ACMI, formerly known as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is a free museum for everything…read moreabove movies, television and video games. Easy to find in Federation Square. So interesting to wander and see how movies are made as well as props from movies and television shows. Loved the section on animation. Grab a disc to collect information that you can view later about what you experienced. Definitely worth a short or long detour to ACMI.

We were walking around Melbourne and checking out it without a real purpose and saw a sign saying…read morethat entrance was free. You only had to pay extra if you wanted to experience the exhibit they have running at the time, which would probably be worth it. It seems to be a rotating exhibit. The free part was about the moving picture over the years. When you go in they give you this little disk that had a unique code and probably an nfc chip so you can tap it at each exhibit you liked to "collect" it and go to a website later and vote so the things you saw once again. This really makes you want to check more exhibits out and go all around. I think I connected 45 because at the end they have a spot to check how many exhibits you collected. They even had a station where you could create your own flip book. You would stand in front of a screen which would record you mongering for 3-5 seconds and then at the gift shop you could see the flip book and but it if you wanted. My wife and I both bought ours.. a more personalized souvenir. At the end they have a few kiosks where you can tap your cats to donate and we did that because this is definitely an experience that is worth staying around. I ain't it must get really busy on the weekends, but during the day in a weekend, it was the right amount of busy. I would definitely check it out and kids would love it.

Great place. I took our 14month old in for free as newborns receive a family 6month entry for free…read moremembership. Very hands on - plenty of spaces to explore and be adventurous. Best to get there about 9:45am to avoid waiting in queue, especially in school holidays. We'll be back! We have more sections to explore.

This is a great place to bring primary school age kids (or younger) for a full day of fun,…read moreespecially when there are special exhibits such as the Explore-a-saurus Exhibition. Where else can kids see moving roaring dinosaurs in Melbourne? Furthermore, the Nitty Gritty Super City upstairs offers many fun activities, such as a mock construction site. There's even a realistic Lego model of Melbourne. Unfortunately, there is nothing for adults to do other than accompany the kids. In this respect, the use of the word Museum is somewhat misleading. Play-centre would've been a much better description. Adults will learn little from the exhibits. For example, the dinosaur exhibition skips over the origin, geological periods, evolution or demise of these animals. They are not arranged in any chronological order, and not even to scale. For example, the T-rex is roughly half size. And nothing from the Triassic period. Again I have to remind myself it's for KIDS ONLY. The cafe is disappointing, offering mostly pies, sandwiches, chips but no healthy cooked food. At least there is real coffee. In summary, adults with no kids should stay away. But I'll probably bring my kids back here for more.

Quality/Quantity - I really like the dinosaur exhibits! So…read morecool. And you do not have to be a kid to enjoy this. Very immersive exhibits! Yes, this museum is very kid friendly. Current special events & exhibitions. Titanic until 4/14/24. High Tea until 4/14/24. 2/8/24 Nocturnal - Museum after dark. 2/10/24 Lunar New Year Day. 2/14/24 Valentine Day event. There are so many more exhibits and events, see website. (Yelp has the wrong website). https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/ Atmosphere - Another beautiful museum. And in the Carlton Gardens. Even the bathrooms are modern and beautiful... 4 floors, see directory. IMAX theater. Market Cafe. Open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm. Yelp hours differ slightly. Service - Good. Price - $15AUD per person. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2000.

Decently sized museum with lots of areas to explore a different variety of exhibitions…read more You can gets lots of historical information regarding the settlers of Australia, both new and old. There are also more modern exhibitions, including Lego. The place is great for both museum enthusiasts as well as for families with kids. The staff is friendly and can direct you if needed. The facilities are modern with plenty of restrooms and other accommodations. The crowds also seem to have been mostly well controlled. I'd say the dinosaur display is the one most definitely work checking out.

I love exploring local museums so I stopped here to learn more about how Australia became a big hub…read morefor immigration. I learned alot and I loved how vibrant the exhibits were.

I visited this museum on my first day in Melbourne in hopes of learning the history of the area…read more This place did not disappoint! For what seemed to be such a small museum actually turned into hours of me poring over every word on timelines and information they gave. Learning the history of the First People's and the colonization of Australia was incredible, but eerily familiar. The parallels between US history and Australian history were shocking and I felt so ignorant not having known all of that. I love the recognition of the First People's and the stories that are being told recognizing the terrible past. In talking to Australians, they admit they have a long way to go. As an American, it feels like Australia is in the future and we are way in the past still denying the truth. This museum was amazing! They also had an exhibit called "Joy" that I was unaware about until I was inside of the museum. I loved it! It was filled with whimsy and color and sound and then went into subjects and posed questions to stimulate introspection. I walked away feeling like I learned a little about myself too. I highly recommend this museum! It gave me an amazing foundation of history that helped me learn more as I explored and visited more museums!

