Making Modern Melbourne

An optimistic new nation was created at the dawn of the 20th century. Australia was self-governing, and Melbourne would be its temporary capital while Canberra was constructed.

Ongoing exhibition.

Belongings: Objects and Family Life

We live in a material world. The things we own, the clothes we wear, the houses we live in, all express who we are, or who we want to be. We live surrounded by stuff — more of it than in any previous generation.

Open until September 2025.

Protest Melbourne

Public protest has a long history in Victoria. From as early as the 1840s Melburnians took to the streets to express their views on a wide range of issues, from the right to vote to workers’ rights.

Ongoing exhibition.

Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River

This exhibition charts some of the history of Melbourne’s Yarra River and of the people who lived along it.

Ongoing exhibition.

Melbourne: Foundations of a City

From bucolic village to bustling metropolis in forty years – this exhibition tells the story of the astonishing growth of Melbourne.

Ongoing exhibition.

Growing up in Old Treasury

Experience the lives of John Maynard (the Old Treasury’s caretaker), his wife and their eight children who lived in the Old Treasury Building from 1916-1928.

Ongoing exhibition.

The Gold Vaults

See the Old Treasury Building vaults which were used to store the gold bullion mined during the gold rush. Includes the restored and re-installed historic photographic panorama, one of the most fascinating and popular interpretative features on display at the Old Treasury Building.

Ongoing exhibition.