Robin Boyd and the Griffins — Walsh Street Walk in South Yarra

Walsh Street in South Yarra is the setting for a rare, focused look at two of Australia’s most influential figures in modern architecture. The Prophets: Robin Boyd and the Griffins is a 90‑minute talk and walk that begins at 290 Walsh Street South Yarra, Victoria AU 3141 and moves through Boyd’s ideas, images and the house he designed, offering close views of interior details and exterior massing that helped reshape mid‑century Australian design. Philip Goad, Chair of Architecture and co‑Director of ACAHUCH at the University of Melbourne, leads the evening with a scholar’s precision and a storyteller’s pace. He traces Robin Boyd’s role as an advocate — from the seminal Victorian Modern (1947) to Boyd’s unbuilt World Expo vision based on Walter Burley Griffin’s Canberra plan — and situates Boyd as a persistent promoter of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony. The program ties archival photographs, including Boyd’s shot of the Capitol Theatre ceiling, to the physical cues on Walsh Street: brickwork, cantilevered eaves, and the cork flooring that shapes how the house is experienced. This event is generous with context: expect measured close‑reading of façades, anecdotes about media campaigns that made modernism a public conversation, and a concise survey of the Griffins’ influence on Melbourne’s urban fabric. The walk is short but rich — a city rambler’s lens on design, where the geology of the site is replaced by the layered craft of brick, render and timber, and where urban trees and local street patterns frame architectural lines. Practical notes sit alongside the ideas. The tour meets at 290 Walsh Street South Yarra, Victoria AU 3141; attendees must be 16 or over, and the heritage listing of the house limits mobility modifications — visitors with accessibility needs should contact [email protected] in advance. Photography is encouraged for exteriors and offered interior photo‑ops subject to house rules; large bags and pointed heels are restricted to protect cork floors. Presented to mark Walter Burley Griffin’s 150th birth anniversary, the evening is supported by Brickworks Building Products, Konpira Maru Wines and Yumbo Soda. It’s an event for anyone who wants architecture to feel like a live conversation between image and material: scholars, students, designers and curious travelers who want to see how ideas translate into street‑level detail. If you plan to visit, wear comfortable shoes, bring a notepad, and leave time afterward to wander South Yarra’s streets — the neighborhood itself is an open notebook of twentieth‑century design. Public transport access is straightforward from Melbourne; trams and trains serve South Yarra station a short walk away. Tickets may be discounted for RBF Friends and Boyd Circle members—check the Robin Boyd Foundation website for booking details and membership benefits before you go. Plan accordingly. Always.