8 Canberra museums with important stories to tell

Add these landmark Canberra museums to the top of your cultural hit list in the nation’s capital.

Canberra museums are some of the most boundary-pushing in the country. If you know anything about Australia’s capital, it’s probably that it’s the epicentre of Australian history, culture and politics. With the Australian War Memorial and National Library making up just two of 12 major culture centres in Canberra, it’s considered a hub of both history and leadership.

The landmark attractions offer everything from insights into the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth to a war memorial that honours Australia’s battle for our freedom. Drop those pins on Google Maps and pinball between the following A-list institutions during your next trip to Kamberri/Canberra.

1. National Dinosaur Museum

There are a lot of great reasons to visit the ACT. The National Dinosaur Museum is one of them. It’s considered one of Canberra’s best museums with one of the largest permanent collections of interactive dinosaurs in Australia, 23 complete skeletons and more than 300 displays of individual fossils.

The museum is for dinosaur lovers and anyone curious about the history of life on Earth. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Enhance your children’s appreciation of reptiles from the Mesozoic era when you take them to the National Dinosaur Museum. But the museum is not just about dinosaurs: it is aimed at anyone curious about the history of life on Earth. Budding palaeontologists will appreciate the trove of skulls, skeletons, replica models, fossils and interactive animatronic dinosaurs in the collection.

The National Dinosaur Museum has an enormous collection of interactive dinosaurs. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: 6 Gold Creek Rd, Nicholls

2. Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

Old Parliament House is like a film set from the 1980s. This Canberra museum does a fine job as a set piece because it did play a leading role in Australian politics as the home of the Federal Parliament between 1927 and 1988.  The Museum of Australian Democracy now occupies the Old Parliament House, and it’s worth taking a 45-minute tour to understand the historical and social value of the building.

Enter the portals of our political past at the Museum of Australian Democracy. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Expect amusing anecdotes from experienced officers who touch on the inspiring speeches that took place at this Canberra museum. And steer you toward rooms that present like portals into our political past. Stay and play as part of The Chifley Experience at Hotel Kurrajong, which includes a MoAD tour and is one of the best places to stay in Canberra.

The Museum of Australian Democracy now occupies the Old Parliament House. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: 18 King George Terrace, Parkes

3. Canberra Railway Museum

Canberra Railway Museum celebrates the golden age of rail travel. The national capital has a long history with the railways that were built to connect Canberra to the rest of the country.

Step back in time to Canberra’s railway history. (Image: E Rohling)

Learn all about the locomotives and carriages that were the preferred mode of transport for politicians who were toing and froing from parliament.

Hop aboard a steam locomotive at Canberra Railway Museum. (Image: A Trappes)

Forget Thomas the Tank Engine. Head here to teach your kids about the passage of time onboard a steam locomotive that brought the first train to Canberra in 1914. Or gauge how the style of the sleeping car evolved from a lavish 1901 Pullman to the stylish Art Deco Southern Aurora.

See old locomotives and carriages at the Canberra Railway Museum. (Image: E Rohling)

Address: 2 Geijera Place, Fyshwick, ACT

4. Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a shrine, archive and museum where visitors can explore and reflect on Australia’s experience in war. The sweeping, poppy-strewn Roll of Honour is a profound example of this: it bears the names of more than 103,000 fallen members of the Australian armed forces, showcasing the consequences of war all too clearly.

Visit the newly reimagined Australian War Memorial Museum. (Image: VisitCanberra)

The Memorial is rolling out staged improvements designed to broaden its impact on visitors keen to learn about the how, where and why behind Australia’s involvement in the conflict and its enduring impact on our society.

Explore and reflect on Australia’s experience in war. (Image: VisitCanberra)

This blending of military history and personal stories is what the AWM does so well. Expect more exhibitions, objects and artefacts as well as narratives of war and peacekeeping at the newly reimagined museum.

Visitors can explore and reflect on Australia’s experience in war. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: Treloar Cres, Campbell, ACT

5. National Film and Sound Archive

Canberra’s National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is dedicated to the preservation and documentation of both motion pictures and recorded sounds. The NFSA contains archival footage, recordings from some of the country’s most prodigious talents as well as memorabilia that celebrates the rich history of Australian cinema.

