Melbourne is throwing open the doors to 180 buildings you're not normally allowed in

Melbourne is about to let you into 180 buildings you are usually not allowed anywhere near.

Open House Melbourne Weekend runs Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July, and this year's theme is Generous City, a fitting name for a weekend built entirely around access. More than 180 events across three days, covering everything from private homes to churches to the kind of infrastructure you drive past every day without a second thought.

The list reads like a scavenger hunt for people who like buildings a bit too much. Ten private residences most of us will never set foot in otherwise. Eleven churches and places of worship. Fifteen performing and visual arts spaces. Sixteen multi-residential buildings you have probably admired from the footpath. Seventy six heritage sites, because Melbourne does not do things by halves.

Some of the standouts this year include a behind the scenes look at the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre, costume department included, plus the new Transurban Freeway Control Centre in Footscray, which is basically the nerve centre for CityLink and the West Gate Tunnel. If you have ever wondered who is actually watching the traffic cameras, now you can ask them in person.

There is also VIP access to Rod Laver Arena through Melbourne Park, a look inside the National Institute of Circus Arts, and a chance to wander through Parliament of Victoria without needing an appointment or a very good excuse. Newer additions to the program include Footscray Hospital and Melbourne Metro, so it is not all heritage buildings and old churches.

Over 70,000 people are expected across the weekend, and most of it is free. That is the actual drawcard here. Melbourne loves a hidden gem, and Open House hands you a hundred and eighty of them on a plate, no membership or industry connections required.

Plan ahead if you actually want to get inside the popular spots. The private residences and anything with limited capacity will fill fast, and turning up on the day with no plan usually means a lot of queueing and not much building. Sort your shortlist now, because 24 July is closer than it feels.