Museums Victoria will reopen Melbourne Museum, IMAX Melbourne and Scienceworks to the public from Saturday 27 June 2020, seven days a week – in time for the winter school holidays. Timed tickets are on sale now.
In recognition of their ongoing support, Museum Members will have early access to Melbourne Museum from June 22–26. And in line with Museums Victoria’s Autism Friendly Museum Project, autistic people and their families will also be able to visit Melbourne Museum during this preview period.
As Australia’s largest museum organisation, Museums Victoria is committed to inspiring our visitors with exceptional experiences that create a sense of wonder and inspire our audiences to engage with the world around them.
They are thrilled to be to welcoming their members and visitors back to a wide range of exciting and engaging activities and exhibitions for the whole family, as detailed below.
100 Tiny Dinosaurs | Monday 22 June – Sunday 30 August
Dinosaurs have escaped the Mini Mega Model Museum and are hiding from the staff. Where, oh where could they be? Join the prehistoric search and help us find out. The aim of the treasure hunt is to find 88 standard dinosaurs, 11 golden dinosaurs and one mysterious diamond dinosaur, all hidden far and wide in galleries around the museum. Find the diamond dinosaur or note the letter around each golden dinosaur’s neck to unscramble a word to enter and win!
Included with museum entry.
The Listies 100% Fact-filled guide to Melbourne Museum | Free audio tour
The Listies take you on a LOLtastic tour of Melbourne Museum to see shark dentists, dinosaur salesmen and the insect Oscars! This guide is suitable for humans aged 5 to 500 million (dinosaurs allowed). Most hilarious for children aged 6–12 and their adults!
River Connections at Learning Lab | Opening Saturday 27 June
The Learning Lab is a digital exhibition space showcasing a range of content through awe-inspiring wall and floor projections for Melbourne Museum visitors, opening for visitors for the first time over the July School Holidays. An immersive infinity projection exploring our unique environment, River Connections is based on conversations with Indigenous elders about their close connections to the land and rivers of Victoria.
Included with museum entry.
Mini Mega Model Museum | Extended to Sunday 11 July 2021
Mini Mega Model Museum – a model of a museum that is a museum about models – is built for curious kids big and small to engage with the familiar, exotic and offbeat. Showcasing a miscellany of models and miniatures that have been a part of Museum’s Victoria’s State Collection since its founding in 1854, Mini Mega Model Museum invites visitors to slow down, zoom in and look a little closer at the world around them.
Included with museum entry.
River of Language | Extended to Sunday 13 September 2020
A multimedia soundscape exhibition that celebrates UNESCO’s International Year of Indigenous Languages and the 25th Anniversary of the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL). Co-curated with VACL, ngulu wurneet, galada-al wurrung-u, parniwaru tyalingi, waran woorroong-ee, barringgi dyaling – River of Language encourages visitors to be immersed in Aboriginal Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing, and learn through listening and observation.
Included with museum entry.
Top Designs 2020| Extended to Sunday 31 January 2021
Part of the VCE Season of Excellence, Top Designs 2020 showcases some of the brightest VCE and VCE VET students from across Victoria. With over 1000 submissions, the final selection of 88 works offers a glimpse into the future of Australian design. To support the Top Designs student community, Top Designs 2020 is also officially open online! Be inspired by outstanding design projects from VCE and VCE VET design students of 2019, watch interviews with some of the students, and browse all of the works from all disciplines at your leisure.
Included with museum entry.
Two Strong Sisters Connected | Extended to Sunday 31 January 2021
Two Strong Sisters Connected is the coming together of celebrated Victorian Elders and artists Aunty Eileen Harrison and Aunty Rochelle Patten. The exhibition features new and existing works from both artists. With over 38 works on display, Two Strong Sisters Connected chronicles the women’s individual stories and shared similarities that extend beyond art despite growing up in different regions of Victoria.
Included with museum entry.
Buy tickets for Melbourne Museum
The Rainbow Hunt | Opening Saturday 27 June
Gather your wits about you to go on a hunt for all the colours of the rainbow. We’ve hidden clues around the Scienceworks Arena for you to explore and uncover. Journey through the rainbow and find lots of science outside! Can you collect all the colours and find the secret code to unlock the treasure?
Recommended for families with children aged 6-10 years old.
Included with museum entry.
Maze and Labyrinth | Opening Saturday 27 June
Find your way through our giant grass maze on the Scienceworks Arena. Explore the twists and turns as you try to find the path that leads to the exit, but don’t get lost in all of the dead ends! Figure out the difference between a maze and a labyrinth as you take a more focused stroll through the winding paths of the Scienceworks grass labyrinth.
Suitable for all ages.
Included with museum entry.
Air Playground | Extended to Sunday 28 February 2021
Get pumped for a fun-filled exploration of our most precious resource – air. Journey through an immersive and buoyant experience, and experiment with the weird, squishy, powerful and elusive properties of air.
Additional to museum entry.
Members $7, Adult/Concession/Child $9.
Planetarium | Daily shows
Recline and let spectacular colour and movement immerse you in our full-dome school holiday screenings of Tilt and Moonbase One.
Additional to museum entry.
Members $6, Adult/Concession/Child $8.
Tilt |11am and 1pm
It’s a crazy day when snow starts falling and it’s the middle of summer! But sometimes crazy days are just what you need to discover something new. Join Annie and Max for a whirlwind adventure to find out how the seasons work. It’s surprising what a new angle on the world can do.
Suitable for ages 5 years and up.
Moonbase ONE | 12noon, 2pm, and 3pm
The Moon has always captivated humanity, inspiring us to leave the world behind and venture into space. Come on an amazing adventure as we strive to understand our magnificent neighbour the Moon.
Recommended for ages 8 years and up.
Lightning Room | Daily shows
Bolt from the Blue | 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
Every second around the world, there are a hundred lightning strikes, putting out a heat five times hotter than the surface of the sun! It has inspired myths and legends for as long as humans have looked up at the sky, and scientific study of lightning and electricity has led to countless discoveries and technologies that have changed our lives.
Join us for a show that explores what we know – and what we don’t – about this spectacular force of nature. Featuring high-voltage demonstrations, we’ll take you deep inside a storm cloud and find out what happens when lightning strikes.
Additional to museum entry.
Members $6, Adult/Concession/Child $8
Recommended for ages 5 years and up.
The beloved 1988 IMAX documentary BEAVERS is coming to the world’s largest screen this winter, digitally remastered in stunning IMAX 4K Laser for the first time.
This family-friendly film is set in the breathtaking Canadian Rocky Mountains and introduces one of nature’s greatest engineers. As a family of beavers build dams and fell trees, kids of all ages will learn just how important these furry creatures are to the natural world.
BEAVERS is just one of the educational nature documentaries screening at IMAX during the winter school holidays, along with other family favourites including AUSTRALIA: THE WILD TOP END 3D, OCEANS 3D: OUR BLUE PLANET, GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST 3D and DINOSAURS: PREHISTORIC PLANET 3D.
Adults at kids prices.
