Walk through ancient Victorian landscapes and laugh out loud with museums Victoria this Autumn school holidays
Get ready to dive into some electrifying activities this school holidays with Museums Victoria, designed for curious kids and their fun-loving families. From Saturday 8 April, learn about the science behind camouflage at Melbourne Museum, design unique augmented reality (AR) creatures and explore the landscape of the Cretaceous in Gandel Gondwana Garden, a new living gallery that transports you into the ecosystems of the deep past. Discover the epic odyssey from food to poo and down the loo with a variety of programs for inquisitive minds at Scienceworks, and experience exclusive new screenings at IMAX.
Please don't hesitate to contact us for more information and interview or photo opportunities at [email protected] or 0466 622 621.
Melbourne Museum
Artistic Creatures
10 – 21 April | Learning Lab in Melbourne Museum | Surcharged ticket | Two Daily Sessions, 10:30am – 12:00pm and 1:30pm – 3:00pm
In this exciting intergenerational program, participants will harness their creativity and learn how to make amazing augmented reality (AR) animal filters using Procreate, drawing inspiration from the new Gandel Gondwana Garden. Our experienced instructors will teach participants how to use Procreate to create digital art, transforming theirfaces into wild animals using AR.
Dancing Dragonflies
8-9 April, 15-16 April, 22 –23 April | Main Foyer, Melbourne Museum | Included with museum entry | Saturday and Sunday 11:00am – 3:00pm
Discover the incredible Dancing Dragonflies that once shared Earth with the dinosaurs found throughout the Gandel Gondwana Garden.
These ancient insects have flown across rivers and lakes for millions of years and can be traced back to the Supercontinent Gondwana. With their skills in the sky, dragonflies are formidable hunters of other insects. Their unique anatomy includes two sets of wings, enabling them to fly forwards and backwards, hover in the air, and even appear to be dancing.
Heal Country! Bunjil’s Feathers
10 – 21 April | Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum | Included with museum entry | Monday to Friday 11:00am – 3:00pm
Join us in Bunjilaka this school holidays to celebrate the importance of caring for Country.
The well-being of our land and waterways affects the well-being of all. Help us decorate our Bunjil wall, creating your own story of caring for Country by writing, colouring and decorating your unique Bunjil feather.
What steps can you take to care for Country?
Gandel Gondwana Garden
Permanent exhibition | Included with museum entry | Daily 9:00am – 5:00pm
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 | Included with museum entry | Daily 9:00am – 5:00pm
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.
Melbourne Comedy Festival
Grab some giggles when Melbourne Comedy Festival swings into the Melbourne Museum April 7 – 23.
Spiegel Zelt at Melbourne Museum
- Bubble Show with MiniMilkshake - See shadow and light bubbles, square and smoke bubbles, spinning carousels, track bubbles, vortexes, puppets, giant bubble tubes and a million-bubble finale.
- Playhouse Pantomimes – A choose-your-own-adventure mash-up of three beloved children’s tales, complete with original songs and non-stop laughs.
- Sean Choolburra - Didj & Dance – The First Nations comedy star weaves a blend of traditional dance, didgeridoo, storytelling and humour, captivating audiences while encouraging all to dance, sing, laugh and get involved.
Melbourne Museum Theatre
- Trash Test Dummies - Side-splitting slapstick comedy, daring acrobatics and dexterous juggling which takes the humble household wheelie bin to new heights.
- Comedy Club for Kids - A mammoth variety showcase which brings the most chucklesome selection of stand-up, sketch, musical comedy and circus performers to children aged 6-12.
- Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and His Singing Tiger - Absurd, weird and wonderful, a surreal visual comedy with live musical narration.
- Mr Snotbottom - Winner of the Best Children's Podcast Gold Medal 2022 at the Australian Podcast Awards, the festival favourite brings an ooey, gooey, yucky barrage of tasteless tunes and slimy skits in a roller-coaster of randomness
The Very Big Laugh Out | Melbourne Museum Plaza
A fabulous line-up of free-flowing family fun, Tuesday – Sunday at 12:00 and 1:30pm
- Dino’s Got Talent (April 18-23) - Tumbling triceratops, hadrosaurs in hula hoops, epic verloci-rap battles rage in this 65-million-year-old talent competition.
- Ketch (April 12-16) - One half of legendary Japanese duo Gamarjobat returns to Melbourne with his ingenious mix of whimsy, mime, magic and clowning.
- Great Big Comedy Show (April 8-23, Tues-Sun) - Featuring Dane Simpson, The Beryls, Josh Earl, Dandyman, Tash York, Showko, Basketballman, Clara Cupcakes, Die Roten Punkte, Oliver Coleman, Josh Glanc and more.
Scienceworks
From Sandwich to Sewage
8 – 23 April | Amphitheatre in Scienceworks | Two Daily 20-minute Sessions,12:00pm and 2:00pm
Follow the epic odyssey from food to poo and down the loo. From Sandwich to Sewage follows the pathway our food takes from being crushed in the mouth, to mushed through the body and flushed down the loo. How does food move through the intestines? What else is eating your food? How does a toilet keep your house from getting stinky? Find out in this free 20-minute Amphitheatre show all about eating and excreting!
What’s With the Weather?
8 – 23 April | Entire Scienceworks Site | Surcharged ticket | Daily, 11:00am – 11:30am
Discover how just three ingredients - water, air, and the sun create lightning, rainbows, clouds, rain and other wild weather in this interactive 30-minute show at our High Voltage Theatre. What’s With the Weather? is an ideal interactive introduction to the science of weather for younger audiences. Witness electrifying weather demonstrations that will leave you awestruck, and cap it off with a lightning display using a two-million-volt Tesla coil and an enlightening discussion about safety in lightning storms. This show contains bright lights and loud sounds and may not be appropriate for visitors with sensory needs or those younger than three years old. For more information about what to expect, see our social story.
Pumping Station
8 – 23 April | Entire Scienceworks Site | Price included with Scienceworks entry | Daily 10:00am – 4:30pm
Hear some of the smelly stories from the 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.
Illuminate: How Science Comes to Light
Temporary exhibition | Surcharged ticket | Daily 10:00am – 4:30pm
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.
Science is a Superpower
Free online program
Looking for some fun edutainment at home? Science is a Superpower is a collection of easy science experiments, fun STEM activities, fascinating sci-tech news and binge-worthy science videos. Whether you want to know how science can help our environment, or you are looking for a fun science project, there's something here for every budding scientist, hosted by Global speaker and leadership trailblazer, Holly Ransom.
FlushBack
8 - 23 April | Around the Pumping Station at Scienceworks | Surcharged ticket | Anytime 10:00am – 3:00pm | Daily
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+.
The Glow Show
8 – 23 April | Amphitheatre in Scienceworks | Surcharged ticket | Two Daily 30-minute shows,12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm
Join us for a brand-new Lightning Theatre show as we uncover the fascinating science of luminosity and the many ways a glow can be produced. In the spectacular finale, you’ll witness our giant Tesla coil light up the theatre with lightning.
Due to awesome sparks and noise, the Lightning Theatre is not recommended for young children and babies.
Recommended for ages 5 and up.
IMAX
DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D, FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES 3D AND SERENGETI 3D: JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF AFRICA
Experience giant screen spectacles these school holidays with the immersive DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D, FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES 3D and SERENGETI 3D: JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF AFRICA all showing daily at IMAX Melbourne. Viewers time-travel to a prehistoric Gondwana, join millions of Monarch butterflies on an amazing journey or can soar across the Serengeti.
Tickets can be purchased at https://imaxmelbourne.com.au/session_times_and_tickets and visitors can save with joint tickets available with Melbourne Museum entry.
