Museums & Landmarks in Victoria

If you want a no-cost outing in central Melbourne, the Federation Square precinct does most of the work. The National Gallery of Victoria has a free permanent collection with family activity sheets at the entrance, and the city's official visitor guide frames its whole museum page around free options. ACMI next door hands kids a free cardboard disc to scan exhibits and build their own collection; reviewers allow 90 minutes to two hours. The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia is also free for the permanent collection, though our verdict puts it at ages 8 and up. The Immigration Museum sits in the same bracket: a parent blog found it hard to hold a younger child's attention and suggests 12 and over.

For hands-on learning, Melbourne Museum in Carlton keeps under-fives in the Children Gallery and older kids at the dinosaur walk, and reviewers say most families spend five or more hours. Scienceworks (Museums Victoria) in Spotswood centres on the Lightning Room and planetarium, both of which sell out, and reviewers rate the children's planetarium show over the adult one for family groups. For ages 1 to 7, MoPA: Museum of Play and Art in Geelong runs structured activities every 30 minutes plus an outdoor water play garden.

Further out, Sovereign Hill at Golden Point is the strongest history day trip in our view, with gold panning and a Trooper show reviewers plan their morning around; allow four to six hours. In Bendigo, Central Deborah Gold Mine offers a real underground tour, but children must be 3 or older, while the Golden Dragon Museum has free classical Chinese gardens that suit younger kids. Hanging Rock at Woodend needs reasonably fit school-age children for its 45 to 60 minute climb with steep sections.