Museums Victoria has been creating knowledge, entertaining visitors and building the State Collection since 1854. The collection is an invaluable record of Victoria’s environmental and cultural history, and our amazing wealth of objects has been inspiring a sense of wonder and awe in visitors for generations. We have been part of the lives and experiences of Victorians for more than 150 years. Ove
r that time, we have engaged audiences and connected people with new ideas about themselves and the world around them. Collections
As the state museum for Victoria, we are responsible for looking after the State collection of nearly 17 million objects, documents, photographs and specimens. Research
Our research, in the fields of science and humanities, uses the museum’s collections and expert staff to further what we know about the social and natural history of Victoria and beyond. Exhibitions
We present long-term and temporary exhibitions at three venues: Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks. These exhibitions are core to our cultural and scientific programs for the people of Victoria and visitors from interstate and overseas. History
Museums Victoria’s origins date back to 1854, with the founding of the National Museum of Victoria and the establishment, in 1870, of the Industrial and Technological Museum of Victoria (later known as the Science Museum of Victoria). By proclamation of the Museums Act 1983 (Vic.), these two institutions were amalgamated to form what is known today as Museums Victoria, governed by the Museums Board of Victoria. In 1996, Museums Victoria took over custodianship of the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building.
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20/06/2026
Seeing Rome: Empire, Power, People at Melbourne Museum?
Enjoy our offering of Italian-inspired dining during your visit, with a new menu at Mercury Restaurant featuring select dishes developed by celebrated Italian chefs Joe Di Cintio and Mirco Speri, or indulge in a range of iconic Brunetti Classico sweets at the Melbourne Museum pop up!
19/06/2026
In 2026 Now Or Never makes a grand return to the Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne Museum, with Museums Victoria supporting the transformative festival as Foundation Partner.
This year, in partnership with Museums Victoria, Now or Never will present a range of exciting programs:
✨ Experience the Royal Exhibition Building like never before, with SOMNIA: William Basinski / Bendik Giske - an immersive, overnight sleep concert under the building's mesmerising Dome.
✨Unearth the hidden ecosystem beneath our feet when Melbourne Museum hosts the Secret Life of Soil - with Author and host of Gardening Australia, Hannah Moloney, alongside Museums Victoria’s Collection Manager of Terrestrial Invertebrates, Simon Hinkley.
Also at the Royal Exhibition Building:
✨ Philip Glass: Piano Etudes + In the Upper Room - a transcendent concert event celebrating visionary composer Philip Glass, with euphoric performances by renowned pianist Maki Namekawa and Orchestra Victoria.
✨ The Breath Haus x Now or Never - an introspective guided breathwork experience, alongside a performance by acclaimed musicians Daniel and David Wilfred of Hand to Earth.
As we mark World Refugee Week this week, this reflection from Melbourne’s Immigration Museum explores the role museums can play in creating spaces where people feel seen, heard and connected.
This article reflects on a selection of recent exhibitions at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne, and our endeavours to create experiences of individual and collective belonging for visitors – our successes, stumbles and ongoing challenges.
Read Moya McFadzean's article: Finding common ground: Engendering a sense of belonging in museum exhibition spaces, in volume 1 of PRISM.
We’re proud to share that Our Wondrous Planet at Melbourne Museum has been recognised with the Installation Design award at the 2026 Australian Interior Design Awards🎖️ This achievement celebrates the creativity, innovation and collaboration behind this immersive exhibition experience.
🌍 Taking visitors on a journey from polar ice and coral reefs to rainforests and the hidden ecosystems beneath our feet, Our Wondrous Planet explores the interconnected systems that support life on Earth. Through immersive design and storytelling, the exhibition encourages curiosity, wonder and a deeper connection to the natural world.
This award is a testament to the talent, creativity and dedication of the many people who brought Our Wondrous Planet to life. Congratulations to the entire team on this well-deserved recognition and for creating an experience that inspires curiosity and connection with the natural world.
