One of the very first to identify the contemporary rise of Melbourne’s cultural and place power, Maree Coote has won The Royal Historical Society of Victoria’s Gold Prize for ‘The Art of Being Melbourne’. Her unique command of history, culture, art and design is made accessible for a wide variety of audiences, including children.

Coote was the first to create a children’s picture book for Melbourne kids, ‘When You Go To Melbourne’. According to Philip Adams, “Melbourne never had a more ingenious ambassador.” Coote’s first book The Melbourne Book: A History of Now is in its fourth edition after 12+ years in print, and has been dubbed ‘Melbourne’s Bible’.