Catch up with Lisa Murray's segment on 2SER earlier today and get the lowdown on Sydney Open:   by Lisa Murray

Tiles in the disused train tunnels under St James Station. The tunnels will be open to a lucky few Golden Ticket holders this Sunday. Photo courtesy: Nicole Cama (MuseumMinx)

We are all sticky beaks at heart, and on this coming Sunday, 1 November 2015,  you can indulge your curiosity by visiting the interiors of over 50 historic and architectural buildings in the city. Sydney Open is an annual one-day event organised by our good friends at Sydney Living Museums. If you enjoy history, architecture, art or photography, you will have a great time at Sydney Open. And you'll enjoy it even more reading up before or after the event about many of the buildings which are covered in the Dictionary of Sydney. Now it is a ticketed event, https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/sydneyopen/buy-tickets and you need to plan, as it's almost impossible to get to them all in one day. http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/sydneyopen/plan-your-day So, as a seasoned participant of Sydney Open, here are my top five historic building recommendations: 1. AMP Building (1962) http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/amp_building This was the first skyscraper in Sydney to exceed Sydney’s long-imposed 150-foot (46-metre) height limit. It was 107m tall - and so was twice the height of virtually every other building in Sydney. The only thing that came close was the AWA tower. You can go up to the original observation deck and the roof top terrace for great views. 2. Lands Department Building (1876-1888) http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/department_of_lands_building See it while you can. The state government is selling this off and it is going to be converted into a boutique hotel. You can see the Eastern Dome, Plan Room, Loftus Street stairs, Secretary’s Office, ground floor Surveyor’s Baseline, and Bridge Street foyer. 3. Sydney Town Hall (1868 - 1889) http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/sydney_town_hall Come and say hello to me. I'll be sharing my knowledge about the Old Sydney Burial Ground, which was on the site prior to the town hall. And all the major civic spaces are open, and you can hear the City Organist play the grand organ. 4. Sydney Masonic Centre (1976) A fine example of brutalist architecture. And in my view one of the great modernist interiors in Sydney - don't miss the ceiling of the grand lodge room. The masons have a distinguished history in Sydney and their museum, archives and library will be open alongside all their key rooms. 5. Mortuary Station (1869) http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/mortuary_railway_station This Gothic railway station designed by James Barnet was the departure point for funerals heading to Rookwood Necropolis. Rarely open, this is a great opportunity to see the finely carved angels along the station platform.   The Dictionary of Sydney has lots more information about the buildings on offer for Sydney Open, so here are some of the other buildings you can explore on Sunday in person, or at any time of the day or night through the Dictionary of Sydney.

Stained glass figure representing Australia, designed by Lucien Henry, in Sydney Town Hall. Photo courtesy of Paul Patterson, City of Sydney Council.

ABC Ultimo Centre http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/702_abc_sydney ANZAC Memorial http://dictionaryofsydney.org/structure/anzac_war_memorial_hyde_park< Australia Square http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/australia_square Culwulla Chambers http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/culwulla_chambers Customs House http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/customs_house Deutsche Bank http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/deutsche_bank_place Government House, Sydney http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/government_house Grosvenor Place http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/grosvenor_place_towers Hyde Park Barracks http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/hyde_park_barracks Justice and Police Museum http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/justice_and_police_museum_building Kensington Street Chippendale http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/10_kensington_street_chippendale http://dictionaryofsydney.org/place/chippendale Lucy Osburn - Nightingale Museum http://dictionaryofsydney.org/person/osburn_lucy http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/sydney_hospital Museum of Contemporary Art http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/museum_of_contemporary_art_australia http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/museum_of_contemporary_art Museum of Sydney http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/museum_of_sydney Parliament House http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/parliament_house Queen Victoria Building http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/queen_victoria_building St James Church http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/st_james_anglican_church_queens_square St Marys Cathedral http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/st_marys_cathedral State Library of New South Wales, including Mitchell Library http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/state_library_of_new_south_wales http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/state_library_of_new_south_wales_building http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/mitchell_library http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/mitchell_library Sydney Grammar School http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/sydney_grammar_school The Great Synagogue http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/great_synagogue The Mint http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/the_mint The Old Clare Hotel (Tooth & Co) http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/tooth_and_co_ltd< http://dictionaryofsydney.org/place/kent_brewery UTS Tower http://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/uts_tower http://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/university_of_technology_sydney For the full list of buildings and ticket prices for the day, go to: http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/sydneyopen/buildings   You can listen to a podcast of Lisa's segment with Mitch at 2SER Breakfast here. Tune in again next week for more of Sydney’s history courtesy of the Dictionary of Sydney, on 107.3 at 8:20am. Don’t miss it!