Melbourne Immigration Museum Entry Ticket

• Located inside the historic Old Customs House in Melbourne
• Interactive exhibitions on migration, identity, and belonging
• Personal stories from migrants who shaped modern Australia
• Thought provoking multimedia displays and artefacts
• Family friendly galleries with engaging learning zones

Melbourne Immigration Museum is a place where stories come together. Set within the beautifully restored Old Customs House, the museum explores how people from around the world arrived, settled, and helped shape Australia into a multicultural nation.

As you move through its galleries, you encounter voices, memories, and objects that reflect hope, struggle, resilience, and belonging. The exhibitions are immersive yet respectful, allowing visitors to reflect on migration as a deeply human experience rather than a historical statistic.

Through interactive displays, photographs, and personal narratives, the museum invites you to consider your own place within Australia’s ongoing story of movement and cultural exchange.

The best time to visit Melbourne Immigration Museum is during weekday mornings, when galleries are quieter and you can explore the exhibitions at a relaxed pace.

Autumn and spring offer comfortable weather for combining the visit with walks along the Yarra River or Melbourne CBD attractions. The museum is indoors, making it an excellent option year round, including rainy days.

• The museum is housed in Melbourne’s former Customs House built in the 1850s
• It stands near where many migrants first arrived by ship
• Exhibits include real migrant belongings and recorded oral histories
• The building once collected taxes on goods entering Australia
• New exhibitions are regularly updated to reflect modern migration stories

Half Day Ideal Visit (Recommended)

Morning:
Arrive early and begin with the main permanent galleries exploring migration timelines and personal journeys. Take time to listen to recorded stories and interactive stations.

Midday:
Explore temporary exhibitions focusing on contemporary identity and cultural diversity. Pause in quieter spaces to reflect and read detailed narratives.

Afternoon:
Visit the children’s discovery areas or educational zones, then finish with a short walk around the historic building and nearby Yarra River precinct.

• The grand exterior of the Old Customs House
• Historic staircases and architectural details inside
• Gallery spaces with projected stories and visuals
• Views toward the Yarra River from outside the museum
• Entrance hall showcasing heritage design elements

• Allow time to listen to audio stories for deeper understanding
• Visit on weekdays to avoid school group crowds
• Photography is best in the exterior and foyer areas
• Read exhibit labels slowly for full context
• Combine your visit with nearby CBD attractions

Melbourne Immigration Museum is housed in the Old Customs House, a landmark completed in 1858 during Victoria’s gold rush era. The building once played a central role in controlling goods and people entering the colony, symbolising authority, borders, and regulation at a time of rapid migration.

As Australia evolved into a modern nation, the building’s purpose shifted. In the late twentieth century, it was transformed into a museum dedicated to telling the stories of migration, settlement, and cultural identity. The museum officially opened to the public in 1998, reflecting a growing recognition of multiculturalism as a defining feature of Australian society.

Today, the museum stands as a space of reflection and dialogue, preserving personal histories while encouraging conversations about belonging, diversity, and the shared experiences that continue to shape Australia.