Museums, Melbourne

The ultimate objective of the Fort Queenscliff Museum is a fully restored Fort and the development of a museum, which will allow visitors to tour the Fort and inspect a multitude of indoor and outdoor displays. Today visitors are encouraged to look upon Fort Queenscliff as a part of the national heritage which belongs to all Australians. Accordingly, the Fort Queenscliff Museum creates an environment that evokes public interest and reminds visitors of our early military history. https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/geelong-and-the-bellarine/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/maritime-history/fort-queenscliff-museum

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia. Situated over two magnificent buildings – NGV International and NGV Australia – the Gallery hosts a wide range of international and local artists, exhibitions, programs and events; from contemporary art to major international historic exhibitions, fashion and design, architecture, sound and dance. https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/

Located just 300 metres from the beach, the Portarlington Mill was constructed in 1856 with rough local sandstone and Baltic Pine floors. The interior spaces are quintessential mid 19th century industrial style: large open spaces with heavy timber posts and beams enclosed by natural stone. The Mill is one of the few remaining and preserved Victorian flour mills. https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/geelong-and-the-bellarine/things-to-do/art-theatre-and-culture/architecture-and-design/portarlington-mill

The Queenscliffe Historical Museum is situated in Hesse Street between the post office and library, in the township of Queenscliff. Opened in 1974, specifically to house socially historical materials peculiar to the Borough of Queenscliffe (which includes Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale and Swan Island) the museum is home to many thousands of items including photographs, documents, paintings, newspapers and toys, just to mention a few. https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/geelong-and-the-bellarine/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/queenscliffe-historical-museum

The National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM) is an independent Australian museum dedicated to the heritage and legacy of Vietnam veterans. The museum was founded and built by Vietnam veterans to help and support veterans to cope better with their experiences during the Vietnam War (1962-1975) and after their return to Australia. https://www.visitphillipisland.com/listing/national-vietnam-veterans-museum/

The National Wool Museum is housed in a beautifully restored 1872 bluestone wool store close to the vibrant new Waterfront Geelong. The Museum is Australia's largest comprehensive museum of wool, showcasing the region's wool story from the sheep's back to the clothes rack and from the birth of the industry in the 1840's to its place in the world today. https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/geelong-and-the-bellarine/things-to-do/art-theatre-and-culture/museums/national-wool-museum

The Old Geelong Gaol and Museum has a great variety of displays that tell the history of the gaol and visitors get hands on experience of the harsh conditions prisoners and staff endured at the facility. Visitors can experience solitary confinement cells, get a taste of prison life, meet some infamous figures who have spent time at the gaol and see the original hallows. https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/geelong-and-the-bellarine/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/old-geelong-gaol

Sea, sand and sail are the key to Queenscliff’s history. Visit Queenscliffe Maritime Museum to discover the treasures of its rich maritime heritage, shaped by its proximity to the entrance of Port Phillip and its notorious ‘rip’. From sea pilots to sailors, fishermen to boat builders, light keepers or ferry captains, the sea has created a world full of stories of boats and maritime industry. https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/geelong-and-the-bellarine/things-to-do/art-theatre-and-culture/museums/queenscliffe-maritime-museum

The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia's oldest regional gallery, located in the heart of Ballarat's central heritage precinct, boasts a stunning collection of Australian art. Its busy exhibition schedule makes the Gallery an exciting and dynamic place presenting a range of exhibitions from cutting edge contemporary art to themed shows drawn from the Gallery's extensive collection, and special interest ticketed shows. http://www.visitballarat.com.au/attraction/art-gallery-of-ballarat

A living part of Melbourne's modern Chinatown, the Chinese Museum is a national museum, brought into being in 1985 to document, preserve and display the history of Australians of Chinese descent who have helped shape and develop what it means to be Australian today. An exciting range of changing exhibitions, heritage tours and public seminars are some of the ways by which the Chinese Museum shares the past, culture, and values of Australia's Chinese community with the wider public. Educating existing and future generations of Australians it places importance on our identity and what is means to be Australian. A goldfield's mine re-creation, displays about early Chinese industry such as furniture making and the banana industry, imperial garments and images of the Young Chinese League's debutantes of the 1930s onward, evoke some of the richness of the Chinese contribution to Australia's history. The Museum is also home to Dai Loong and the Millennium Dragon, the largest dragon in the world, which weaves through the streets of Melbourne following a 100 year old Melbourne tradition. The Museum is a popular and important educative resource for teachers and educators alike visited by a huge number of school children 25,000 per annum to learn about multiculturalism, local and Australian history, Chinese arts and culture. http://www.melbourne.com.au/chinese-museum-melbourne.htm