ACMI is Australia’s national museum of screen culture, set in Fed Square directly opposite Flinders Street Station in central Melbourne. It celebrates film, television, videogames and digital art. Entry is free and it is open 364 days a year, which makes it one of the most visited moving-image museums in the world (source: Visit Melbourne).
The anchor is The Story of the Moving Image, a free permanent exhibition. It traces screen history from optical toys and early cinema devices through Australian film and TV landmarks to playable videogames. At the entrance you receive The Lens, a small disc you tap against exhibits to save them and revisit online after your visit. Upstairs, ticketed major exhibitions rotate through the year. ACMI Cinemas program retrospectives, new releases, festival titles and restored classics. Families gravitate toward the hands-on stations, and gamers tend to linger in the playable sections.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The museum opens daily from 10am to 5pm. Hours change on ANZAC Day (1pm to 5pm), and it closes on Christmas Day (source: ACMI). Hours also extend for screenings, special events and Victorian school holidays.
To avoid crowds:
- Visit on weekday afternoons after 2.30pm, once pre-booked school groups have left.
- Avoid school holidays and rainy weekends, which bring the biggest crowds.
Book cinema sessions and headline exhibitions online in advance. To get there, take any train to Flinders Street or a tram to the Federation Square stop. Afterwards, you can walk to the Yarra riverbank or Hosier Lane’s street art in a few minutes.
