The Museum experience

Opened in March 2001, the National Museum is the first in the country devoted to the stories of Australia and Australians, exploring the key issues, events and people that have shaped and influenced our nation.

Land, Nation, People

Bringing together the richly diverse stories of Australia's land, nation and people, the National Museum has developed an international reputation for innovative exhibitions.

It profiles 50,000 years of indigenous heritage, settlement since 1788 and key events including Federation and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The collection has everything from a carcass of the extinct Tasmanian Tiger to Australia's largest collection of bark paintings, Phar Lap's heart and the No.1 Holden Prototype car.

Galleries

The National Museum has five permanent galleries:

Eternity: Stories from the Emotional Heart of Australia tells the personal stories of 50 ordinary and extraordinary Australians.

First Australians: Gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples traces the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their spirituality, diversity, identity and survival.

Horizons: The Peopling of Australia since 1788. The National Museum of Australia is undertaking an exciting program of gallery development. As part of the gallery development, the Horizons gallery is closed. The gallery will reopen in late 2008 as Australian Journeys, an exhibition about the journeys that connect Australia to the world.

Nation: Symbols of Australia explores common expressions like 'g'day' and 'mate' and symbols of national identity from the flag, to Anzac, the kangaroo and Vegemite.

Old New Land: Australia's People and Environment (known previously as Tangled Destinies) looks at how human history is written on the land and how the environment has shaped life and agriculture.

All the galleries use high-tech multimedia to help tell stories. A highlight is the rotating theatre, Circa. As part of the gallery development, Circa has been refurbished. It reopened in early 2008 and takes visitors on a unique journey through Australia's history from deep time to contemporary Australia.

Exhibitions

The National Museum also develops regular temporary and travelling exhibitions on topics ranging from gold, space exploration and cartooning to outlaw legends, rare trades and deserts.

Architecture

Excitement and innovation are not just limited to the exhibits - the colourful building itself is an architectural landmark, one which complements the beautiful surroundings of Canberra's Acton Peninsula. The jigsaw-like building wraps around the central Garden of Australian Dreams, a remarkable garden and cultural arena.