They say that architecture shapes a nation and Australia is no different. Home to a diverse array of design-led buildings with a clear global influence, it certainly isn't short on stunning architecture. Ranging from 19th-century heritage sites to shiny new skyscrapers, here are our favourite buildings that have put Australia's skylines on the map...

Designed by Australian architecture firm Fender Katsalidis, Eureka Tower is an imposing tower block on Melbourne's Southbank measuring 297 metres tall and topped with a 24-carat gold-plated square at the top. The tower opened in 2006 and was named after the anti-colonial Eureka Rebellion of the Victorian gold rush, with the building's red stripe referencing the blood spilt in the conflict. You can experience it for yourself and take the fastest elevator trip in the Southern Hemisphere to the 88th-floor observation deck or experience 'The Edge' – a protruding glass cube that suspends you nearly 300 metres above the ground.

The world’s first major gallery dedicated exclusively to Australian art, The Ian Potter Centre houses over 20 exhibition spaces spread over three floors and boasts excellent views over the city. It opened in Melbourne's hip Federation Square back in 2003 and the futuristic glass matrix design was created by Lab Architecture Studio in association with Bates Smart, for which they scooped the RAIA National Award for Interior Architecture and the Marion Mahony Interior Architecture Award.

An 869-foot skyscraper in Melbourne's central business district, 120 Collins Street was designed by architectural firm Hassell in association with Daryl Jackson. Opening its doors in 1991, it's clear that this postmodern-style skyscraper has been influenced by the likes of New York City's Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. From its granite façade to its central mast, it’s a love letter to the Big Apple.

Parliament House serves as the meeting place of the Australian government in the country's capital of Canberra. The building was completed in 1988 and cost an eye-watering AU$1.1 billion (£570m) to build! The design by Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects, which was picked from 329 concepts, is based on the shape of two boomerangs topped with an 81-metre high flagpole. Interestingly, the majority of the building is buried under Capital Hill.

Designed by DBI Architects, Infinity Tower opened in 2014 and swiftly won a coveted International Property Award for its bold design. At 249-metres high, it enjoyed a brief stint as the tallest building in Brisbane but was surpassed a few years later by 1 William Street. Praised for its cutting-edge design and elegant contrasting glass façade, the high rise residential development certainly makes its presence known in Brisbane’s skyline.

Sydney's tallest structure at 309-metres high, Sydney Tower is also the second tallest observation tower in the whole of the Southern Hemisphere. The iconic yellow city structure was designed by Australian architect Donald Crone who first started working on the design in 1968. It finally opened to the public in 1981 and today keen sightseers can visit the observation deck, along with a revolving restaurant. Interestingly, it’s the first place to see the Sydney dawn and the last to see dusk. 

Located in the centre of Melbourne's CBD, the historic Coop's Shot Tower was built in 1889. In its heyday, the nine-storey stone bullet factory produced six tonnes of lead shot every week but faced an uncertain future when demand for it dwindled in the 1960s in the face of firearm regulations. Threatened with demolition in the 1970s, it was saved and later incorporated into the Melbourne Central complex in 1991 where it sits underneath an 84-metre high conical glass roof. Today the site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and it operates a small museum. 

At 322.5 metres high, this skyscraper in Surfers Paradise, Queensland is the tallest building in Australia. Despite being a relative newcomer, opening in 2005, it was recognised as one of Queensland's icons during the state's 150th birthday celebrations for its role as a "structural and engineering feat". The impressive tower was designed by SDG & The Buchan Group and took its inspiration from the Sydney 2000 Olympic torch.

The brainchild of French architect Jean Nouvel and botanist Patrick Blanc, One Central Park is a pair of plant-clad towers, along with a five-storey central shopping centre and a 100-metre high sky garden. Built in 2013, it boasts one of the tallest green walls in the world, which totals some 1,000 square-metres and features 35 different plant species. It’s scooped numerous awards, including Overall Winner of the LEAF Awards.

Designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall and opening in 1993, the Governor Phillip Tower (second from the right) is characterised by its sleek façade of grey granite and glass. It’s even better known for is steel-bladed roof feature, for which it has earned the moniker 'the milk-crate'. Thanks to an optical illusion that places with perspective, the building looks like the tallest in the Sydney CBD from many prominent angles, including Sydney Harbour. In fact, it's only the sixth tallest (not including the Sydney observation tower).

Known the world over, this Australian masterpiece is considered one of the 20th century's most iconic buildings. It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who won the Opera House international design competition in 1957 and the work was headed up by an Australian architectural team. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed building came in over budget – costing AU$102 million (£52.9m) – as well as 10 years behind schedule, but since its royal opening in 1973 it's delighted design fans around the world. 

Dedicated to exhibiting works from Australia and around the world, the striking monochrome Museum of Contemporary Art is housed in the former Maritime Services Board Building. It first opened in 1991 but underwent an AU$58 million redevelopment in 2010, following designs by Sydney-based architect Sam Marshall. This saw the addition of the Mordant wing, a series of seemingly stacked black, white and glass boxes overlooking the harbour.

Dating back to 1839, Vaucluse House is a heritage-listed country estate and colonial farm, built on former Aboriginal land.  The Gothic-style property was first conceived of in its current state when explorer William Charles Wentworth bought a cottage on the site in 1827. He spent the next five decades developing the estate and in 1915 Vaucluse House became Australia’s first official house museum. Today visitors can explore the house museum, along with its original gardens and grounds. 

