The best free museums and art galleries in Melbourne

Take a cultural tour of Melbourne’s world-class museums, edgy artist-run spaces and blockbuster exhibitions without spending a cent.

A couple in a gallery looking up at a sign that says count down.
A large hall with a stained glass ceiling.

NGV International

Old and new, beautiful and challenging, NGV International brings a world of art to Melbourne. The city’s premier art gallery has an ever-changing slew of free exhibits to peruse. Browse the permanent collection of international art and be sure to mark the huge free Triennial exhibition in your calendar (13 December 2026- 11 April 2027). Then explore homegrown art and exhibitions at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV.

An exhibit displaying old movie cameras and projectors.

ACMI

From films to video games, ACMI celebrates screen culture past and present. Get behind the camera at ACMI’s free exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image. From the birth of film to today’s digital wonders, there’s more than a century of movie history to explore. And you can get hands-on at this fun cinema showcase, with animation and sound effects to play with.

Blurred person in motion walking past a wall of shelving displaying art and craft objects, a wooden service counter in the foreground.

Craft Victoria

This hidden design hub is a shop and a gallery rolled into one. Craft Victoria hosts regular free exhibitions showcasing work by the most talented makers from all over the country. Exhibitions feature the likes of ceramics, woodwork, textiles and one-of-a-kind jewellery. Then peruse the store and pick up your very own treasure to take home. Check the full program for the current and upcoming exhibitions.

A table in a gallery covering in round shell-like coloured glass pieces.

Tolarno Galleries

For a small gallery, Tolarno sure has hosted some big names in art. Step inside this hidden space to see incredible exhibitions of contemporary art and design. The early days saw the likes of Picasso, Bonnard and Matisse gracing the walls of the gallery. More recently, art lovers admired works by legendary Aussie artist Patricia Piccinini. Whoever is showing, you're bound to see something special.

A wall covered in framed images and photographs and displayed very close together.

Art and Heritage Collection Tour

See a Foster's beer tower from the good old days, retro Moomba Monarch crowns and a bottle of spumante dating back to who knows when. For the first time ever, City of Melbourne's Art and Heritage Collection is opening its doors to the public for free guided tours. This is your chance to access to some of Melbourne’s most weird and wonderful treasures and historical archives.

A large white room in a gallery, with a person looking at an object on a table, while in the background a person is walking past a large artwork on the wall.

Buxton Contemporary

Explore a stunning collection of Australian art at this Southbank gallery. Head to the Buxton Contemporary website to see what exhibitions are coming up. Past shows have featured film, sculptures, photography and more.

Two people walking past a wall covered in concert posters.

Australian Music Vault

If you’re musically inclined, the Australian Music Vault is a must. It’s a great overview of Melbourne’s backstage sounds and stories. Watch rare footage and see iconic objects like Kylie Minogue’s stage outfits and notebooks belonging to Nick Cave. The free exhibition is permanently on show at Arts Centre Melbourne.

People walking past City Gallery, located within the Melbourne Town Hall building in Swanston Street.

City Gallery

The City Gallery presents free, quarterly exhibitions on city life; past and present. Pop in to the gallery at Melbourne Town Hall to see the city's collection, an eclectic range of 13,000 artworks and artefacts.

A tall brick building with people outside and a large detailed entrance.

Science Gallery Melbourne

Mix a dose of science, with a dash of art, and a pinch of innovation and you get Science Gallery Melbourne. This is where art and science meet. A unique cultural space, it aims to inspire curiosity and critical thinking through the fusion of art and science. Part of Melbourne University, it’s designed to engage young people in the creative industries and science.

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA)

From music to educational talks, screenings and more the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) will have you coming back again and again. Spot the iconic rust-red building along Southbank and head in to explore local and international art. Keep an eye out for pop-up events and teachings.

The glass-panelled entrance to the Victorian Police Museum.

Victoria Police Museum

Explore the state's crime history at this free museum in Docklands. History buffs will be amazed by Australia's largest collection of Kelly Gang armour. Dig through major investigations and learn how animals have served in the police force all the way back to the 1960s.

Melbourne's best small, independent and artist-run galleries

Person walking past artworks on a gallery wall.

Stephen McLaughlan Gallery

Curated contemporary art space in the iconic Nicholas Building.

The exterior of an art gallery with stained glass arch above the door and art on the walls inside

Flinders Lane Gallery

Exhibiting collectable artworks and featuring solo exhibitions every three weeks.

Framed drawing for sale on the white wall of Outre Gallery.

Outre Gallery

Alternative art gallery specialising in lowbrow, pop surrealism and underground art.

Pictures on a wall in an art gallery.

West End Art Space

A contemporary art gallery with a focus on living artists that strive for excellence.