NFSA is dedicated to Australian cinema. (Image: National Film and Sound Archive)

The heritage-listed building in Acton is a national institution. Movie buffs will love wandering through the grand old building to see rare memorabilia, props, and footage and audio-visual collections.

Wander through the National Film and Sound Archive for some serious movie history. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The vast collection includes news film footage of the first Mardi Gras in Sydney, costumes from Australian films and more than 4 million items indexed in curated collections.

See rare memorabilia, props, and footage and audio-visual collections. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: McCoy Cct, Acton, ACT (just a 10-minute walk from the city)

6. National Museum of Australia

The National Museum of Australia (NMA) building forms its own landscape of themes and colours. Located on its own peninsula, it is out there and polarising in that utterly Australian, love-it-or-hate-it Vegemite sort of way.

NMA forms its own landscape of themes and colours. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Don’t miss the extensive First Australians gallery which lays bare the spectrum of multiple, evolving views about Aboriginal Australia.

Be in awe of NMA’s stunning architecture. (Image: VisitCanberra)

You’ll want to exit via the gift shop here, too. It’s one of the best around for finding idiosyncratic pressies, from vintage balms to a Yoda-in-a-top-hat dinnerware set.

See dino fossils on display at the National Museum of Australia. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: Lawson Cres, Acton

7. National Library of Australia

Reflecting on an interesting book, glass of Canberra Riesling in hand, is not what you’d expect to be doing in a library. But then, the National Library of Australia (NLA) does quite a few ‘un-library’ things. There is an eclectic range of great cafes for breakfast and brunch in Canberra. But not all of them have literary leanings. Bookmark Bookplate Cafe for that reason.

The Treasures Gallery houses endless quirky bits and pieces to unearth. (Image: VisitCanberra)

This Canberra institution is one of the few genuine destination libraries in the world: part book temple, part gallery and part architectural curiosity. The Treasures Gallery houses endless quirky bits and pieces to unearth, from Olympic torches to ancient maps, furniture and Beethoven’s life mask. You can check-in for at least a couple of hours here without even picking up a book.

The National Library of Australia is a book temple and gallery in one. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: Parkes Pl W, Canberra

8. Questacon

Questacon is one of Canberra’s No. 1 family attractions. The National Science and Technology Centre has mastered the art of creating interactive exhibitions. The quest for Questacon is to create a brighter future by engaging young minds to think about science, technology and innovation.

Questacon is one of Canberra’s No. 1 family attractions. (Image: VisitCanberra)

There is a special learn and play centre that helps to spark curiosity in kids. Here, children listen to inspired stories about science and innovation, make a stethoscope, put a fridge magnet to test and learn all about heat and insulation. The Spectacular Science Shows uses humour to present the magic of science and technology.

Let the interactive exhibits spark your curiosity. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: Questacon, Ngunawal Country, King Edward Terrace, Canberra, ACT

9. The Royal Australian Mint

The multi-award-winning Royal Australian Mint has reopened after extensive renovations. The cultural attraction is both a working factory and Commonwealth Heritage site. Visitors can mint their own coin, and explore interactive exhibitions.

Visit the multi-award-winning Royal Australian Mint. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Collectors take note: the stunning commemorative 50^th Anniversary of Countdown coin is now available to purchase.

The Royal Australian Mint is both a working factory and a Commonwealth Heritage site. (Image: VisitCanberra)

The National Coin Collection is not just for collectors. But the RAM might just inspire a new generation of numismatists to start squirrelling away their Australian coins. Learn about the history of coin collecting, see commemorative coins made of gold and silver and antique coins that nod to nostalgia.

Explore interactive exhibitions at The Royal Australian Mint. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Address: Denison Street, Deakin

10. National Archives of Australia

There’s plenty to see and do at the National Archives of Australia. It’s like flicking through memories banked by the nation over centuries. Highlights within the heritage-listed space include the interactive digital wall, and exhibitions that trace decisions that have helped to shape the nation.

Don’t miss the large gallery of photographs gleaned from the collection of past and present prime ministers. Research geeks can get help with their projects by booking ahead to view archives in the Research Centre. The collection includes records from the Australian government as well as information about immigration, the environment and the arts.

Address: Kings Avenue, Parkes

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