Archive for the ‘Melbourne Museums’ Category
Melbourne Museums
Melbourne is positively teeming with museums, making it a dream come true for culture vultures visiting the city. Nevertheless, this level choice can come at a price if you only have a short stay planned in Australia’s second city, as inevitably you will miss some of the city’s hidden gems. This short guide should help, as it aims to cover the obvious and the obscure in one handy list.
Melbourne Museum
This may be a predictable point of departure, but with good reason, as it is one of the city’s best. Featuring its own IMAX cinema, the museum is the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Topics of interest in the Museum range from the scientific to the cultural, and the current Tutankhamun exhibition is a must-see for all the family. If you visit just one museum in Melbourne, it should be this one.
Immigration Museum
Although the Melbourne Museum contains a comprehensive history of the city, it cannot match the Immigration Museum for emotive power. The latter takes an in-depth look at Australia’s long history of immigration, focussing on the individual stories of migrants who have come to the country in search of prosperity. A trip to the Immigration Museum offers a thought-provoking way to spend an afternoon in Melbourne.
Scienceworks
Scienceworks is undoubtedly one of Melbourne’s most family-friendly attractions, as it really does have something for everyone. There is a wide range of interactive exhibits to enjoy, including a fitness test, and entrance is reasonably priced ($8 for adults, concessions are free). Although it is located a few kilometres west of the city’s CBD, it is worth the trip for the Planetarium alone.
Old Treasury Building
Hailed as one of Australia’s finest 19th century buildings, the Old Treasury Building is the perfect spot to get a taste of Gold Rush-era Melbourne. The building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style in 1858, and retains its original grandeur as it sits at the top of the city’s upmarket Collins Street. The museum even houses its original gold vaults, telling the story of Melbourne’s transformation into an internationally recognised powerhouse in the Victoria Gold Rush of the 1850’s. The Old Treasury Building is a fitting complement to the history museums cited above.
National Gallery of Victoria
As the biggest, oldest art gallery in Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria has a lot to live up to. Fortunately it does this with aplomb, exhibiting a range of beautiful works befitting of its billing as the nation’s best. Its situation – close to Yarra Park – places it near to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, too, which contains the National Sports Museum. Nevertheless, the National Gallery will provide enough to entertain even the most ardent art fan. Do note, however, that the Gallery is closed on Tuesdays.
As always with lists of this nature, many worthy additions could be made. The Jewish Museum of Australia and the Heide Museum of Modern Art immediately spring to mind; nevertheless, the list could go on, and this serves only as testament to Melbourne’s array of attractions. Should you require accommodation in the city, it is worth trying out the spectacular Crown Promenade Hotel, Melbourne. In addition, American Express credit card holders can use Membership Rewards points to purchase a Crown Promenade Gift Voucher worth up to $1000. Gift vouchers purchased with American Express credit cards must be used within 3 months.
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