9 of the Best Museums in Melbourne and How to Visit

Melbourne is famous for its obsession with all things sport, and the city proudly showcases that passion through the Australian Sports Museum. Appropriately located at the spiritual heart of Melbourne's sporting culture—the Melbourne Cricket Ground—the museum traces Australia’s history of sporting achievements, but also looks at sport’s impact on society and national identity. Interactive elements that encourage visitors of all ages to test their own abilities with different challenges help cement its place as one of the best museums in Melbourne.

Don’t miss: The Sporting Nation Gallery highlights Olympic achievements and unusual local sporting events, including camel racing.

The Old Melbourne Gaol once covered multiple city blocks of the modern city center, but today, a large bluestone building is all that remains of this historical landmark. It no longer serves as a place of incarceration and hangings—most notably the execution of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly’s—but its challenging past now makes this one of the most engaging historical museums in Melbourne. Guided tours, interactive experiences, and special kids’ programs help visitors discover this influential symbol of Melbourne’s early days.

Don’t miss: The Ned Kelly’s Last Stand Tour on weekends explores how the folk hero’s story began—and most notably, how it ended.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the pinnacle of Melbourne’s art museums. It has shaped the city’s arts culture since its founding in 1861 and remains the most visited museum in Melbourne. NGV is situated in three venues across the city, but NGV International in the Melbourne Arts Precinct is the museum’s core building. Exhibits here showcase art from around the world, with extensive collections from the European masters—including Picasso, Monet, and Dalí—and artwork from across Asia and Australia’s First Nations.

Don’t miss: NGV regularly hosts high-profile touring exhibitions, so be sure to check its calendar of current events before visiting.

Australia has long been a melting pot of influences, something that the Immigration Museum celebrates wholeheartedly. Personal stories are the chosen medium of this museum, whether through exhibits that speak to the hardships of leaving for a far-flung country or guided tours that explain how Australia’s migrant communities have interacted with Australia’s First Peoples (and with one another). This exploration of individual and national identity easily makes this cultural institution one of the top museums in Melbourne.

Don’t miss: The museum’s “Leaving Home” exhibition highlights the hope and harrowing experiences that brought people to Australia.

In many ways, Melbourne Museum isn’t just one museum, but a collection of different museums—each specializing in a unique theme. With Melbourne Museum tickets in hand, you can easily choose which areas of the museum most interest you. There’s plenty to pick from—trace Melbourne’s settled history, see famous racehorse Phar Lap, learn about the Koorie people at the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, or discover the wonders of various natural history exhibitions.

Don’t miss: Kids and adults love Melbourne Museum’s dinosaur exhibit, complete with Australia’s most complete real dinosaur skeleton straight from the Cretaceous era—Horridus the Triceratops.

Hidden within the lively Federation Square culture precinct is ACMI (formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image), a Melbourne cultural attraction dedicated to screen culture, including film, TV, digital art, and video games. Exhibits at the museum not only uncover the history and technology behind visual media and the moving image, but they also celebrate these art forms and key cultural themes through interactive permanent exhibitions and a wealth of topical temporary exhibitions.

Don’t miss: Catch matinees of classic films on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

For families, Scienceworks offers the perfect blend of education and fun, with exhibits designed to spark the intellectual curiosity of young visitors. Exhibitions at this must-visit museum in Melbourne creatively explain different branches and themes of science and technology by harnessing hands-on learning and offering regular shows, such as those at the Planetarium and the Lightning Theatre. From learning how steam engines work to investigating the universe's invisible forces, it's hard to walk away from this science museum without learning something new.

Don’t miss: Test your skills at the interactive Sportsworks area, where you can see how you measure up against a champion sprinter or try your hand at the snowboarding simulator.

ArtVo takes a different approach than most Melbourne modern art museums to appeal to inquisitive young minds and inspire creative thinking. Visitors won’t find any “no touching” signs at this fun-filled museum in the Docklands area—engaging and interacting with ArtVo’s twisty and quirky visual tricks is the whole point. Take photos with beautiful murals, immerse yourself in clever installations that seamlessly bring you into the scene, or fall into a dreamscape of your own imagination. Curate your own day with this self-guided experience—just come ready to take lots of photographs.

Don’t miss: The gallery’s new fantasy-themed installations allow you to experience all sorts of different natural wonders, from the reaches of outer space to the depths of the ocean.

Beyond the shores of Greece and Cyprus, Melbourne has the largest Greek-speaking community in the world and the Hellenic Museum is Australia’s only museum dedicated to Greek history, art, and culture. Situated in the former Royal Mint Building of the city center, it celebrates and strengthens the city’s connection to Greece through exhibits highlighting the legacy of Greek art and history. Ancient Greek artifacts up to 8,000 years old sit alongside contemporary art created across the local Greek community and wider diaspora, enveloping guests with a sense of wonder.

Don’t miss: Check out actual armor and weapons from ancient Greece in the expanded warfare-themed exhibition Heroes and Hoplites.