Melbourne Museum’s 10th birthday

MEDIA RELEASE: Melbourne Museum

Melbourne Museum will celebrate its 10th birthday in October this year as Australia’s most popular museum, having welcomed more than 7.5 million visitors through its doors to experience award-winning exhibitions and international touring blockbuster shows.

On 21 October 2000, then Premier Steve Bracks officially opened Melbourne Museum as Australia’s largest museum, a much needed addition to the city’s cultural landscape and one that has grown to take its place as the country’s most successful and popular museum,

For the past decade Melbourne Museum has inspired the people of Victoria with award-winning permanent exhibitions developed in-house as well as offering the best in internationally acclaimed travelling exhibitions. Our theme ‘Exploring Victoria; Discovering the World’ has highlighted Victoria’s diversity and taken visitors beyond our shores as well.

“Melbourne Museum’s story is one of growth that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our community” says Dr J Patrick Greene, CEO, Museum Victoria. “In ten years, the public’s affection for their Museum has grown enormously, and with that support we have been able to grow and develop our exhibitions to further present the state’s natural and cultural wonders to Victorians and the rest of the world.

“Through projects such as Melbourne Story, the new Science and Life galleries and the coming redevelopment of the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre into a gallery focusing on the Aboriginal story of south-eastern Australia, we will be able to propel Melbourne Museum into the next decade”

Melbourne Museum will celebrate its birthday with the launch Dynamic Earth, the final exhibition in the four-year redevelopment of the Science and Life Gallery, on Thursday 21 October.

The new Science and Life Gallery will be the most comprehensive natural sciences display in any Australian museum. With exhibitions focusing on dinosaurs and modern animals, as well as on Victoria’s biodiversity, palaeontology and geology, species’ evolution, and marine and invertebrate animals, Science and Life combines more than 3,000 objects with cutting edge technologies and design to tell amazing stories of Victoria’s and the world’s natural history.

Building on Melbourne Museum’s growing international reputation for innovative use of technology, the birthday celebrations will also include the launch ofPlease touch the exhibit, the first iPad app produced by an Australian museum. The app will let visitors take an intriguing and entertaining closer look at some of the Museum’s treasures.

“Victorians make up 70 per cent of all visitors to the museum” says Brett Dunlop, Manager, Melbourne Museum. “We think we’ve got a winning mix: free entry for children and concessions and a year-round program of exhibitions and activities for people of all ages. Last year people voted with their feet and we had a record of almost 1.1 million visitors for the financial year ending on 30 June 2010.”

Melbourne Museum invites Victorians to visit and help celebrate the museum’s birthday on the Sunday 24 October with a day of fun activities for the whole family.

Melbourne Museum,
Nicholson Street, Carlton,
Adults $8, children and concessions FREE.
For further information visit museumvictoria.com.au or phone 13 11 02