Five women participating in a ceremony
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A Wurundjeri First Peoples coming of age ceremony revived

Meet the Djirri Djirri Wurundjeri Women's Dance Group, who are reconnecting to their cultural heritage and bringing the younger generations with them.

Portrait of a woman in a carpark wrapped in a possum skin cloak.
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The timeless and living art of possum skin cloaks

The First Peoples of south-eastern Australia have been making possum skin cloaks since time immemorial—today the practice is flourishing.  

Exhibition entry with visitors looking at language map
Visit Bunjilaka

First Peoples

First Peoples tells the story of Aboriginal Victoria from the time of Creation to today. Explore the galleries within Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Museums Victoria Collections

Indigenous Protest, Australian Bicentenary, 1988

 In 1988, the year of Australia's bicentenary, Indigenous peoples from across the nation converged on Sydney to protest the so-called "celebration of a nation". 

garden
Visit Bunjilaka

The Plants of Milarri Garden

Milarri Garden, located within Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, is planted with native flora significant to the Aboriginal people of south-eastern Australia.

detail if a decorated boomerang
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Rare scene of first European contact

Provenance of carved boomerang uncovered.

Barramundi
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A treasure trove of freshwater fish biodiversity

The Kimberley region in Australia’s northwest is one our last great pristine unspoilt places, and a hotspot for species discovery.

Black and white image of three men dressed as pigs standing on the back of a truck.
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10 peculiar and splendid masks

Masks might come to symbolise 2020. But they have a rich and often strange history. 

A football made of possum skins.
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10 treasures of Aussie Rules

And what they say about us.

A smiling woman
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Burlesque dancing and basket weaving: the incredible life of Aunty Veronica Barnett

Step into the adventurous past of one of the Melbourne Museum's public faces.

Woman holding a small vial
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One Year On

One Year On – Stories of COVID-19 in Melbourne's Suburbs is a digital display that brings together a snapshot of stories collected across the suburbs of Melbourne in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Group of four men looking into a box with a carving in it.
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Baradine Repatriation of Carved Tree (Dendroglyph)

Carved burial tree returned to traditional owners.

A photo of the front of the Melbourne Museum
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Birthday honours: 21 of our favourite things about the Melbourne Museum

Fascinating facts about Melbourne’s favourite museum.

Basket, Binak, Healesville, Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia
Museums Victoria Collections

Basket, Binak, Healesville, Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia

Coiled basket, or binak, with oval base, possibly purchased from Coranderrk Aboriginal Station circa 1870s-1880s.

A black, red and white footy guernsey.
Museums Victoria Collections

Football jumper - Nicky Winmar, St Kilda, 1993

St Kilda Football Club jumper worn by Nicky Winmar during his celebrated stand against racism in sport in 1993.

Extinct mammal incisor with scratches.
Museums Victoria Collections

Diprotodon tooth

A tooth fossil showing markings which appear to be man-made.

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