A long, modernist, concrete-and-glass building surrounded by two of the city’s greatest public gardens, this “glorious, sprawling space” is filled with “themed displays, interactive areas, Imax cinemas, postmodern art and no end of surprises,” says Time Out. The sheer scope of the Museum's permanent galleries (including one just for children) can be intimidating, “but for those who aren't intent on digesting it all on one visit, the greatest treasures can be the tiniest and, like history itself, the most enlightening of surprises lurk in the dimmest corners and darker recesses.”
The Bunjilaka Cultural Centre at the Museum “holds Aboriginal cultural heritage items from a collection that is one of the most significant in the world,” writes Meyer Eidelson in Melbourne Dreaming. Its permanent exhibition First Peoples “takes visitors on a journey through time and place to experience stories of Aboriginal culture, identity, community and survival.”
The complexities of designing the contemporary museum, by Architecture Australia