Ignite your curiosity this Winter school holidays with Museums Victoria
Experience an unforgettable adventure this winter school holidays from Saturday 24 June with Museums Victoria.
Discover the secrets of Victoria's marsupial megafauna, explore the captivating world of ARtistic Animals where science and camouflage collide, and uncover the enchanting connection between the magical creatures of the wizarding world and our natural world at Melbourne Museum.
At Scienceworks, prepare for laughter and learning as you embark on an epic odyssey from food to poo, plus enjoy a range of exclusive new screenings at IMAX.
See below for winter school holidays program details:
Melbourne Museum
Marvelous Megafauna World
24 June – 9 July | Daily | Included with Melbourne Museum entry
In this exciting new program, curious minds will learn about the incredible marsupial megafauna of Victoria. Visitors will make their own paper diorama of an Australian landscape and learn about some of the incredible megafauna and flora of Victoria, gaining insight into First Peoples’ knowledge and the importance of Caring for Country.
ARTistic Creatures24 June – 9 July | Daily Sat 24 Jun – Sat 8 Jun (except Sun 25 Jun & Sun 2 Jul) | Surcharged ticket | Adult $35, Child $35, Concession/Member $30
In this electrifying intergenerational program, participants will harness their creativity and learn how to make amazing augmented reality (AR) animal filters. Drawing inspiration from the new Gandel Gondwana Garden our experienced instructors will teach participants how to use Procreate to create digital art, transforming their faces into wild animals using AR.
For Our EldersMonday 3 July – Friday 7 July | Included with Melbourne Museum entry
For NAIDOC Week, join us in the Birrarung Gallery to create an installation that celebrates the importance of Elders and the vital roles they play in our communities.
Across every generation, our Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in our communities and families. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones.
Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature
Temporary exhibition | Daily | Surcharged ticket: Price range $14 to $32 (includes Museum entry)
Through the magical combination of science, nature, and fantasy, Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature explores how the natural world has inspired myths, legends, and magical creatures for generations.
Created by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and the Natural History Museum London, this extraordinary exhibition highlights links between the magical creatures of the wizarding world and the remarkable animals of our natural world, rooted in scientific fact told through a fantastic lens.
Gandel Gondwana Garden
Permanent exhibition | Daily | Included with Melbourne Museum entry
Explore Victoria’s ancient landscapes and learn about creatures that once walked this land, from dinosaurs and megafauna to the ancestors of today’s iconic Australian species. Gandel Gondwana Garden is a living outdoor gallery where you can step into the ecosystems of the past. Touch replicas of the bones, teeth and claws of ancient creatures. Experience First Peoples' knowledge passed through thousands of generations, and uncover traces of Gondwana, the supercontinent that once connected Australia to the world.
Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs
Permanent exhibition | Daily | Included with Melbourne Museum entry
Come face to face with one of the most awe-inspiring creatures ever to walk the Earth. Meet the most complete real dinosaur in Australia, 67-million-year-old Horridus the Triceratops, only at Melbourne Museum. Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs is an immersive voyage into a lost world, where visitors will explore the landscapes of the Cretaceous and get to know the creatures that thrived there.
Road to Zero: I Spy Street Signs
26 June – 8 July | Daily, excluding Sundays | Included with Melbourne Museum entry
Join us at Road to Zero to create your own miniature road signs and learn about their crucial role in keeping us safe. Take them home or add them to our interactive road maps, exploring where these signs reside and fostering a culture of road safety. Activities suitable for children 18 months to 8 years.
Scienceworks
Cardboard City Crafters
24 June – 9 July | Daily | Included with Scienceworks entry
Help us build a cardboard city these school holidays! From towering skyscrapers, futuristic spaceports to winding roads and bustling city squares, the possibilities are endless.
The Colour Combo Show
24 June – 9 July | Daily | Included with Scienceworks entry
Take a seat in our under-cover amphitheatre for a playful look at COLOUR. See plenty of colourful demonstrations in this free 20-minute live show. We’ll shine a light on what happens when colours are mixed or separated and how our eyes perceive colour.
Planetarium Shows
24 June – 9 July | Daily | Surcharged | $9 entry, $7 Museum Members
Book into the Planetarium and enjoy an out-of-this-world show exclusive to Scienceworks.
11:00am – Tycho Goes to Mars
12:00pm and 2:00pm – Solar System Odyssey
1:00pm and 4:00pm - Starlight
3:00pm – Ticket to the Universe
Deakin University Connecting the Dots: The Science of Movement
24 June – July 9 | Daily | Included with Scienceworks entry
Be a part of interactive research about how we move. We are working with Deakin University on a science project to research connections between how we move, physical activity and cognitive function. Try fun brain tasks, show us your movement skills, try wearing activity monitors to measure your movement, show or tell us what it is like to walk or ride a bike where you live.
Lightning Room Shows
24 June – 9 July | Daily | Surcharged | $9 entry, $7 Museum Members
Take a seat in our Lightning Theatre and be mesmerised by The Glow Show’s visually stunning 30-minute live science show.
Illuminate: How Science Comes to Light
Temporary exhibition | Daily | Surcharged | Price range $0 - $12 plus Museum entry $0 - $15
Illuminate explores the science behind the fastest traveller in the universe – light. Ignite the senses and learn through hands-on interactive play. What is light, what can we do with it and how do we see? In this vibrant festival-themed exhibition, explore visual perception and illumination through colour, sound and action. Learn how light behaves, reflects and refracts, and what tools we’ve invented to harness it.
FlushBack
24 June – 9 July | Daily | Surcharged | $3 per person, $5 for an additional iPad
Our innovative new AR adventure brings to life the rich history of the heritage-listed Spotswood Pumping Station. Travel back to 1942 and help solve problems to ensure Melbourne avoids turning back into 'Smellbourne'!
Recommended for ages 8+.
Pumping Station
24 June – July 9 April | Daily | Included with Scienceworks entry
Hear some of the smelly stories from the pumping station straining well and explore the magnificent engine room as you marvel at the engineering feat that helped overcome the stench of 19th century Melbourne in our daily Pumping Station tours.
Collection Store Tours
24 June – 9 July | Included with Scienceworks entry
Go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Scienceworks Collection Store to see some of the 40,000 collection items stored at Scienceworks and listen to the stories of these rare and unique objects.
IMAX
SECRETS OF THE SEA 3D
Opens 9 June | Daily | Surcharged price range $10 - $25
Prepare the meet the ocean’s most spectacular creatures in the latest giant screen spectacle at IMAX Melbourne, SECRETS OF THE SEA 3D!
Narrated by Joelle Carter (Justified, Dirty John, American Pie 2), this is the newest documentary from multi-Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Howard and Michelle Hall, whose giant screen films (Under the Sea 3D & Deep Sea 3D) have grossed more than $250 million at the box office. Prepare to be face-to-face with Pygmy seahorses, opalescent squid, giant manta rays, sea turtles and more! SECRETS OF THE SEA 3D opens at IMAX Melbourne on Friday June 9 with sessions daily.
Tickets can be purchased at https://imaxmelbourne.com.au/session_times_and_tickets
