Museums, Galleries and Various Art Exhibitions

NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA — AUSTRALIAN ART

The Ian Potter Centre, a stunning architectural triumph, houses the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection of Australian art. It is a collection of great depth and complexity, containing....more

VICTORIAN ARTS CENTRE

Although it lacks the architectural grandeur of Sydney's Opera House, the Southbank Arts Centre is Melbourne's predominant cultural landmark...more

IMMIGRATION MUSEUM

The Immigration Museum explores stories of people from all over the world who have migrated to Victoria from the 1800s through to the present day. Stories are brought to life through moving images, computer interactives, voices, memories and belongings. The result is an entertaining experience that engages all of the senses. Opens every day from 10:00 am to 05:00 pm 400 Flinders Street near William Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9927 2700.

VICTORIA POLICE MUSEUM

Victoria Police Centre, Concourse Level, 637 Flinders Street, west of Spencer Street, Melbourne. Opens Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 04:00 pm. Free admission.

POLLY WOODSIDE MARITIME MUSEUM

Lorimer Street East near the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The museum features the restored 1885 sailing ship "Polly Woodside".
Opening Hours: Daily 9.30am-5pm
Closed: Good Friday and Christmas Day

CHINESE MUSEUM

Located at 22 Cohen Place in Chinatown. The Chinese Museum shows the daily lives of the Chinese-Australians during the Gold Rush.

The museum runs 2-hour walking tours of Chinatown by appointment

MELBOURNE MUSEUM

Is a Great Museum with many temporary exhibitions constantly changing It houses the Legendary Phar-Lap race horse.

Also for the frst time in Australia Tutankhamun exhibit is on display from the April 2011

OLD MELBOURNE GAOL

Russell Street between Victoria Street and La Trobe Street, Melbourne. Phone: 03 9663 7228. Built in 1841, now a penal museum run by the Victorian branch of the National Trust. The building has three tiers of cells with catwalks around the upper levels. Its most famous inmate was the notorious bushranger Ned Kelly, who was hanged here in 1880. His scaffold, death mask and one of the four suits of armour used by his gang are displayed in a ground-floor cell. Evening candlelight tours are a popular with both locals and visitors who truly enjoy this touch of macabre Melbourne nightlife. Allow up to an hour for your visit. Opens every day from 09:30 am to 04:30 pm except Good Friday and Christmas Day. Night tour performances Wednesday and Sunday evenings when the suggested age minimum is 12 years.

JEWISH MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA

26 Alma Road, St Kilda. Opens Tuesday to Thursdays from 10:00 am to 04:00 pm, Sundays from 11:00 am to 05:00 pm. Admission $AU7 adult, $AU4 student or concession and $AU16 family.

JEWISH HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

13 Selwyn Street, Elsternwick. Melbourne. Opens Monday & Wednesdays from 10:00 am to 04:00 pm, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays from 10:00 am to 02:00 pm, Sundays from 11:00 am to 03:00 pm, closed on Jewish religious holidays.

OLD TREASURY BUILDING AND GOLD TREASURY MUSEUM

Corner Spring Street and Macarthur Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9651 2233. Built in 1858, the city’s first Italian Renaissance building with the majority of Melburnians considering that its elegance has not been surpassed by anything built in Melbourne since. The neoclassical bluestone and sandstone building was built to hold the gold that was pouring into Melbourne from the Ballarat and Bendigo mines. Architect J. J. Clark designed the building when he was only 19 years of age, incorporating subterranean vaults protected by iron bars and foot-thick walls. The Melbourne Exhibition occupies the entire ground floor, taking you from Melbourne’s Aboriginal times to the present with relics from Melbourne past, borrowed from public and private collections. Not to be missed is the “Built on Gold” show staged in the vaults themselves.