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Melbourne Museum

  • Museums
  • Carlton
Melbourne Museum
Photograph: Robert Blackburn | Melbourne Museum
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Time Out says

This vibrant and award-winning museum is as big and beloved as the Triceratops it houses

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, like history itself, the most enlightening of surprises lurk in the dimmest corners and darker recesses.

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 Indigenous stories through objects, music and the voices of those past and present. Victoria's recent history is equally enjoyable, with the stuffed hide of Depression-era hero thoroughbred racehorse Phar Lap still one of the most popular exhibits with young and old alike.

Don't leave without a visit to the newest permanent exhibition Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs. The centrepiece of the exhibition 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. 
Next, pop into the taxidermy room. As well as the traditional pinned insects and dinosaurs, the Museum also has an open-air atrium teeming with plants and animals absorbing and refracting light. Stuffy this museum certainly ain't.

And if you think you have seen it all, think again. The Melbourne Museum also houses an impressive collection of rotating exhibitions. This summer head to the Tyama: a Deeper Sense of Knowing exhibition and the Pink Diamonds exhibit showing until the end of January, or the Naadohbii: To Draw Water exhibition which is on until the end of March 2023, featuring work by First Peoples artists globally about environmental, political and cultural connections to water.

Explore more of Melbourne this summer by ticking off the 101 things to do in Melbourne at least once in your life.  

Jade Solomon
Written by
Jade Solomon

Details

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

What’s on

Titanic High Tea at Melbourne Museum

  • Food and drink

In celebration of the opening of Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition, Melbourne Museum is treating us to what's perhaps one of the most unique and exciting high tea events to grace our city yet. This exclusive culinary offering has been expertly designed to transport guests to the Titanic's opulent first-class dining rooms through a fusion of flavours and elegant treats.  At the time of the ill-fated ship's maiden (and final) voyage, French cuisine was considered the height of fine dining. Michelin-trained executive chef Keith Higginson has re-imagined these classic dishes, using the finest local ingredients to create a menu that pays homage to the Titanic’s intriguing history. Savour the delights of confit salmon tartlets with a Sydney rock oyster emulsion and marigold, Australian king prawns poached in lemon and fresh herbs, and chicken and cucumber sandwiches with black truffle and chives. Other highlights on the menu include citrus tarts with fresh raspberries, rose-scented macarons, and chocolate and clementine marmalade tea cakes. Aside from tea and coffee, an elevated beverage list of cocktails, mocktails and classics is on offer, including Rose’s Pearl, inspired by Kate Winslet’s character in the 1997 film. And of course, a high tea wouldn't be a high tea without scones – the ones here are served with a delightful dollop of clotted cream and forest berry preserves. To find out more about the experience (and what's on the menu), check out the website. Note that a ticket

Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition

  • Exhibitions

The world's most extensive and authentic exhibition about the famed (and doomed) Titanic will sail into Melbourne Museum this December. Coming directly from a sold-out run in Paris, Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition will transport visitors inside the famous ship more than a century after its demise via an intricate recreation of its hallowed halls that feature real relics.  Melburnians will have the chance to step back in time to the year 1912, collecting a boarding pass to relive the historic day when the Titanic embarked on its ill-fated maiden voyage. Inside the exhibition are meticulous recreations of the ship’s interiors, including the grand staircase, first-class parlour suite and verandah café. For fans of the beloved James Cameron film, this is a chance to be immersed in the settings that inspired some truly iconic cinematic moments.  The landmark exhibition will also include more than 200 genuine artefacts retrieved from the site of the shipwreck in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, many of them possessions of the passengers and crew onboard. Visitors will be able to dive into the human stories of the people who took the fateful voyage, exposing the eye-opening reality of the infamous tragedy. It's sure to provide an incredible insight into the harsh truth of the Titanic – but unfortunately, it won’t give any further intel as to whether both Jack and Rose could have fit on the door.  'Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition' opened exclusively at Melbourne Museum on December

Nocturnal: Museum After Dark

  • Exhibitions

Venture out as night falls and immerse yourself in the many wonders of our world at Melbourne Museum, welcoming those of us with nocturnal tendencies after dark. The museum will open its doors after closing time for Nocturnal: Museum After Dark, a series of exclusive adults-only evenings, held on the second Thursday of each month. Explore the brand-new Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition or one of the museum's many other exhibitions, and be enlightened by tours, curator talks and trivia. Once you've satisfied your curiosity, enjoy a bev, play drag bingo and have a boogie with DJs soundtracking the night. Each event has a different theme, so there's always something different to discover.  The series kicks off with the first event on February 8, when Nocturnal: Hot & Bothered will partner with the fabulous Midsumma Festival, celebrating queer culture and activism. Once you've explored the Titanic exhibition, grab a bite, a drink and have a groove to the sounds of some funky disco house courtesy DJ JARV!S behind the decks. For the curiously inclined, join one of the educational tours and talks around the museum, lead by it's resident experts. Learn about the spectrum of sex diversity in the animal kingdom, or how LGBTQIA+ identities have influenced fashion styles within the museum's clothing and textile collection.  The following month, Nocturnal: Worlds Apart, will focus on weird and wonderful stories from across the earthly realm, with a program of talks and tours exploring the

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