festival, celebrating the importance of good design in shaping our communities.
The Weekend program celebrates good design by opening buildings, places and spaces, inspiring public engagement in conversations about the future of our city. This year’s theme, “Generous City”, explores how design, creativity and architecture can foster a culture of openness, offering space, care and possibility to the people who live, work and play here.
Visit Fed Square for this Open House Melbourne Weekend and uncover the stories within its rich ecology of art, design, culture, and creativity.
Sign up for a behind-the-scenes tour of Fed Square, a design talk with First Nations leaders, an open studio at MESS, exhibitions and building tours at the Koorie Heritage Trust, and a documentary screening or Media Preservation Lab tour at ACMI.
Explore the full program of events below.

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Tours

Open House Melbourne Weekend at Fed Square

Reflections on a lifetime of writing, with some of Australia’s most celebrated writers.
This new, free, in-conversation series invites readers into the writing lives of some of Australia’s greatest living literary icons. Over decades of reflecting on various elements of Australian life – and reflecting it back to us through their writing – these writers reveal something meaningful about who we are as a people and culture: what we care about, how we see the world, how we grow, age, change, fight and love. About what we remember and what we choose to forget.
This series will deep-dive into these authors’ bodies of work, celebrating their scope, artistic progression and literary legacy to date – from their debut book to their most recent. Body of Work is presented by Fed Square and curated by author and bookseller Jaclyn Crupi.
Due to the expected popularity of this series, tickets will be limited to two per registration for each event.

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Talk

Free

Body of Work: conversations with Australian literary icons

Come and join the Koorie Heritage Trust weekdays (except Public Holidays) on their Birrarung Wilam (River Camp) Walk for all members of the public. Starting at 1pm, the Birrarung Wilam Walk takes you through Fed Square and down to the Birrarung Wilam (Common Ground) Aboriginal art installations, experiencing the Aboriginal history of the Birrarung Marr (Beside the river of mists) and Aboriginal Peoples of the Kulin Nation.
With one of their experienced Koorie guides, you will learn how the land on which Melbourne is located has changed over time and about the significance of the Birrarung Wilam to the local Kulin peoples. You will gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of this incredible location; an important gathering place for the Kulin Nation and one of Melbourne’s most popular meeting hubs.
For any questions regarding the tours, please contact Kieran Stewart, Tours Coordinator on 8662 6313. Tickets are also available on the day, visit the KHT reception/retail desk on the ground floor, Yarra Building (availability may be limited).
For more information visit: <a href="https://koorieheritagetrust.com.au/visit-us/education/guided-walking-tours/cultural-walk-birrarung-wilam-river-camp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://koorieheritagetrust.com.au/visit-us/education/guided-walking-tours/cultural-walk-birrarung-wilam-river-camp/</a>
Image credit: Visit Victoria

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Birrarung Wilam (River Camp) Walk with Koorie Heritage Trust

Originally produced and staged at 180 Studios in London, the exhibition features works by Stan Douglas, Jenn Nkiru, William Kentridge, Jeremy Deller, Virgil Abloh, Kahlil Joseph, Gabriel Moses, Cecilia Bengolea, Julianknxx and Carsten Nicolai. It also showcases The Vinyl Factory Collection, and original commissions shown to celebrate 20 years of artistic collaborations.
The exhibition explores vinyl culture and music’s influence on art, fashion, film and social movements. It dives into different eras and energies of music, from the early days of techno and house to contemporary digital art. From Kingston’s dancehall scene to the late-80s ‘Second Summer of Love’, and beyond. Get immersed in a sculptural sound system. Jump on the technics and play with endlessly remixable vinyl loops. Dip into the hypnotism of a six-hour jam film set in a reconstruction of ‘The Church’—the legendary New York studio where Miles Davis, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan recorded. Witness a fantasy rap battle racing down copper lines from Cairo to London. Roam The Vinyl Factory’s eclectic archive of 100 pressings from Massive Attack, Grace Jones, Daft Punk and more.
Head to the Listening Room and select from a curated collection of records for some deep listening. This London hit is an acoustically optimised sanctuary for pristine sound. After hours, the room hosts weekly one-off sessions, giving you the chance to see local and international artists up close, with additional events during RISING. Selected sessions are curated by Yasmine Sharaf, presenter for Triple R’s Cease + Desist and a specialist in underground sounds.
For more information visit: <a href="https://www.acmi.net.au/whats-on/the-vinyl-factory-reverb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.acmi.net.au/whats-on/the-vinyl-factory-reverb/</a>
Presented by ACMI and RISING.