Designed by the architect Joseph Reed in 1880, the Royal Exhibition Building merges Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance styles to dazzling effect. The prominent dome is said to be modelled on the famous Florence Cathedral. Today the building marks one of the world's oldest remaining exhibition pavilions and as such, it was the first building in Australia to achieve a World Heritage listing in 2004.

Sydney's Queen Victoria building was completed in 1898 by Scottish architect George McRae. He produced four designs for the council to choose from and out of his proposed styles they plumped for Victorian Romanesque. The building is particularly noted for its central dome, which is comprised of an interior glass dome and copper-covered exterior topped with a decorative cupola. Other notable features include the stained-glass windows, skylights and intricate colonnades, arches and balustrades.

Described by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove as "the most beautiful squashed brown paper bag", this remarkable looking research and teaching facility opened in 2015 at Sydney's University of Technology. The building is the first designed by the controversial 'starchitect' Frank Gehry to make it to Australia and its façade features some 320,000 custom-designed bricks to give it its distinctive bag-like appearance. The bold build has won numerous awards and divided the critics. Elizabeth Farrelly of the Sydney Morning Herald said: "Frank Gehry is the Kim Kardashian of contemporary architecture: all curves, no content." Ouch!

Built in 1934 to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in the First World War, today it functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. It was designed by architects and veterans Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop, who opted for a classical style. The design is based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens and features The Eternal Flame, which represents eternal life and has burned continuously with few interruptions since it was first lit.

Built to mark Perth's role as host for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Council House was designed by Howlett and Bailey Architects in the height of mid-century modernist style, with a glazed entrance, water features and sun-shading fins. Considered an eyesore by some, it faced demolition in the 1990s but due to a successful campaign, it has been sensitively refurbished instead. Now having a bit of a renaissance, it was awarded the Enduring Architecture award in 2015.

Lovingly referred to as 'The Martian Embassy', The Shine Dome is the home of the Australian Academy of Science. The build was designed by architect Sir Roy Grounds and completed in 1959. Impressively, the 710-tonne reinforced concrete, copper-clad dome supports itself, with no internal wall holding it in place. Inside there is a large conference hall with raked seating along with council rooms and offices all incorporated into a simple circular layout. 

Designed by COX Architecture in 2010, the AAMI Park is notoriously home to the rugby and soccer teams of the city including the NRL team Melbourne Storm, the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby squad and A-League teams Melbourne Victory FC and Melbourne City FC. The architects involved opted for a geodesic dome roof, which ingeniously allows most of the seating to be covered while allowing plenty of light on to the pitch. Plus, the exterior is covered with LED lights, which can be used to stunning effect at important sporting events.

This iconic shot shows the Telstra Tower, a telecommunications tower and lookout, situated above the summit of Black Mountain in Australia's capital Canberra. Soaring 195.2 metres above the mountain summit, this landmark offers 360° views over the city and surrounding land. The tower was designed by Richard Ure and the Commonwealth Department of Works and opened in 1980; whether you love it or hate, there's no denying it's a part of the Canberra skyline. 

Perched on the shores of one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Indiana Tea Rooms was originally built in 1910 as an ice-cream parlour, though the current building as it stands today was constructed in the 1990s. Changes are afoot at Cottesloe Beach and the site has been purchased by mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Group. There are currently two proposals being considered which would involve demolishing the site (though thankfully there is a third option to refurbish). Could this soon be a lost relic of architecture? We hope not!

The first railway station in an Australian city, Flinders Street Railway Station first opened its doors in 1854. The government decided to build a new central passenger station to replace the ad-hoc buildings and in 1899 the design by railway employees James Fawcett and H.P.C. Ashworth, of Fawcett and Ashworth, won the competition. Today the Art Nouveau-style building, characterised by its dome, arched entrance and clocks, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

A heritage-listed former residence turned house museum; the Rose Seidler House is one of the finest examples of mid-century modern residential architecture in Australia. Native Aussie architect, Harry Seidler designed the Bauhaus-style home for his parents in 1950 and named it after his mother, Rose. Want to see it for yourself? The museum is open to 20th century design enthusiasts every Sunday.

With five-metre walls, Fremantle Prison gives an insightful glimpse into the area's convict-era, maximum-security past. The building dates back to 1855 when the first convicts were made to build their own prison out of nearby limestone quarried from a nearby hill. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the imposing structure is also a significant tourist attraction in Western Australia.

A heritage-listed public park, Paddington Reservoir was originally designed by Edward Bell and opened in 1866 as a water depository. In 2006, work began to restore the derelict space and bring it back to life after years of neglect had taken their toll. It reopened in 2008 as a sunken garden with rooftop reserve, with original features beautifully preserved throughout. 

The spectacle that is the New Horizons Research Centre has been variously compared to the bow of a ship, a zebra, looking through a kaleidoscope and a transformer about to take off. Whatever its inspiration, eco-credentials were always at the heart of this build for Monash University. The design by architectural practice, Lyons was awarded a 6 Star rating under the Green Building Council Australia – making it a world leader in passive building techniques.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image is the country's national museum of film, video games, digital culture and art. The landmark building was designed by Lab Architecture Studio and Bates Smart architects and opened in 2002. However, earlier this year it was announced the building would close to the public and undertake a AU$40 million (£20.8m) redevelopment. It's set to open mid-2020, so watch this space…

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