Interior of Arc One Gallery displaying bright artworks hanging on a white wall.

ARC ONE Gallery

A commercial gallery in Flinders Lane showing contemporary Australian art.

Dark image showing parts a body - leg, arms, torso - against a dark background.

Kings Artist-Run Initiative

Space for contemporary art practice and gallery showcasing experimental projects.

Two people standing in a gallery space with displays of Indian sculptures.

Mystik River Gallery

Specialising in the ancient art of Indian sculpting.

Contemporary sculptural artworks on display on the floor and wall of a gallery.

Anna Schwartz Gallery

The gallery represents over 30 established and emerging artists on individual projects.

Gallery space displaying framed art on the walls, and small sculptures on shelves and tables.

Bridget McDonnell Gallery

A gallery exhibiting early and modern Australian art.

Exterior of an old building with columns and a modern geometric extension.

RMIT Gallery

Engaging contemporary art exhibitions featuring both emerging and established artists.

More free museums

Neo-classical pediment and columns of College of Surgeons' Museum building.

College of Surgeons Museum

An exhibition of surgical objects and memorabilia.

The glass-panelled entrance to the Victorian Police Museum.

Victoria Police Museum

Explore the social history of policing through interactive displays and over 300 collection items.

Looking out through floor to ceiling glass windows onto buildings around a courtyard, part of the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre.

Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre

A place of inspiration and vitality, that promotes the spirit and charism of Saint Mary MacKillop.

Old-fashioned wooden chemist's counter with cabinets containing jars behind.

Medical History Museum

A free museum focusing on medicine's contribution to scientific discovery and community wellbeing.

The best free exhibitions

Installation view of the Spartans & Anzacs exhibition at the Shrine of Remembrance, with people walking around the space, reading panels and looking at displays.
Until

Spartans & Anzacs

This exhibition invites reflection on the enduring values forged in conflict.

Black and white photograph of a busy Melbourne city intersection with trams, cars, people crossing the road, and buildings, dating from around the 1950s or 1960s.
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Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

A colourful woven artwork with different textures and patterns representing a map.
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Hyperworlds: Unreal Cartography

An exhibition from Allanah Sarafian exploring maps as emotional and ideological objects.

An illustration of a large white tiered cake, with a cherry on top, framed by red curtains, against a pale pink background.
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Children's Play: Ragnar Kjartansson

A new children's exhibition by Ragnar Kjartansson, inspired by the idea of a theatrical feast.

Inside a large, darkened gallery space with projected artwork on the walls and a single person viewing.
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Occupation Studies: ngayanhurra bayarral Birrarung

A new multichannel audiovisual artwork by artist Tahlia Palmer.

A sunset concert at federation square

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Everything to see, do and enjoy in Melbourne for free this month.

Yound adults walking through an exhibition with bright lights on one side.
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MSDx: In the Making

Explore hundreds of design student projects in this behind-the-scenes look at the built environment.

A collection of vintage Furby electronic robotic toys displayed on wooden shelves.
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RISING: Furby Chorus and FRIENDs

Domestic robots gather to converse through synchronistic movement for the Australian Dance Biennale.

A woman walking through a display with shelves of military-style food packages.
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Taste of Combat

Honouring the vital work of the Catering Corps and the evolution of military food.

A abstract artwork in shades of cobalt blue, red, and cream.
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Recurring Echoes: Liliana Barbieri

An exhibition celebrating 25 years of artistic practice by Liliana Di Lizio Barbieri.

A printed swatch of fabric hanging from a solid concrete wall and draped over a wooden easel.
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Elizabeth West: Beyond The Frame

Beyond the Frame examines the shifting boundary between seeing and being.

Portrait in oils of a woman viewed in profile with dark hair in a bun.
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Victorian Artists Society Portrait Exhibition

This annual exhibition celebrates portraiture in all genres.

Medium close-up shows a woman with short brown hair and light skin wearing a black top, her eyes are not in the frame.
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Social Networks

An exhibition that explores how we approach social and physical environments through language.

A large, mounded form made from strips of fabric, spotlit in front of a large screen in an exhibition space.
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In Between Exhibition

In Between explores identity, coexistence, and connection through works by emerging artists.

Portrait of a woman with her face painted blue and embellished with gold stars, wearing a colourful, fan-like headdress.
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Passage: The Art of Atong Atem

NGV presents the first-ever major solo exhibition of contemporary artist Atong Atem.

Two young adults observing a sculpture in a gallery space with digital and scupltural displays.
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EMERGENCE[Y]

An exhibition exploring how adaptation in a world of flux unfolds in every layer of life.

Flinders Street Station illuminated blue at night.

