Melbourne Museum showcases Australian social history, Indigenous cultures, science and the environment. Located adjacent to the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, and home to IMAX Theatre Melbourne.

Winner of the Australian Tourism Awards for Best Major Tourist Attraction in Australia for 2011.

Major features of Melbourne Museum include:
- Celebrate Victoria's local Koorie culture in Bunjilaka, Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
- Explore Melbourne's rich history in the Melbourne Story exhibition - be immersed in evocative stories and discover the icons and personalities that have shaped Melbourne since the early 1800s.
- See Phar Lap, Australia's legendary racehorse, in the flesh.
- Walk amongst skeletons of amazing animals from the past - from dinosaurs, flying reptiles and megafauna.
- Take a close look at bugs, from stick insects to red-back and funnel-web spiders in Bugs Alive!
- Wander through a living forest with resident wildlife inside the Forest Gallery.
- Journey into the mind and explore a world of emotions, thoughts, memories and dreams in The Mind exhibition.
- Explore the Children's Gallery, a fun and education space for 1 to 8 year olds.
- Utilise Museum Victoria's research and collections and conduct your own research into life in Victoria at the Discovery Centre.
- Visit the Museum Shops for a unique range of books, toys, games, as well as original, locally produced crafts and souvenirs you won't find anywhere else.
- Relax at the Museum Cafe over a coffee and a bite to eat.
- Experience one of the world's largest cinema's at IMAX Theatre Melbourne.

Local directions

Melbourne Museum is located on the Northern edge of the central business district in the beautiful Carlton Gardens, between Nicholson and Rathdowne Streets, opposite the historic Royal Exhibition Building. Take Tram 86 or 96 north from Bourke Street to the corner of Nicholson and Gertrude Streets. Or take the City Circle Tram to Victoria Street and walk through Carlton Gardens. Take the City Loop Train to Parliament Station and follow the signs north along Nicholson Street. Entrance to the Melbourne Museum underground car park is via Nicholson or Rathdowne Streets.

Facilities

Activities

Tourism awards

2011  - Victorian Tourism Awards  - Winner

2011  - Australian Tourism Awards  - Gold

2010  - Victorian Tourism Awards  - Winner

Opening hours

Daily
10:00am -5:00pm
Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Memberships

• Cultural Tourism Industry Group
• Inbound Tour Operators Association
• Museums Australia

Disabled access

Contact operator for further details.

Additional business information

Bunjilaka
Bunjilaka, the Aboriginal Centre at Melbourne Museum, is more than just an exhibition gallery. It is a living cultural centre for the Koori community of south-eastern Australia. Koori Voices tells the stories of Aboriginal people in Victoria. It celebrates the survival of Aboriginal culture and the ways in which Aboriginal people have continually sought to maintain autonomous lifestyles in spite of oppressive policies and welfare regimes. It recognises the history of Koori attempts to maintain culture, rights and dignity within the struggles and achievements of daily life. Belonging to Country explores the complex relationship that Aboriginal people have to land and waters throughout Australia. This relationship is spiritual, economic and political. Land is intimately connected to Aboriginal identity and well being. This relationship is explored through a wide variety of objects from the museum's collections. Two Laws explores Indigenous Australians' systems of knowledge, law and property, and what happens when these conflict with the laws and perspectives of non-indigenous Australians. These include issues such as cultural and intellectual property rights, repatriation, and the meaning of 'dreamtime'.

Children's Gallery
The entire Children's Gallery is aimed at 0-8 year olds, (although it is proving to be popular with all ages), and consists of three spaces; the exhibition gallery Big Box, The Learning Environment and the Children's Garden. Big Box houses the permanent exhibition 1, 2, 3 Grow, which encourages children to think about the different ways in which plants, humans and animals grow and change over the course of their lives. The story of growth unfolds through the themes of size, colour and form. The exhibition enables children to make comparisons between themselves and objects on display by touching, looking and listening.