Museum sights in Canberra
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
War Memorial
In a stately position, overlooking Anzac Pde and Lake Burley Griffin, the magnificent war memorial is one of the finest museums in the country. This genuinely moving memorial provides a fascinating insight into how battle forged Australia’s national identity, with an enormous collection of pictures, dioramas, relics and exhibitions that detail and humanise wartime events. For military-history fans, there’s also plenty of weaponry and uniforms – most of the heavy machinery is arrayed in Anzac Hall, which features an impressive sound-and-light show. Entombed among the mosaics of the Hall of Memory is the Unknown Australian Soldier, whose remains were returned from a W…
reviewed
-
B
National Museum of Australia
This museum is one big abstract Australian storybook. Using creativity, controversy, humour and self- contradiction, the National Museum dismantles national identity and in the process provokes visitors to come up with ideas of their own. There are lots of attendants on hand to help you navigate exhibitions on environmental change, Indigenous culture, national icons and more, and you can take one-hour guided tours. Don't miss the introductory film, shown in a small rotating theatre at the start of the exhibition rooms, which is an enjoyable audiovisual taste of the range of artefacts on show and how they form part of Australia's national identity.
Bus 34 runs here. There's…
reviewed
-
C
National Archives
Canberra’s original post office now houses the National Archives, a repository for Commonwealth government records in the form of personal papers, photographs, films, maps and paintings. There are short-term special exhibits, but the centrepiece exhibit is the Federation Gallery and its original charters, including Australia’s 1900 Constitution Act and the 1967 amendment ending constitutional discrimination against Aboriginal people. Records of military service and emigration can be accessed for those keen on exploring their ancestry.
reviewed
-
D
Royal Australian Mint
The Royal Australian Mint is Australia’s biggest money-making operation. Its gallery showcases the history of Australian coinage; here you can learn about the 1813 ‘holey dollar’ and its enigmatic offspring, the ‘dump’.
reviewed
-
Questacon – National Science & Technology Centre
The hands-on National Science & Technology Centre is a child magnet, with its lively, educational and just-plain-fun interactive science and technology exhibits. Kids can explore the physics of sport, athletics and fun parks, cause tsunamis and take shelter from cyclones and earthquakes. Exciting science shows, presentations and puppet shows are included in the admission price.
reviewed
-
E
National Archives of Australia
Canberra's original post office now houses the National Archives, a repository for Commonwealth government records in the form of personal papers, photographs, films, maps and paintings. There are short-term special exhibits, but the centrepiece exhibit is the Federation Gallery and its original charters, including Australia's 1900 Constitution Act and the 1967 amendment ending constitutional discrimination against Aboriginal people.
reviewed
-
Museum of Australian Democracy
This museum is housed in the venerable Old Parliament House, which was the seat of government from 1927 to 1988 and is a great place to get a whiff of bygone parliamentary activity. As well as preserving the old Senate and House of Representative chambers, the museum's exhibits place Australia's tradition in the context of the broader history of democracy, spanning the globe over two millennia.
Old Parly'sGinger Roomoffers some of Canberra's best fine dining, while the more modest Café in the House offers quick snacks and hosts an alfresco cocktail night on Fridays during summer.
Parked on the lawn in front of Old Parliament House is the Aboriginal Tent Embassy – an import…
reviewed
-
F
Australian War Memorial
In a stately position, overlooking Anzac Pde and Lake Burley Griffin, the magnificent war memorial is Australia's most visited museum, and one of the finest in the country. This genuinely moving memorial provides a fascinating insight into how battle forged Australia's national identity, with an enormous collection of pictures, dioramas, relics and exhibitions that detail and humanise wartime events. For military-history fans, there's also plenty of weaponry and uniforms – most of the heavy machinery is arrayed in Anzac Hall, which features an impressive sound-and-light show. Entombed among the mosaics of the Hall of Memory is the Unknown Australian Soldier, whose remai…
reviewed
