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Melbourne Museum

This vibrant and award-winning museum is as big and beloved as the Triceratops it houses
  • Museums
  • Carlton
  1. A girl and her dad exploring dinosaurs at a museum
    Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum
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  2. A dinosaur skeleton
    Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum
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  3. The First Peoples exhibit at Melbourne Museum entrance
    Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum
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  4. The Dinosaur Walk entrance with skeletons in the background at Melb Museum
    Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum | Eugene Hyland
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  5. Fossils behind glass at an exhibition
    Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum
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By Olivia Hart for Time Out in association with Museums Victoria
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Time Out says

A glorious, sprawling space filled with themed displays, interactive areas, IMAX cinemas and no end of surprises, Melbourne Museum rewards first-time visitors and repeat patrons equally.

For recent initiates, the sheer scope of the permanent galleries (including exhibits dedicated just for kids) can be intimidating, but for those who aren't intent on digesting it all on one visit, the greatest treasures can be the tiniest and the most enlightening of surprises can be lurking just around the corner. 

Victoria's history is vividly evoked through artefacts, art and well-carved prose. Its ancient past is rekindled in the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, which presents First Peoples stories through objects, music and the voices of those past and present. Deepen your understanding and connect with ancestral objects from across the Pacific Ocean in Te Pasifika Gallery. Victoria's recent history is equally enjoyable, with the legendary taxidermy of Depression-era hero thoroughbred racehorse Phar Lap still one of the most popular exhibits with young and old alike.

Wander down Dinosaur Walk where the skeletons of ten prehistoric dinosaurs lay before you. Don't leave without a visit to the permanent exhibition Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs, the centrepiece of which is Horridus: Melbourne Museum's 67-million-year-old Triceratops fossil. Horridus holds the impressive title of being the most complete real dinosaur fossil in any Australian museum. And if you haven’t had your fill of the prehistoric just yet, head to the Gandel Gondwana Garden where you can take a stroll through the past amidst replicas of the bones, teeth and claws of ancient creatures.

Next, pop into the Bugs Alive gallery for live displays of creepy-crawlies, marvel at meteorites from Mars in Dynamic Earth and finish up at the open-air atrium which is teeming with plants and animals absorbing and refracting light. 

And if you think you have seen it all, think again. The Melbourne Museum also houses an impressive collection of rotating exhibitions. This winter, catch Victoria the T. rex to see a world-class interactive exhibition starring the real fossil skeleton of a 66-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus named Victoria from June 28. Or for an after-hours experience book a ticket to Nocturnal: Museum After Dark.

Details

Address
11 Nicholson St
Carlton
Melbourne
3053
Price:
Up to $15
Opening hours:
Daily 9am-5pm

What’s on

Biik Milboo Dhumba – Country is Always Talking

For the First Peoples of so-called Australia, the term ‘Country’ describes much more than simply a place or nation. Instead, it describes a deep connection to land, animals and plants, ancestors, language, culture and the wisdom of the land itself. Relationships to Country are individual and dinstinct, but always grounded in mutual respect. A new installation within Melbourne Museum called Biik Milboo Dhumba – Country is Always Talking encourages visitors to consider what it means to listen to Country. As you enter the tranquil space of the museum’s living Forest Gallery, you’ll encounter portraits of Elders and community members of the Eastern Kulin Nations. Use your phone to listen to their stories, detailing their unique and personal relationships to Country. Wander among the tall trees as you learn about cultural practices including scarring trees, seed collecting and cultural burning. A towering new sculpture by artist Robert Young provides the perfect place to stop and reflect on your journey. In the words of senior Elder N’Arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs: “‘We have to sit with Country and understand how it talks to us. The landscape informs us if we learn to see and hear it.” This installation is now open and access is included with museum entry. You can find out more at the Melbourne Museum website. Want more? Check out the best art and exhibitions happening in Melbourne this month.

Our Wondrous Planet

Ever wanted to soar above a rainforest canopy or wander beneath the frozen surface of the polar seas? Melbourne Museum invites you to do just that with Our Wondrous Planet, a breathtaking, immersive exhibition celebrating the interconnected magic of life on Earth. Spanning reef, rainforest, ice and soil, this multisensory experience drops visitors into the planet’s most vital ecosystems. Room-sized projections, interactive moments and storytelling bring the natural world to life. More than 800 remarkable animals from across the globe take centre stage, appearing in environments that pulse, swirl and shimmer. Witness the beginnings of a coral reef, come face-to-face with rainforest icons, glide through icy waters and explore hidden root networks and organisms working quietly beneath our feet. The exhibition is anchored by distinct spaces: Our Family, showcasing animals from the much-loved Wild gallery and exploring the human place in the tree of life; Our Roots, a reflective First Peoples-led space centred on care, reciprocity and connection to Country; and Our Moment, an interactive zone encouraging visitors to work together on the planet’s biggest challenges. What sets Our Wondrous Planet apart is its blend of First Peoples and scientific knowledge, showing how everything on Earth is connected and how small human actions can make a difference. Family-friendly, visually spectacular and thought-provoking, this exhibition entertains while leaving plenty to reflect on. Our...
  • Exhibitions

Rome: Empire, Power, People

Remember when we collectively discovered just how obsessed men were with the Roman Empire? Consider this your warning: a major, Melbourne-exclusive exhibition is officially bringing Ancient Rome to Melbourne Museum in April 2026.  Rome: Empire, Power, People is a large-scale exhibition developed by Museums Victoria in collaboration with Italian partners, drawing on extraordinary loans from the Museo Nazionale Romano and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze. More than 150 original objects dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE will be on display from April 1 to October 25, 2026 – all shown in Australia for the very first time. You can expect original statues, mosaics, frescoes, jewellery and everyday artefacts that trace Rome’s story from the fallout of Julius Caesar’s assassination through the rise of the Empire and its eventual collapse. The exhibition will foreground the lived experience of being an ancient Roman – think experiencing the theatrics of the gladiator arena, the hustle and bustle of marketplaces, domestic life inside Roman homes, and the luxury and politics that shaped the Eternal City. Immersive scenography and multimedia elements will also be used to transport Melburnians through imperial splendour and ordinary life, revealing how Roman ideas of power, governance and spectacle continue to shape the modern world. Beyond the gallery, the Roman theme is taking over the whole museum. Expect Italian-inspired food and drink offerings, exclusive...
  • Exhibitions
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