It had all the feeling of a high school reunion, only the school hall was replaced by Australia's former halls of power.
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Former MPs returned to Old Parliament House earlier this week to mark 30 years since the building was last used for a parliamentary sitting.
Among those returning to the historic building was former ACT senator Margaret Reid, who served from 1981 to 2003 and has been the only woman to be President of the Senate.
She said the gathering was a good chance to be able to catch up with former parliamentary colleagues and wander round where they made some of the country's biggest decisions.
"The provisional Parliament House was at times a challenging environment in which to work, but it had a lot of character and charm," Ms Reid said.
"I'm very glad it has been preserved as a historic national building and is there for all to enjoy."
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, Liberal senator Michael Baume and Heather Henderson, the daughter of prime minister Robert Menzies were also among the more than 120 people at the event, which also included former parliamentary staff who were working in the building at the time.
For the anniversary, guests revisited their old offices and toured the building to see places they wouldn't normally get to see, such as the Prime Minister's office, and also see how the building is used today as the Museum of Australian Democracy.
The last sitting day in Old Parliament House happened on June 3, 1988, but it took some time for things to resume in the bigger and more modern Parliament House just up the hill.
The move to the new parliament took six months to plan, with the move taking place over six weeks during the winter recess.
"The process of one parliamentary building ceasing operation and the other starting up took some time. It was quite the transition," The museum's experience manager Toni Dam said.
Former Western Australia senator Sue Knowles was also among those returning to the building for its 30th anniversary, and said it felt good to be back.
"Having not been in the beautiful building all that often since 1988, it was wonderful to see how well much of it has been retained and looking close to original," she said.
