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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

Lego Star Wars: the Exhibition

May the 4th is a special date for any Star Wars fan, but this year it'll be one to remember. A brand-new Lego Star Wars exhibition is making its world premiere, and it won't be in a galaxy far, far away but right here in Melbourne.  Lego Star Wars: the Exhibition at Melbourne Museum comes from revered Lego genius Ryan 'Brickman' McNaught, who's back with his latest mind-boggling project of massive Star Wars brick creations – some standing at a whopping four metres tall.  There'll be Lego replicas of many of the iconic characters, fan favourite scenes, spacecraft and more, from both the classic films and newer releases. Plus, the exhibition will include interactive brick-based activities inclusive of all ages.  While there's still some time to wait for the exhibition opening, building has already begun, and it's expected it'll take more than 25,000 hours to finish and use a wild 8 million Lego bricks. One of the most monumental creations is a three-metre-tall red X-wing spacecraft, made of an astonishing 64,759 bricks, taking 382 hours to build.  "Fans will be blown away by the scale of the experience," Brickman says. "Building these iconic scenes and characters in Lego Star Wars form is an extremely complex task – taking the humble Lego brick and using it by the millions to translate into Star Wars builds and models at an epic scale the world has never seen before.  "My team and I are super excited to launch this mind-blowing experience right here in Melbourne. My inner...
  • Exhibitions

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.

Nocturnal: Museum After Dark

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 that returns in 2025, held on the second Thursday of each month. Explore the museum's major feature exhibitions as well as the permnanet ones, 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 some local DJ favourites soundtracking the night. Each monthly event has a different theme and activities, so there's always something new to discover. Highlights include a special Valentine's Day event, a collab with Melbourne International Comedy Festival, a NAIDOC Week event, plus much more.  Tickets are $32 for adults, $30 for concession or $27 for museum members. To find out more about the Nocturnal event series or to buy tickets, head to the Melbourne Museum website. Want to explore more exhibitions? Take a look at our list of the best ones in Melbourne this month. 
  • Exhibitions
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