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Two First Nations individuals sitting back to back on the ground outdoors, engaged in a traditional weaving activity near a body of water.
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FUTURE COUNTRY: Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions

The second iteration of the Country Road and NGV First Nations Commission initiative.

A young boy and girl pointing to triceratops bones in the Museum.

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Get the kids out and explore these free events and adventures for an awesome day of fun.

Play School exhibition with signature teddy and toys.
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Play School: Come and Play

A hands-on, playful exhibition where families can discover how the beloved TV show comes to life.

Impressionist still life painting of three red apples on a pink background.
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VAS 9x5 Exhibition

A homage to the original 1889 Impressionism exhibitions of small works painted on cigar box lids.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
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The Story of the Moving Image

A permanent exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

An impressionist-style painting of a blueish street tree in front of a house with a low fence.
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Victorian Artists Society: Winter Select Exhibition

The highly anticipated Select exhibitions showcase VAS member artists working across all mediums.

Animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot working on a claymation set, adjusting characters.
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Making Memoir of a Snail

Explore handmade sets, props and characters from Adam Elliot's claymation film Memoir of a Snail.

Selection of cassette tapees with handmade covers.
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Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations

A stirring exhibition exploring romantic love through the State Library's extraordinary archive.

A graphite drawing of a car parked in front of a motel resort sign, with shadowy trees in the background and a creature resembling a crocodile in the middle ground.
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Lucy Ray: For Those Who Came in Late

Dream logic and the uncanny converge in Lucy Ray’s haunting graphite worlds.

An oil painting depicting two women as war-time solders, one holding the other in an embrace.
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Kathrin Longhurst: My Hand in Yours

A powerful new body of work from Achibald and Portia Geach finalist, Kathrin Longhurst.

A black and white photograph of gnarled, weathered trees on a sloping, sandy embankment.
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After the Gold Rush: Victorian Landscape

An exhibition survey of photographic interpretations of the Victorian landscape.

A figure walking through a Melbourne street while carrying a large, red, rocking chair over their head and shoulders, buildings and cars in the background.
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Shot in the Heart of Australia: Photography Exhibition

The Australian Association of Street Photographers' annual street photography exhibition.

Painting of a orange landscape, a black silhouette of a person, and a detached, patterned arm reaching toward a stylized moon on the horizon.
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Brent Harris: Writing Poems to the Moon

An exhibiton encompassing conté drawings, paintings and hand-coloured prints.

Black and white photograph from the 1960s of model, Twiggy, wearing a mini-dress at the Melbourne Cup.
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Swinging 60s

This exhibition looks at what it was like to live in Victoria during the 1960s.

A black and white photograph of stacked basic grocery items, as art.
Until

Recovering Art

A creative exploration of the development of art therapy since the 1940s.

Artworks of Australian landscapes hanging on a grey wall with the back of two women looking at them.
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Six Artists: Seven Days

A new art exhibition by six Australian artists at Sofitel Melbourne On Collins.

An abstract painting with patterns in shades of green with pops of pink.
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Melbourne Studio School New Works

A group exhibition representing the work of 16 artists currently working at the school.

A drypoint etching in monotones depicting a cottage in the background and a tree in the foreground.
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Louise Donovan: Marked and Layered

View the artist's latest etchings with a glass of wine or two in hand.

Display of sculptural moulded clay figures.
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Are you lonely tonight? I'm so lonesome I could cry

A group exhibition around the theme of loneliness, at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

A contemporary art gallery installation featuring large-scale fabric hangings with a person walking past them.
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Bina Jean: Sacred Unfolding

Sacred Unfolding is a fabric installation that explores the continual transformation of life.

Black and white image of architect Enrico Taglietti, sitting at his studio desk, surrounded by books and papers.
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Taglietti: Life in Design

Celebrating architect Enrico Taglietti, whose humanist designs shaped Australia.

Bronze sculpture of a human figure with its torso tightly wrapped in thick ropes and a dense, antler-like crown of branches or roots sprouting from the figure's head.
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Joelle Mayberry Recent Works and Oleh Witer The Skulls

Exhibitions by two Melbourne artists, sculptor Joelle Mayberry and painter Oleh Witer.

An Australian landscape painting showing several gum trees and red mountains by Brabrawooloong Gunnai artist, Ray Thomas.
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Ray Thomas: Yeerung’s Journey

Paintings, carvings and personal belongings by Brabrawooloong Gunnai artist, Ray Thomas.

Last updated on Thu 11 Jun 2026

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A large street art mural of two elderly people

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Two people in black in a gallery space looking at artefacts under glass cases.

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The exterior of the Koorie Heritage Trust at Fed Square with a yellow KHT sign out the front.

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Exterior of Hellenic Museum at twilight, with city buildings visible in the background.

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