The Athenaeum Club
Melbourne's elite private clubs attracted controversy recently when members of the Athenaeum Club voted to maintain its men-only membership policy. Victoria's Attorney-General responded with proposed reforms to end the automatic exclusion from anti-discrimination laws for private clubs. Among others on notice are the Melbourne Club, the Savage Club and female counterparts the Alexandra and the Lyceum.Beginning with the founding of the Melbourne Club in 1839, these prestigious social guilds have formed the backbone of the city. Cloaked in exclusivity, they have provided neutral meeting places for the entertainment and edification of some of the country's most prolific business, academic, civic and political leaders.
The eminence of the roll calls is matched only by the opulence of the venues. Lavish accommodation and library and dining facilities are housed mainly in 19th-century, renaissance revival buildings and purpose-built clubhouses scattered around Melbourne's CBD. The Athenaeum fostered its momentum amid the political calamities of 1868, and the origins of the Lyceum date back to 1902 when female members of the Institute of Journalists were excluded from the institute's premises. Such beginnings might explain the strict admission rules and behaviour codes now under legal scrutiny.
Location: 87 Collins Street, Melbourne
