A couple in a gallery looking up at a sign that says count down.

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. All without spending a cent!

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

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 abstract artwork with red, white, black and yellow lines.
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Matthew Simpson: Serendipitous Painting

Artist Matthew Simpson's fifth solo exhibition showing high impact abstracts and graphic animation.

An early watercolour painting of Melbourne's Yarra River.
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Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River

Explores the chequered history of the stream we call the ‘city’s river’.

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 obscure image with monochrome tones resembling plumes of smoke.
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Kate Hunter: Unicellular

Unicellular intersects personal stories with sounds and images that reflect the overlooked.

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 smiling woman sitting in a fluffy white armchair with her legs crossed and her hands resting on her knees; there is a white curtain. an artwork and a vase of flowers behind her.

Melbourne Design Week: Panel Discussion with Swee Lim

A talk exploring how past styles shape contemporary art and creative reinvention.

Small sculpture made from coloured glass displayed on a wooden base and white pedestal.
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Robert Croft and Cam Michael

Artists Robert Croft and Cam Michael present their solo exhibitions at Jump Left.

Renaissance-style painting of a woman screened onto a window frame.
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Fuga: Art Soirée by Drasko Boljevic

View the windows in the laneway of Melbourne Place and meet the artist.

A black and white detail of a bridge pylon showing metal and stone construction.
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Greg Branson: Manifesto Melbourne

This exhibition invites viewers to see Melbourne through the lens of influential photographers.

Person standing in an exhibition gallery with digital and sculptural displays.
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EMERGENCE[Y]

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

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.

An exhibition of contemporary wall-based artworks in a gallery space, with a person in the foreground.
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A Family Gathering: Asian Heritage Week Exhibition

A group art exhibition celebrating Asian Heritage Week, featuring artists across the Asian diaspora.

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.

Artwork depicting a naked man astride a golden globe.
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George Gheorghe: After the Question

Symbolic reflections on humanity, memory and the timeless search for meaning.

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.

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.

Scattered pile of artworks in different mediums and colours.
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Collectors' Delight

Explore an eclectic collection of unframed works and rediscovered pieces from VAS artists' studios.

A monochromatic, hyper-realistic drawing of a branch of gumnuts.
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Sarah Ackland: Journey with the Pencil

Sarah Ackland is an Australian artist who enjoys working tonally in graphite.

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.

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 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 tight shot of the hands of a child cutting out pictures from paper sheets.

Family Art Day at ACCA

Join a free art-making program designed for families with young children.

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.

Artist Julius von Bismarck's black and white photographic artwork, Punishment #7, showing a man cracking a whip into the waves at a stormy beach.
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Julius von Bismarck: This Is Not the Storm

The first Australian solo exhibition by German artist, Julius von Bismarck.

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.

An ant moving a green circle on a rock.
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A velvet ant, a flower and a bird

Step into a garden of knowledge anchored by three familiar figures from nature.

The grey concrete facade of the National Gallery of Victoria International building on St Kilda Road with banners advertising Melbourne Design Week and the Melbourne Art Book Fair, and people walking past.
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Melbourne Design Week

Discover 400+ events across the city, including exhibitions, talks, tours and more.

Federation square on a sunny day overlooking Flinders Station and the city skyline

What's free in Melbourne this month

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

Two women in white bridal dresses next to a smiling man at an expo.

Melbourne's Annual Wedding Expo

Showcasing over 120 of Melbourne's wedding suppliers and vendors.

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 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.

A realist painting of the sweep of a curved bridge with a road passing underneath; blue sky in the backgorund.
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Entry Point

A group exhibition featuring diverse practices of four guest artists within the realist tradition.

Historic photo of protesters at a women's rights demonstration.
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Protest Melbourne

An exhibition about Victoria's long history of public protest.

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.

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.

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.

Last updated on Sat 2 May 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 Potter has supported generations of artists, curators, writers and academics for over 50 years.

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

Koorie Heritage Trust

An Australian First Peoples arts and cultural centre.

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

Hellenic Museum

Discover Greek art, history and culture, both ancient and contemporary.