The Immigration Museum in Melbourne, Australia showcases the history of Australian migration. Housed in the restored Old Customs House, visitors can explore the museum’s features floor by floor, including a replica ship. Educational materials are available for different age groups, and there is an on-site library for researchers. The museum is generally open every day, with free admission to the ground floor and an entrance fee for the upper floors.
The Immigration Museum is a museum in Melbourne, Australia designed to provide an informative and interactive look at the history of Australian migration. Established in 1998, the Immigration Museum is a separate branch of Museum Victoria, a public organization that manages several state-owned Australian museums. Since its inception, the museum has been housed in the restored Old Customs House. The historic 19th-century building was once a thriving customs office where officers collected taxes on imported items and processed immigrants. Visitors can explore the museum’s features floor by floor and expand their learning with informative resources.
Australia has a rich multicultural history and the Immigration Museum aims to help visitors immerse themselves in the process that immigrants have gone through in the country. Although Australia has an Aboriginal history dating back thousands of years, immigration to the country generally began with the first European settlement in 1780. The Immigration Museum traces the history of this settlement and the immigrants who continue to make this trip every year. Museum guests can start by traveling around the ground floor. A unique feature at this level is the Tribute Garden, an outer wall which recognizes those who settled in Australia by recording thousands of names of immigrants and their countries of origin.
At the Immigration Museum, there are a number of permanent exhibits on the first floor, but the Long Room is probably the most popular. The room features a replica ship, which visitors can board to experience the conditions of transport immigrants would have faced on their journey to Australia in the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. The permanent exhibitions also examine the many reasons why which immigrants left their homelands, including fleeing religious persecution and seeking riches during the gold rush of the 1850s. Visitors also delve into immigration policies and social issues in an interactive format which includes movies, personal memorabilia, and computer kiosks. On the second floor are temporary galleries dealing with multiple issues specific to Australian identity, including religion, cultural diversity and citizenship.
At the Immigration Museum you can find educational materials suitable for different age groups. Researchers and those looking into their family histories, for example, can investigate their ancestors at the on-site library. For students and teachers, educational programs are offered for all grade levels covering subjects ranging from art to language. These resources include activities that can be enjoyed while visiting the museum, as well as a variety of multimedia resources, including websites, videos and classroom activity sheets that can be viewed online.
Usually, the Immigration Museum is open every day, but it closes on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Access to the ground floor of the Immigration Museum is generally free; however, visiting the upper floors normally requires an entrance fee. Seniors and children 16 and under, however, will typically have free admission. An on-site cafe and gift shop allow visitors to purchase snacks or souvenirs. You can also rent indoor and outdoor event space for parties and other social events.
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