
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!
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. Then explore homegrown art and exhibitions at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV. The current exhibition, Making Good, explores great design in everyday life. Think adaptable fashion and edible coffee cups.
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.
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.
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.
Buxton Contemporary
Explore a stunning collection of Australian art at this Southbank gallery. The latest exhibition to land at Buxton Contemporary is The Veil. An exploration of identity and cultural resilience, the show features film, sculptures and photography.
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.
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. Right now you can catch The Dirty Dozen. Expect ceramic street food and rare menus. Plus works highlighting the dining habits of the 19th-century elite.
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. On now is Distraction. Ponder the art of time wasting at this immersive exhibition dedicated to distraction and doom-scrolling.
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.
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
Flinders Lane Gallery
Exhibiting collectable artworks and featuring solo exhibitions every three weeks.
West End Art Space
A contemporary art gallery with a focus on living artists that strive for excellence.
Kings Artist-Run Initiative
Space for contemporary art practice and gallery showcasing experimental projects.
Anna Schwartz Gallery
The gallery represents over 30 established and emerging artists on individual projects.
More free museums
Victoria Police Museum
Explore the social history of policing through interactive displays and over 300 collection items.
Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre
A place of inspiration and vitality, that promotes the spirit and charism of Saint Mary MacKillop.
Medical History Museum
A free museum focusing on medicine's contribution to scientific discovery and community wellbeing.
The best free exhibitions
Bark Salon
Bark Salon is a large-scale display of First Nations bark painting, with more than 160 works.
Carolyn Roberts: The Heart of It
Exploring humanity's relationships with nature through watercolour paint.
Silk, Sips and Spins
Artist Sammaneh Pourshafighi transforms MPavilion Parkville with artworks and soundscapes.
Melbourne Boat Show
Visit the Docklands waterfront for four fun-filled days and discover your boating lifestyle.
Tschabalala Self: Skin Tight
The first solo exhibition in Australia for renowned American artist Tschabalala Self.
Our Way: Celebrating Indigenous Art
Exploring how Indigenous artists reimagine storytelling today, expanding on artistic traditions.
Aldona Kmieć: Hills Hoist
A deeply personal photographic project exploring a disappearing way of life.
Christopher Kerley: Recent Paintings
An exhibition of moody suburban scenes shaped by memory, emotion and absence.
Distraction
An exhibition that plugs into the torrent of content and places we go when craving distraction.
Plans For The Planet: Olaf Breuning For Kids
Created by artist Olaf Breuning this exhibition invites kids to explore the natural environment.
What's free and what's open on the King's Birthday long weekend
Free events, winter markets, family-friendly activities and more.
Jo Ryan: Lett4ms
Letters combine and intertwine to create sculptures that make us lose sight of the letter.
International Youth Arts Fun Festival
Celebrate art, culture and creativity; where youth imagination meets world culture.
William Breen: Split Point
Paintings exploring the philosophical threshold between the tangible and the unknowable.
Viaggio Italiano: Photography and Drawings by Moses Tan
An exhibition of photographs and digital drawings of Italy by Moses Tan.
Yarro Yarro: Reflections on The River
This unique photography exhibition showcases the dynamic beauty of the Yarra, Birrarung.
Oysters and Sustainability: From Harvest to Market
A solo sculptural exhibition exploring Melbourne's oyster reefs, using discarded oyster shells.
Blak Sovereignty
Natisha Tabua creates works at the convergence of traditional practice and contemporary techniques.
Liz Priestley: Sonder
Translucent wax paintings capture the redolence of memory and past interactions with place.
St Albans Secondary College: Stronger Together
Showcasing the work of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Annual Exhibition: Changing Perspectives
Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors' 116th Annual Art Exhibition.
Sangeeta Sandrasegar Atrium Commission
Discover a new textile installation using natural plant dyes in Fed Square's Atrium.
You Don't Have to Turn on the Red Light...But It Helps
Darkroom prints by members of Melbourne's analogue community.
Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River
Explores the chequered history of the stream we call the ‘city’s river’.
Sid Pattni: A Knot in the Thread
An exhibition interrogating the effects of colonial aesthetics on diasporic self-perception
The Square
A fun, live, participation event hosted by young people to map and celebrate human truth.
The Story of the Moving Image
An ongoing exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.
Dress to Express
A fashion runway with a purpose, centred on sustainability, culture and diverse young women.
Last updated on Wed 27 Aug 2025
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Free things to do in Melbourne every day
Have a grand day out on a budget at Melbourne's best free experiences, attractions and exhibits.
The Potter Museum of Art
The Potter has supported generations of artists, curators, writers and academics for over 50 years.