About the Museum

Museums Victoria is an organisation that includes a number of museums and related bodies in Melbourne. These include Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Scienceworks, IMAX Melbourne, a research institute, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and a storage facility in Melbourne's City of Merri-bek. As the custodian of more than 15 million collection items, Museums Victoria traces the natural, social and cultural records of the Australasian region. Cultivated over nearly two centuries, this invaluable collection enables nationally and globally significant research. Their natural history collections are especially vital to scientists shaping conservation strategies through research, tracing the impacts of the world’s changing environment on biodiversity. Launched in 2022, Museums Victoria Research Institute addresses some of the biggest and most complex challenges of the era through a lens of change, drawing on multiple knowledge systems and perspectives to enrich understanding. Museums Victoria also contains a library collection that holds some of Australia’s rarest and finest examples of 18th and 19th century scientific monographs and serials. In partnership with First Peoples, Museums Victoria places First Peoples’ living cultures, histories and knowledge at the core of its practice. The organisation continues to embed the values of First Peoples communities into the organisational fabric by working in partnership with Elders and community members to return cultural material and knowledge to Country. Together, they create exhibitions and experiences that connect visitors with knowledge and stories spanning thousands of years, helping today’s generations understand the importance and vibrancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Welcoming more than 2 million annual visitors, Museums Victoria comprises some of the most popular tourist attractions in the state. Beyond the museum walls, its dedicated outreach programs and digital platforms reach more than 10 million people each month. And as a leading contributor to the Victorian education sector, it provides digital and onsite education programs with a focus on early childhood learning and improving STEM literacy for all.