What's on: Melbourne Museum

Revolutions: Records and Rebels

Revolutions: Records and Rebels looks at the late 1960s as a moment when youth culture drove optimistic idealism, motivating people to come together and question the establishment across every area of society.

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exhibition Until 25 August

Digital image of a close up detail of part of a watercolour painting by John Wolseley. The artwork is titled Distant glimpses of the great floodplain seen through a veil of trees and hanging vines and was painted by John Wolseley in 2017. The artwork has been painted using watercolour paints on cream coloured paper; the colours of the paint are soft tones of browns and blues. The close up focuses on djalkurrk, the Yolgŋu name for a nodding swamp orchid (Geodorum densiflorum).

Miḏawarr: Harvest

Miḏawarr means 'harvest' in the Yolηu matha (language); it is the season when rich plant life on Yolηu country is ready to be collected and prepared.

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exhibition DailyBunjilaka

Talking About A Revolution

A series of intimate evenings of music and conversation, inspired by our latest blockbuster exhibition, Revolutions: Records to Rebels.

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talk Until 20 June

Gut Feelings

Microbes in your gut talk to your brain and body. Your microbes are beautiful. Be immersed. Be curious. Love your guts.

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exhibition Until 02 February

Excavation and archaeological dig of REB Western Forecourt

Under Your Feet

Join us for a short ride into the amazing world of Archaeology and its role in shaping the future and uncovering the past.

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talk Wednesday 22 May 2019

Nocturnal x Jazz

June sees Nocturnal partner with Melbourne International Jazz Festival to present Nocturnal x Jazz.

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special event Friday 07 June 2019

Curator Stuart Mills giving Year 10 students a tour of Natural Sciences collections.

Archaeology Roadshow

In this antiques roadshow-style event we invite you to bring in your archaeological finds and our experts will aim to shed some light on them.

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special event Saturday 25 May 2019

Free Lecture: Blue Note President Don Was

Join us before Nocturnal X Jazz for a free lecture by Blue Note Records President, Don Was.

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talk Friday 07 June 2019

A tree trunk hollowed out, also known as a scar tree

Silent Witness

Jim Berg’s photographic exhibition of Scar trees.

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exhibition Until 09 JuneBunjilaka

Top Designs 2019

Glimpse into the future of Australian design when Melbourne Museum showcases the work of outstanding VCE and VET design students.

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exhibition Until 14 July

Twenty faceted forsterite specimens in a range of green and yellow hues.

Sunday Family Program: Kaleidoscope Gems

Be inspired by the Dynamic Earth exhibition and make your very own kaleidoscope to take home.

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activity Until 23 June

Child touching mineral on display in Children's Museum.

Museum Playdates

Come and play in our newest program for 3 to 5 year olds.

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activity Until 25 June

Before Hours Tour

Join an early morning, small group tour of Melbourne Museum before it opens

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tour Daily

Museum Lectures

Come on a journey of discovery with a program of talks.

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talk Daily

Unearthed Stories: Hidden Voices from Victorian Archaeology

Join us for a free public lecture by The Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria (AASV).

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talk Thursday 23 May 2019

First Peoples Tour

Enjoy a guided tour of the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum and experience the vibrant cultures of Indigenous Australia

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tour DailyBunjilaka

Members Masterclass: The Memory Box

Create and arrange collages that represent moments in time.

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special event 08–15 June 2019

Members Back of House Tours

Get behind the locked doors and meet our inspiring staff and get closer to our collection.

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tour 23 May–11 July 2019

Rare Books and Entomology Tour

With Senior Curator of Entomology, Dr. Ken Walker and Library Manager, Hayley Webster

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Conservation and Vertebrates Wet Store Tour

This fascinating Back of House Tour takes you through Museums Victoria’s Conservation Laboratory and Vertebrates Wet Store.

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Children's Palaeontology Tour

On this tour you will discover all things dinosaur at the Palaeontology Store these school holidays.

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Children's Live Exhibits Tour

Ever wondered who looks after all the live plant and animal displays at Melbourne Museum?