13/06/2026
Today, on World Doll Day, we’re excited to share that a major exhibition exploring the design evolution of one of the world’s most iconic dolls Barbie, is coming to Melbourne Museum later this year. 💗
Created by the Design Museum in London, Barbie®: The Exhibition invites you on a journey through the Barbie universe, featuring over 250 remarkable objects, from rare and innovative dolls to dream-worthy designs spanning 1959 to today.
See legendary highlights including the original 1959 Barbie doll, the groundbreaking Day to Night Barbie doll (1985), and the best-selling Totally Hair™ Barbie doll (1992).
Other objects from this historic brand will include Dreamhouses, vehicles and furniture, including the first ever Barbie Dreamhouse™ from 1962.
Be the first to book your ticket and see the internationally acclaimed Barbie: The Exhibition, right here in Melbourne!
Barbie ®: The Exhibition
Enter the iconic Barbie universe and delight in over 250 nostalgic, rare, and innovative dolls and accessories dating from 1959 to the present day.
12/06/2026
This International Archives Week, we're highlighting the tools that help researchers uncover the stories hidden within our collections. Finding aids are guides to archival collections, providing the history, context and detailed listings needed to navigate thousands of records and identify material relevant to your research.
One example is the finding aid for the H.L. White Ornithology Collection. Amateur ornithologist Henry Luke White dedicated his life to documenting Australia's birdlife, amassing one of the country's most significant collections of bird eggs, nests and study skins. Alongside the collection itself are extensive catalogues and records that continue to provide valuable insights into Australia's natural history.
From documenting breeding biology to preserving records of now-extinct species such as the Paradise Parrot, these archives help connect researchers with knowledge collected more than a century ago.
Behind every archive is a finding aid helping bring history, science and stories to light.
A winter adventure awaits you at Melbourne Museum these school holidays!
⚔️ Craft your own gladiator identity in Creative Lab: Rise of the Gladiators.
🖌️ Leave your mark on the towering “ruins” of Ancient Rome in Mosaic Monuments.
🛏️ Experience an unforgettable night at the museum at our Family Museum Sleepover.
🔍 Help light the spark of curiosity in your little adventurer joining a Tiny Tour together.
🦖 Join the fun in our much-loved weekly event for budding palaeontologists at Dino Days.
For more than a century, Museums Victoria has been shaping how children learn and discover.
In 1917, we established Australia's first children's gallery, grounded in the enduring belief that curiosity and a love of learning begin early, and that cultural institutions play a vital role in nurturing these qualities.
Today, we are building on that legacy.
We are proud to announce that next year, the Andrew and Geraldine Buxton Family Playspace at Melbourne Museum will open as an inclusive, accessible outdoor play experience designed for caregivers and children of diverse ages and abilities. Designed as an inner-city sanctuary, it will also offer spaces for rest and reflection for parents, carers, and guardians.
Made possible through the generosity and vision of Andrew and Geraldine Buxton and their family, this landmark project will help create a new destination for play, learning and connection in the heart of Melbourne.
Philanthropy has always enabled museums to lead and innovate. We are deeply grateful to the Buxton Family for this truly significant capital investment, their first major gift to Museums Victoria.
As the largest provider of curriculum-linked education programs outside the Victorian public school system, we understand the profound difference that access and quality make in the early years.
What can archives tell us about one of Melbourne Museum's most iconic spaces?
This International Archives Week, we're looking back at the story of the Forest Gallery through the records that helped shape it. Originally known as the "Gallery of Life" during the planning stages, the vision was to create a living forest in the heart of the museum where visitors could experience Victoria's native flora and fauna up close.
From early design documents and annual reports to ongoing conservation records, our archives reveal how this ambitious project evolved into the unique ecosystem visitors know today. More than 25 years later, the Forest Gallery continues to grow, with specialist teams caring for rare and threatened species while preserving the original vision documented in our collections.
Archives don't just preserve the past — they help us understand, care for and shape the future of the places and stories that matter.
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