History:
Subtopics
Kodak Snapshots
A snapshot into the 120 year history of Kodak manufacturing in Australia, told through Museum Victoria's collection.
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.
Anne Bermingham, a scientific pioneer of radiocarbon dating
Meet the woman who started Australia’s first radiocarbon dating lab.
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.
Wartime stories from the Royal Exhibition Building
During World War II, the Royal Exhibition Building was occupied by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
Sylvia Whincup, a prolific collector and groundbreaking mineralogist
Sylvia amassed a collection of thousands of specimens and 167 new species.
The trials and triumphs of a trailblazing scientist
Hope Macpherson was a woman who broke barriers.
Our addiction to plastic
Lifting the lid on plastic: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Vaccines: saving millions one dose at a time
How the history of vaccine development shaped our ability to respond to worldwide pandemics.
Victoria's bushfire history preserved in online memorial map
Take a virtual visit to some of the state's bushfire memorials to reflect and commemorate.
Immigrant Stories
Everyone who immigrates has their own unique story to tell. Explore these stories – why they came, where they settled and how they made Victoria their new home.
Journeys to Australia
Immigration is a vital feature of Australia's history and national identity. Celebrate the journeys that changed Australia forever.
Customs House
Home of the Immigration Museum, explore the rich history of one of Melbourne's most important 19th century public buildings.
Marvellous Melbourne
Melbourne is a young city by world standards, but it has layers of history. Discover how each era shaped the city we see today.
Pumping Station
The fascinating story of one of Australia's most important industrial heritage sites.
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.
Discover Documentary: Pendle Hall
Join Michael Reason, Curator of History and Technology as he takes us on a tour of a piece of prime real estate in miniature, Pendle Hall.
Discover Documentary: Conservation
From wedding dresses to meteorites, our Conservation team protect and preserve over 15 million objects in Museums Victoria's collection. This episode of Discover takes a look at how they do it!
Invisible Farmer
The largest ever study of Australian women on the land is revealing the hidden stories of women farmers.
History starts today
A new collection of banners from the 2017 Women's March on Melbourne has important historical links.
Our first Director's vision for a University Botanical Garden
How Melbourne University's System Garden came to be.
Fashion Redux at Melbourne Museum
Major fashion names used the Museums State Collection, in collaboration with Melbourne Fashion Festival, to create a completely unique look.
The sting of the final letter
Transcribing George Lyell's final documents.
The 700
More than 700 individuals whose combined efforts, starting in 1984, have brought to light fossils in what has been dubbed by one of them “The Dinosaur Dreaming Project”.
On the wing
Professor Deirdre Coleman, Nik McGrath and Simon Hinkley join Richelle Hunt in the ABC Radio Melbourne Studio.
10 peculiar and splendid masks
Masks might come to symbolise 2020. But they have a rich and often strange history.
An underground affair
An anti-Vietnam war love story.
10 treasures of Aussie Rules
And what they say about us.
The hidden history of Aboriginal stockwoman
As told by a Koa stockwoman, mother and doctor of philosophy.
The Pizzini women and their ‘souls of steel’
How three generations of strong women helped build a wine and tourism dynasty
Uncovering the Exhibition Building's secret WWII stories
Untold war stories revealed.
The resilience of Sallie Jones
The Victorian dairy farmer overcoming family tragedy, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bright spots in dark times
Pork farm prospers amid COVID-19 lockdowns.
Wild goodbyes
We've been blown away by the number of people who have reached out to us about Wild—here are some answers to your most often asked questions.
Fusipala: a Tongan princess, a costume and a community that keeps her memory alive
Who was the princess behind the costume?
Learning from Australia's bushfire past
Take a closer look at the Victorian Bushfires Collection.
A discovery of stitches: needlework and 19th century girlhood
What can needlework samplers tell us about often forgotten figures from history?
Birthday honours: 21 of our favourite things about the Melbourne Museum
Fascinating facts about Melbourne’s favourite museum.
Unboxing the museum: Mirka Mora Collection
Mirka Mora was all about being herself, her fashion style, her artistic practice, her friendships and creative circles, and her food culture.
Unboxing the museum: Ye Olde Xmas Program
Have you every wondered what Christmas in Melbourne was like in the 19th century.
Jan Watson: diving into the unknown
One of Australia’s first scientific divers, Dr Jan Watson used her tenacity, skill, and passion to realise her underwater ambitions.
Isabel Cookson: one tough ‘Cookie’
One of Australia’s first professional female scientists, Isabel Cookson was a ground-breaking palaeobotanist.
Forbidden objects in the museum's collection
What do a doll, religious text, gun, and surprised-looking cat have in common?
Rhyll Plant: sowing the seeds of scientific art
Half a century as a scientific artist has taken Rhyll Plant to some unexpected places, but where did it all begin?
A piece of Neighbours history that really takes the cake
Not just a legacy of Neighbours’ most famous episode, Scott and Charlene’s wedding cake has many layers of history.
This small rock holds the story of Antarctic exploration before the Heroic Age
Discover the rock that unlocked one of the biggest mysteries of Antarctica and the incredible story of Carsten Borchgrevink, the explorer determined to get there first.
How poo shapes a city (and other scatalogical stories)
What do Melbourne’s laneways, the Spotswood Pumping Station at Scienceworks, and termite mounds all have in common?
A glimpse into the past, to enlighten the future of biodiversity on Earth
What can we learn from the first scientific descriptions of animals and the Earth’s biodiversity, written hundreds of years ago?
This briefcase holds tiny art with big meaning
An artistic collaboration with refugees and asylum seekers, Attaché Case challenges Australia’s controversial migration policy.
Could this tinderbox really have belonged to explorers Burke and Wills?
How do you verify an object that was discarded 160 years ago?
A new chapter for Mary Anning’s ‘lost’ book
A rare book, that once belonged to Mary Anning, has returned to its rightful home in England.
Baradine Repatriation of Carved Tree (Dendroglyph)
Carved burial tree returned to traditional owners.
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.
Melbourne's Biggest Family Album collection
In 2006 over 1000 favourite photographs of Melbourne were collected from Melburnians' private albums.
Melbourne Observatory collection
Over 400 objects and images relating to the operation of Melbourne Observatory from 1863 to 1944.
Origins
What are your origins? Where have Victorians come from? Why did they come? This website presents government census information on Victorian communities from 85 countries of origin.