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Exhibition entry with visitors looking at language map

First Peoples

Celebrating the history, culture, achievements and survival of Victoria’s Aboriginal people.

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exhibition DailyBunjilaka

Melbourne Museum Tours

Enrich your visit to Melbourne Museum with a small group guided tour.

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tour Daily

Girl and her mother looking out the windows of a pretend train

Children's Gallery

A wondrous place for babies to 5-year-olds to explore, play and learn.

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exhibition Daily

A mother and son are sitting in a beanbag reading a book

Hello Possums Story Time

Join your friends for Hello Possums Story Time in the Pauline Gandel Children's Gallery at Melbourne Museum.

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activity Daily

Two students using virtual reality googles to experience a road trip from the past to the future of travel in Victoria.

Road to Zero experience

The world’s first immersive experience that explores a future free from deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

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exhibition Daily

IMAX Melbourne

The most immersive cinematic experience in the world.

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show Daily

Refugees, Museums and the Digital Diaspora

Discover how social media is connecting refugees - and learn about its impact on Museums Victoria’s engagement with refugee culture and collections.

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talk Wednesday 19 June 2019

Milarri Garden trail

Explore Bunjilaka's beautiful Indigenous garden.

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activity DailyBunjilaka

A crowd gathered outside the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen in Bennett's Lane, Melbourne.

The History of Money: Part 3 The Welfare State

Join us for the final talk of our discovery debate series Money, Trade and the Human Experience.

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talk Wednesday 26 June 2019

Illustration of two scientists looking at microbes projected onto a screen

Sunday Family Program: The Great Gut Microbe Hunt

We're going on a Microbe Hunt!

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activity 21 July–15 September 2019

Melbourne Rare Book Week

Join us for a series of expert talks as Melbourne Rare Book Week celebrates it's eighth year.

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talk 09–12 July 2019

A row of old, leather-bound books with some visible damage.

Ten Enemies of Books

Join conservator Alice Cannon for a contemplation on how books can be lost, destroyed, damaged and saved.

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talk Friday 12 July 2019

Three small birds with black and yellow feathers, and a pink breast. Two birds are perched on leafy branches while one flies above.

The Birdman and the Museum

This show-and-tell offers a unique insight into the relationship between Museums Victoria and the renowned ornithologist and publisher, John Gould, through rarely seen items from the library and archives.

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talk 10–11 July 2019

Theft from Collecting Institutions

Join one of our experts to hear about astonishing histories of thefts from major Australian cultural institutions that have occurred across their histories, including thefts of valuable rare books.

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talk Tuesday 09 July 2019

Wurreka

An etched zinc wall that spans the north wall of Birrarung Gallery and surrounds the entry to First Peoples.

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display DailyBunjilaka

Promoting Rare Books & Special Collections

Three library experts discuss their experiences in marketing and promotion of rare books.

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talk Friday 12 July 2019

Face of man with large fossilised shell specimen being held in front.

Meet the Museum Experts: Palaeontology

Ever wondered what do Museum staff do? Ever pondered what's behind closed doors?

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tour 02–10 July 2019

Direct Your Own TV Ad

This school holidays, create your own road safety commercial

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activity 01–14 July 2019

Close-up shot of hands weaver a disc of natural fibre

Young Blak Professionals Working in GLAM Industries

Join us as our speakers explores what it means to be young and Blak working in the GLAM Sector

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talk Wednesday 17 July 2019

Tilly Sunners-Gormley. Child wearing a doctor's costume reading a book in Children's Gallery at Melbourne Museum

Museum Stories

Immerse yourself in an interactive story time, then join us on an adventure to explore a museum gallery or space, with a different museum theme every day.

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activity 18–23 August 2019

Black and white image of children in a bark canoe

Lost in Translation

Discover this amazing story of cross-cultural knowledge exchange between the museum and the Yaghan community in South America.

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talk Wednesday 21 August 2019

Woman talking to a crowd about the eels in the pond

Eel feeding

Watch a writhing mass of hungry eels gobble up their lunch!

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talk DailyBunjilaka

White Night 2019

As the city comes alive with a three night celebration of culture and creativity, start your family adventuring early in your favourite Melbourne Museum spaces.

