Nº5 · Melbourne CBD & Southbank
Rainy-day galleries
A whole wet day indoors, and it doesn’t cost a thing.
Draft trail. We haven’t walked this one yet to check every detail. Opening days, prices and paths can change, so check before you go.
1 / 6Some of Australia’s best art, film and Aboriginal culture sit within a few hundred metres of each other, and their permanent collections are free. Start under the State Library dome, then work south to Federation Square and across the river to the NGV.
- Getting there
- Start at State Library station (Metro Tunnel). Swanston Street trams link every stop; most of the walk is inside the Free Tram Zone.
- How long
- About 5 hours, 1.8 km on foot (5 h at the stops)
- Cost
- Free (special exhibitions are extra)
- Best time
- Any rainy day; galleries are quietest on weekday mornings.
The stops
- 1State Library Victoria · Culture · 45 min
The domed reading room and free exhibitions of the library’s treasures.
Directions - 2ACMI · Culture · 1 h 15 min
Australia’s museum of screen culture; the core exhibition is free.
Directions - 3Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia · Culture · 1 h
Australian and First Nations art at Federation Square.
Directions - 4Koorie Heritage Trust · Culture · 30 min
An Aboriginal-run centre for south-east Aboriginal culture.
Directions - 5National Gallery of Victoria · Culture · 1 h 30 min
NGV International: the water wall, the Great Hall ceiling and centuries of art.
Directions
On the map
Tips
- At NGV International, lie on the floor of the Great Hall to look up at the stained-glass ceiling.
- Galleries usually close at 5 pm; check each stop’s hours on the trail.
Collect this trail’s stamp in your Passport by checking in at each stop.