It is designed to be a family friendly historical establishment. I took this into consideration in…read moredetermining the ratings here; they really do care and put a lot on for their families (must be their target audience as opposed to a young person in their early thirties) so therefore, I have tried to keep an open mind here. For me I was a little bored, although I did learn something interesting about the Victorian maritime system; yet there isn't overly too much to look at, so again this establishment is slightly overrated in my eyes; I was bored. However for families that put on special events like family fun day where children can get their face painted and receive goodie bags, and also get the opportunity to dress up as pirates; only to name a few different activities as part of their family fun days which children get to relish. It is popular among families, and expect to be patient when queuing to get in. Luckily there is a cafe pit stop to enjoy the end of the journey, although I cannot comment much on this cafe because I decided to pass on my coffee on this occasion. Still interesting to discover though. Give it a go.

For a start, this place is called Polly Woodside…read more Go on, say it. Poll-eeey Wood-siide. Feels good huh? Secondly, it's a great place to wander around on a day. If you're a budding photographer then you'll find some good spots here and if you fork out $15 you can go poke around on the tall ship. Everyone loves a tall ship!

Absolutely amazing service and heard scratches coming from walls and heard a voice say "get out of…read moremy prison" whisper in my ear when I was only one in the gaol doing ghost investigations I contacted Ned Kelly

Melbourne's oldest prison, historic Magistates Court & former police city watch house. Step back…read morein time and walk the road to the gallows in a 19th century prison, be arrested in a modern-day Police Station or put yourself on trial in court. Home to Melbourne's oldest prison, historic Magistrates' Court and former Police City Watch House, Russell Street has been at the heart of crime, law and order in Melbourne since the 1840s. Most of Australia's infamous characters, including iconic bushranger, Ned Kelly and notorious gangster Squizzy Taylor have spent time within the walls of this amazing precinct. A ticket to the Old Melbourne Gaol grants you visiting rights to the past, present and future of crime and justice in Australia. Now a museum with self & guided tours, this storied tri-level jail once housed notorious inmates. https://www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au

Okay, while I'm not a particularly big fan of modern art, this is one of those museums that I have…read morebeen meaning to visit for a while. I actually suspect that the reason for its exitence has something to do with there being a style of Australian art that developed in the region, though this museum doesn't really display any of it, namely because that tend to be elsewhere. This museum really works to promote more modern art, and as such most of the spaces are for exhibitions - there really isn't any art here that is own by the gallery. Mind you, they do have a pretty large outdoor area where there are quite a number of sculptures, and wandering through there is actually free. It is also a great place for a picnic, and while they also have a cafe on premises, it tends to get rather packed at times. Yeah, this place is cool, though one problem is that it can be tricky to get to if you happen to be relying on public transport.

The Heide Gallery of Modern Art is a must for anyone interested in art, or those in the Melbourne…read morecommunity who want to know more about important historical and cultural houses. What started off as a retreat for influential and up and coming Australian artists has become a beautiful and unique gallery and space. Walking around the buildings and through the gardens it isn't hard to imagine great artists like Sydney Nolan, or Albert Tucker practicing their work along with the owners and patrons Sunday and John Reid. The Heide Gallery of Modern Art is modest. Its small Australian collection is interesting and well presented. White walls and spacious rooms contribute to a very modern atmosphere, matched by the evocative and sometimes confrontational pieces of work. What I like about Heide is that it's a collective experience. You can't just go and see the gallery without walking around the garden. You can't just see the garden without visiting the old farmhouse. You can't just visit the old farmhouse without walking through the gallery and looking at the Reid's legacy. Take the time to walk around Heide and experience the natural beauty and modern art. You won't regret it.

This gallery in Federation Square focuses on Australian aboriginal art. Artifacts and works by…read moremajor indigenous artists are on display here. We saw art in many modalities; paint, straw, shells, wood husks, metal, plastic ...There were many informative docents providing a lot of background information . We enjoyed the 3 floors of huge galleries and lots of groups of noisy children.

I always enjoy going to the Ian Potter Museum of Art. Aside from the NGV this art museum has the…read morebest exhibitions in Melbourne and a great permanent collection of classical Greek vases. It is easy to get to the museum for the many trams going up Swanston St to the University of Melbourne in Parkville. But it is often difficult to talk about it because people get confused with the NGV's Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square; if only more Australians had been so philanthropic as Ian Potter then there would be more people to name art galleries after. On the front wall of the museum is one of my favorite public sculptures in Melbourne, Cultural Rubble. The collection of casts of antiquities is perfect for the front of the art museum. Inside there are three floors of purpose built large gallery spaces with a large stain glass window hanging in the stairwell (another permanent exhibition). There is a lift but I prefer to walk up the stairs to admire the stain glass window. In the gallery space there are three temporary exhibitions, along with the permanent collection of Greek vases (I've seen those before). At the reception area there is bag check, where I'm asked to leave my day-pack, and a few books for sale. There are also toilets on the ground floor.