A real T. rex is coming to Australia
Meet world-famous T. rex Victoria, only at Melbourne Museum from 28 June
Melbourne Museum is thrilled to introduce Victoria, one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils in the world – and the first real T. rex to ever be shown in Victoria, 66 million years after first roaming Earth.
Coming on 28 June, exclusively to Melbourne Museum, Victoria the T. rex is a world-class, interactive exhibition that will vividly transport visitors to the age of the Cretaceous. The exhibition combines state-of-the-art technologies with the most recent palaeontological findings to grant visitors access to the latest discoveries about the species, and reveals how Victoria lived and died.
Lynley Crosswell, CEO and Director of Museums Victoria, said that the arrival of this internationally significant fossil is a terrifically exciting event for Australia, and it’s only fitting that Victoria will be showing at Melbourne Museum, the home of dinosaurs, with the largest museum-based palaeontology department in the country.
‘Victoria the T. rex will see visitors from near and far enthralled by this real-life wonder alongside another marvel from the Cretaceous: the world's most complete Triceratops fossil, Horridus, whose permanent home is right here at Melbourne Museum. Melbourne Museum will be the only place on Earth where, for a limited time, visitors can come face-to-face with two of the biggest and best real dinosaurs who once walked the planet.’
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said Victoria the T. rex will build on the incredible popularity of dinosaur exhibitions at Melbourne Museum. Since launching the Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs in 2022, more than 1.7 million people have seen the exhibition including over 400,000 interstate and international visitors.
‘We’ve already seen local, interstate and international visitors flocking to Melbourne to see our Triceratops, and this winter we’ll double the impact when Melbourne Museum has two prehistoric giants on display.
‘We can’t wait to welcome Victoria the T. rex because when world-class institutions attract world-class exhibitions, the economic and educational benefits extend well beyond the museum’s walls.’
The T. rex fossil is incredibly well preserved and tells the fascinating story of a life hard lived. Composed of 199 bones, spanning more than 12 metres in length and towering over us at 3.6 metres tall, it was discovered by fossil prospectors in South Dakota in 2013. Just like Melbourne Museum’s own Horridus the Triceratops, Victoria was taken to Dino Lab in Victoria, British Columbia, to be studied and restored, which is where the T. rex earned its name.
With the striking, pristinely maintained 66-million-year-old skeleton as a focal feature, the exhibition will offer visitors the rare opportunity to step into the Cretaceous period and experience the dinosaur’s natural habitat, bringing Victoria to life through multisensory installations and immersive digital environments.
Then, dino-lovers are invited to continue exploring the Cretaceous through the world of Horridus, the world’s most complete Triceratops fossil, expanding their holistic understanding of this period in evolutionary history. Horridus is permanently on display at Melbourne Museum in an award-winning, dynamic exhibition that takes visitors on a 67-million-year journey back to the world of the Triceratops through interactive displays, digital projections, animations and soundscapes.
Victoria the T. rex comes to Melbourne Museum, the home of dinosaurs, where visitors of all ages are invited to enjoy our ever-expanding prehistoric offering including Dinosaur Walk, Gandel Gondwana Garden, and Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs starring Horridus.
For further information visit the Melbourne Museum website.
Victoria the T. rex
Open: 28 June – 20 October 2024
Location: Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street Carlton
Tickets: Be the first to book tickets to see Victoria the T. rex by signing up to pre-sale access here
Tickets on sale from 10 April at Melbourne Museum and online
Members: $14 | Adults: $32.50 | Children: $18 | Concession: $22.50 | Children under 3: Free
Tickets include general admission to Melbourne Museum featuring Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs