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special event 22–24 August 2019

Wild

Over 600 birds, reptiles, mammals and amphibians from around the world.

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exhibition Daily

Dinosaur Walk

Walk among skeletons of prehistoric animals.

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exhibition Daily

The Melbourne Story

An exhibition packed with icons of the city's past and present.

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exhibition Daily

Forest Secrets

Walk through a stand of Victoria's mountain forests in the middle of the city.

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exhibition Daily

Bugs Alive!

The amazing world of insects and spiders!

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exhibition Daily

Collection manager Bentley Bird checking drawers with eggs during collection audit in Ornithology store.

Curious?

A place for visitors to meet staff and find answers relating to the research, collections and the work of Museums Victoria.

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activity Daily

600 Million Years

The origin and evolution of life in Victoria.

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exhibition Daily

Darwin to DNA

The processes and mechanisms of evolution.

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exhibition Daily

four people standing amongst rocks and grass

Highlights tour

Introduction to the museum's displays.

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tour Daily

The Mind

Think about the workings of your own mind and the minds of others.

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exhibition Daily

Phar Lap

Australia's greatest racehorse.

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exhibition Daily

External view of Royal Exhibition Building from Nicholson Street

Royal Exhibition Building Tours

Discover the history and beauty of this magnificently restored building.

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tour Daily

Various sails within Te Pasifika gallery

Te Vainui O Pasifika

Watercraft and other objects from nearly every Pacific Island nation.

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exhibition Daily

Dynamic Earth

A brilliant, immersive exhibition about our ever-changing Earth.

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exhibition Daily

Marine Life

Dramatic underwater footage, vivid photographs and rare specimens bring Victoria’s marine animals to life.

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exhibition Daily

Museum Market Pop-Up Restaurant

Enjoy a glass of wine, coffee and lunch at Melbourne Museum’s Pop-Up Restaurant in May, overlooking the stunning Royal Exhibition Building.

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special event Daily

Australian Academy of Science Boden Research Conference

This two-and-a-half-day symposium will bring together top Australian and international scientists, students, and early career researchers to explore the techniques for reconstructing evolutionary transformations in vertebrate history.

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special event 02–04 October 2019

What's on

When

Topic

Who

What

Revolutions: Records and Rebels

Miḏawarr: Harvest

Talking About A Revolution

Gut Feelings

Under Your Feet

Nocturnal x Jazz

Archaeology Roadshow

Free Lecture: Blue Note President Don Was

Silent Witness

Top Designs 2019

Sunday Family Program: Kaleidoscope Gems

Museum Playdates

Before Hours Tour

Museum Lectures

Unearthed Stories: Hidden Voices from Victorian Archaeology

First Peoples Tour

Members Masterclass: The Memory Box

Members Back of House Tours

Rare Books and Entomology Tour

Conservation and Vertebrates Wet Store Tour

Children's Palaeontology Tour

Children's Live Exhibits Tour

First Peoples

Melbourne Museum Tours

Children's Gallery

Hello Possums Story Time

Road to Zero experience

IMAX Melbourne

Refugees, Museums and the Digital Diaspora

Milarri Garden trail

The History of Money: Part 3 The Welfare State

Sunday Family Program: The Great Gut Microbe Hunt

Melbourne Rare Book Week

Ten Enemies of Books

The Birdman and the Museum

Theft from Collecting Institutions

Wurreka

Promoting Rare Books & Special Collections

Meet the Museum Experts: Palaeontology

Direct Your Own TV Ad

Young Blak Professionals Working in GLAM Industries

Museum Stories

Lost in Translation

Eel feeding

White Night 2019

Wild

Dinosaur Walk

The Melbourne Story

Forest Secrets

Bugs Alive!

Curious?

600 Million Years

Darwin to DNA

Highlights tour

The Mind

Phar Lap

Royal Exhibition Building Tours

Te Vainui O Pasifika

Dynamic Earth

Marine Life

Museum Market Pop-Up Restaurant

Australian Academy of Science Boden Research Conference