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Exhibitions

The Vinyl Factory: Reverb at ACMI

Showcasing the outstanding creativity and dedication of emerging artists across Victoria, the annual Top Arts exhibition returns for its 32nd year. Selected from over 1,100 applicants, this year’s exhibition celebrates the exceptional talent of 43 students who have excelled in the VCE subjects of Art Making and Exhibiting and Art Creative Practice in 2025.
The annual Top Arts exhibition provides a platform for emerging artists from across the state who are completing their VCE studies to showcase their skills, enthusiasm, and creativity. In 2026, the exhibition highlights the increasingly innovative use of materials and techniques employed by Victoria’s inventive and imaginative young artists.
For more information visit: <a href="https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/top-arts-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/top-arts-2026/</a>
Image credit: Installation view of Top Arts 2026 on display from 13 March – 19 July 2026 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne. Photo: Tobias Titz

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Top Arts 2026 at NGV Australia

Celebrating over four decades of art, culture and storytelling, Yeerung’s Journey is the first major solo exhibition to be held at the KHT of artworks by Brabrawooloong Gunnai artist Ray Thomas.
Yeerung’s Journey offers insight into Ray’s evolution as both an artist and a cultural leader. Working across painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and, more recently, large-scale murals, Ray has developed a distinctive and powerful visual language grounded in family, Country, memory and lived experience. His work speaks to both personal and collective histories, expressing resilience, cultural continuity and healing.
The exhibition takes its name from Gunnai lore, where Yeerung, the emu wren, is the totem carried by men, and embodies identity, belonging and responsibility.
For more information visit: <a href="https://kht.org.au/whats-on/exhibitions/ray-thomas-yeerungs-journey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://kht.org.au/whats-on/exhibitions/ray-thomas-yeerungs-journey/</a>

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First Peoples

Ray Thomas: Yeerung’s Journey at KHT

KHT is proud to occupation studies: ngayanhurra bayarral Birrarung (they tried to tame Birrarung) a new multichannel audiovisual artwork by artist Tahlia Palmer (Yuwaalaraay/Gamilaraay and mixed European descent), developed in collaboration with Jasper Cohen-Hunter (Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung). Through immersive sound and moving image, Palmer and Cohen-Hunter interrogate the colonial occupation and regulation of the Birrarung (Yarra River), revealing how non-First Peoples altered a living waterway that had sustained Wurundjeri people for countless generations.
For more information visit: <a href="https://kht.org.au/whats-on/exhibitions/occupation-studies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://kht.org.au/whats-on/exhibitions/occupation-studies/</a>

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occupation studies: ngayanhurra bayarral Birrarung (they tried to tame Birrarung) at KHT

What's On

Discover restaurants, bars and cafes serving up Melbourne&#8217;s best breakfast, coffee, lunch, drinks or dinner for any occasion and budget.

Discover All

Eat + Drink

Bringing the world’s great beers together with exciting locals from Australian craft breweries.

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Good Nature Hotel

An iconic Melbourne bar and cafe nestled in the historic Federation Wharf vaults

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Riverland Bar

Your late-night haunt for smooth jazz and classy cocktails

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Transit Rooftop Bar

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Taxi Kitchen

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Transport Public Bar

Enjoy a range of refreshments, light meals and snacks supplied by local producers.

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NGV Cafe

Visit some of Australia's most significant cultural attractions, including ACMI, the Koorie Heritage Trust and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. 

Your museum of screen culture. Navigate the universe of film, TV, videogames and art.

What's On

Eat + Drink

Good Nature Hotel

Riverland Bar

Transit Rooftop Bar

Taxi Kitchen

Transport Public Bar

NGV Cafe

Museums + Galleries

ACMI

Koorie Heritage Trust

The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia