Immigration Museum

Spend a quieter part of your Melbourne week exploring the people and journeys that shaped the city. Immigration Museum occupies Old Customs House on Flinders Street, a short walk from the river. Its galleries connect the reasons people leave home with their experiences of arrival, identity and community. This is a useful indoor choice for a city morning or a rainy afternoon, with enough depth to reward an unhurried visit.

Allow around 90 minutes for the main galleries. Follow Leaving Home and Voices Across Time, pause beneath the Ionic columns of the Long Room, then explore Getting In and Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours. The stories can be personal and confronting; leave time to read and reflect rather than rushing from room to room. Temporary exhibitions add another reason to return, with separate charges applying to some programmes.

General admission is AUD 15 for adults, AUD 12 for eligible Australian Seniors Card holders, and free for children aged 16 and under, eligible concession holders and museum members. If you prefer a guided introduction, the optional 45-minute highlights tour runs at 14:30 in English and costs AUD 25 for adults including that day’s museum entry. Book the tour separately and meet at the Welcome Desk in the foyer; future-date sessions depend on the ticket calendar.

The museum normally opens 10:00–17:00 and closes on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Step-free entry uses the Market Street gates and ramps to the front foyer or rear Festival Courtyard; lifts serve the galleries. Wheelchairs, mobility scooters and sensory bags are available to borrow, with advance requests recommended for mobility equipment. Keep meals outside the exhibition spaces, and combine the visit with a separate lunch in the CBD.