The 10 Best Museums in Melbourne
Melbourne is considered the cultural capital of Australia. It is a beautiful city that boasts of beaches, nightlife and many excellent museums.
In Melbourne, you will find museums that display everything from space exploration to prehistoric times. Many museums are housed in old Victoria styled buildings as well as those in modern buildings. Here, we discuss the best museums in Melbourne. Whether you are a visitor or a resident, you can have a great time in Melbourne by visiting any of these museums.
Melbourne Museum
One of the best museums you can visit in Melbourne is the one named after the city. It is one of the best museums to start your tour of the city. It was established in 2001 and is dedicated to culture, history, science, and everything that has to do with Melbourne. You will also find all various Victorian artefacts in the museum. Familiar objects in the museum include post-modern exhibits and different city maps. There are also IMAX cinemas in the museum, and you will find many other facilities on the premises. No matter how many times you visit this cinema, there is always something new to discover.
Immigration Museum
One of the most influential groups in the Australian population are immigrants. They constitute about 30% of the residents and immigration waves have been responsible for the growing community for a long time. The original Aboriginal people who are the indigenous people now constitute a tiny part of the population, and many people living in the country can trace their origins to about 200 countries. This museum focuses on Australian immigrants and explores the culture of the immigrant population as well as the reason they made that long journey into Australia. You will find different artefacts brought by immigrants on display in this museum.
Shrine of Remembrance
This building was erected close to 90 years ago as a monument to remember Australians who serve in the First World War and other peacekeeping and military missions. The museum contains different exhibits and galleries. These include the Gallery of Medals, Gallery of remembrance, The Victoria, etc. In this museum, you will find the over 800 artefacts, which includes uniforms, medals, letters written to soldiers, etc. This museum is located on Birdwood Avenue.
National Sports Museum
This museum is located on the grounds of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It celebrates Australian cricket history and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. If you are into crickets, this is the best place to go to get all the information you need when it comes interactive exhibits. There are areas designed for activities such as Australian Football zone where you can kick goals, shoot netball, and even test your reaction time compared to that of world-class athletes. While most of these activities are designed for kids, an adult can also have fun with these activities. If you are interested in checking out memorabilia from rugby union, boxing, Olympics, and other sports, this is the place to be.
Old Melbourne Gaol
This museum is located in a building that was formerly a Victorian Prison. If you are looking to get a view of what a colonial prison looks like, this museum is the place to go. There are different artefacts to find in this museum, and you will also find accounts about prison inmates and how they lived during their time in prison. This museum is a very famous place because it has held many popular criminals.
National Gallery of Victoria
This is the biggest largest, oldest, and most famous art gallery in Australia. It has a very vast collection. It was so much that the museum had to move some of its collection to another location. In this museum, you will find a lot of international art and exhibits. It is a vast place, and you can explore the whole building in one visit.
Hellenic Museum
This museum focus on promoting the national and historical heritage of Greece. Here, you will find different artefacts that date as far back as a thousand years ago to ancient Greece. In the Hellenic museum, you will find artefacts from the Benaki Museum in Athens. Artefacts in this museum go as far as eight thousand years.
Chinese Museum
It is located in Chinatown and was established to preserve the Australian-Chinese community legacy and culture. You will find different artefacts that are linked to Chinese history.
Scienceworks
This museum is exclusively dedicated to science and its relationship with other fields. This museum is very interactive, and you will find loads of engaging and exciting exhibits.
Australian Centre for Moving Image
This museum is a cinema of sort. It is dedicated to all things moving and can be put on screens. The museum is designed with two cinemas and these cinemas screen movies from an exhibition or festival.