Melbourne Museum & Bunjilaka

Give Melbourne Museum a morning or afternoon, rather than squeezing it between bookings. Start with First Peoples at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where Victorian Aboriginal histories and contemporary voices are presented through an exhibition shaped with Elders and community members. Bunjilaka is part of Melbourne Museum: you do not need a second general-admission ticket.

Then change pace with the mounted skeletons in Dinosaur Walk and the fern-lined living environment of the Forest Gallery. These three areas offer a useful mix of culture, natural history and time among greenery without crossing the city. Allow two to three hours for a selective visit, and longer if you want to explore more galleries or add a temporary exhibition. Carlton Gardens and the Royal Exhibition Building are just outside, making a walk an easy continuation.

Adult general admission is AUD 18; children aged 16 and under and eligible concessions enter free. Special exhibitions, events and IMAX can have separate charges. Enter through the courtyard facing the Royal Exhibition Building. Trams 86 and 96 stop at the Nicholson and Gertrude Street corner; Parliament Station is approximately a 15-minute walk away. The main entrance is step free and galleries have lift or ramp access. First Peoples may include images, voices or names of Aboriginal people who have died.