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Experience Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre Time: 9.15am–4.45pm Date: Daily Ticket information: Costs apply, bookings essential Ticket information: Book tickets

Daily 75-minute sessions: 9.15am, 10.45am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3.30pm
This fun, immersive play and learn space is designed for children of all abilities from birth to 6 years, their families and carers. Every session includes free, child-led activities in our mini makers corner.

Experience The Antarctica Experience Ticket information: Costs apply, bookings essential Ticket information: Book tickets

Final weekend!
Explore a day in the life of Antarctic scientists in this immersive virtual reality adventure, brought to you by the National Museum of Australia and the Western Australian Museum.

Experience Beyond the Milky Way Ticket information: Costs apply, bookings essential Ticket information: Book tickets

Final weekend!
Experience one of the greatest international scientific endeavours in history as you step onto Australia’s future site of the incredible Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope in an immersive 360-degree virtual reality cinema experience.

Exhibition Belonging Time: 9am–5pm Date: Daily until March 10, 2025 Ticket information: Free

Belonging: Stories from Far North Queensland is the third in a three-part exhibition series that captures generations of cultural knowledge shaped by a profound relationship to Country. Featuring works from Mossman Gorge, Weipa, Mapoon, Napranum, Wujal Wujal and Pormpuraaw.

Exhibition Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things Time: 9am–5pm Date: Daily until February 9, 2025 Ticket information: Free

See all the objects from the new Tony Armstrong ABC TV show, after Tony travelled across the country to meet everyday Australians with ordinary things that help reveal the untold story of our nation.

Exhibition Pompeii Ticket information: Costs apply Ticket information: Book tickets

Opens in Canberra on 13 December 2024
Step inside Pompeii and discover life in the ancient city before the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago. Pompeii is an extraordinary new immersive experience that combines captivating soundscapes and large-scale digital projections with over 90 remarkable objects from the ancient city.

Exhibition Variations on the Classical Time: 9am–5pm Date: Daily Ticket information: Free

This exhibition brings together objects held in the Museum’s collection to explore the long reach of the classical past and its influence in Australia.

Event Talented Tales: A Woolly Tale Time: 10.30am–12pm Date: Sunday, November 24, 2024 Ticket information: Costs apply Ticket information: Book tickets

Join us for an adventure with author Jackie Hosking as she shares the story of Chris the sheep in A Woolly Tale, our latest book in the Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre children’s series. Then spark your creativity in a hands-on workshop. Perfect for young adventurers aged 3 to 6 years! Spaces are limited, bookings are essential.

Object Club – Pompeii curator talk Time: 10.30am–11.30am Date: Friday, November 29, 2024 Ticket information: Free, bookings essential Ticket information: Book tickets

Deep dive into the upcoming Pompeii: Inside a Lost City exhibition with our curators Lily Withycombe and Catherine Czerw. This blockbuster exhibition, opening on 13 December at the Museum, will combine over 90 remarkable objects from the ancient city with an immersive experience of captivating soundscapes and large-scale digital projections. All Friends welcome. Join Friends

Tour Museum highlights tour Time: 1pm–2pm Date: Daily Ticket information: Costs apply Ticket information: Book tickets

This guided tour provides an excellent introduction to the Museum, exploring highlights from our permanent exhibition galleries.

Exhibition Talking Blak to History Time: 9am–5pm Date: Daily Ticket information: Free

Talking Blak to History in our First Australians gallery features powerful objects and stories that speak to the aftermath of colonisation, of survival and resilience.

Tour Host talks Date: Daily Ticket information: Free

On the hour between 10am and 4pm
Join a free 10-minute host talk in our Great Southern Land or First Australians galleries or the Garden of Australian Dreams.

Tour Building and architecture tour Date: Daily Ticket information: Costs apply Ticket information: Book tickets

10am
This guided tour provides an insight into the stories and meanings hidden in the Museum building, design and landscapes. Please wear appropriate footwear for walking outside.

Tour First Australians tour Date: Daily Ticket information: Costs apply Ticket information: Book tickets

3–4pm
Take a guided tour with one of our hosts to learn about First Nations peoples, their history, culture and connection to country.

Exhibition Great Southern Land Time: 9am–5pm Date: Daily Ticket information: Free

Explore stunning objects and rich multi-sensory experiences as you discover the story of the vast, vibrant Australian continent. See how the continent has transformed into one of the most diverse and resilient places on Earth – and how these changes can guide us in the future.

Event Discovery Centre quiet hours Time: 3.30pm–4.45pm Ticket information: Costs apply Ticket information: Book tickets

First Tuesday of the month
Explore the Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre in a quiet hours session for visitors who prefer a quieter experience. These sessions offer reduced noise and sensory experiences.

Tour Great Southern Land group tours Date: Daily Ticket information: Costs apply, bookings essential Ticket information: Book tickets

Daily at 9am, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
Traverse the vast, vibrant Australian continent on this tour of the Museum’s environmental history gallery, Great Southern Land.

Story time Time: 10.30am–10.45am Ticket information: Drop-in, places are limited

Tuesdays and Thursdays during ACT school term
Enjoy free 15-minute story time sessions in the workshop next to the Discovery Centre. Drop-in, places are limited.

Story time Time: 10.30am–10.45am Ticket information: Drop-in, places are limited

Tuesdays and Thursdays during ACT school term
Enjoy free 15-minute story time sessions in the workshop next to the Discovery Centre. Drop-in, places are limited.

Event Friends Christmas shopping event Time: 9am–5pm Ticket information: Free

22 to 24 November 2024
Get a stress-free start to your Christmas shopping. Join us for our popular Friends shopping event and receive an exclusive 30% discount instore and online – excludes alcohol, Friends memberships and gift vouchers. No further discounts apply. No holds or rainchecks. Join Friends

Event Market Day Time: 9am–5pm Ticket information: Free

23 and 24 November 2024
Discover unique gifts in the Museum Shop or browse fashion, jewellery and homewares from over 50 local and regional stallholders. Soak up the lively ambience with a DJ, plus food and drink stands in the Gandel Atrium. Join Friends to receive a 30% discount on purchases.

Time Traveller’s Book Club – Pompeii by Robert Harris Time: 11am–12pm Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2024 Ticket information: Free, bookings essential Ticket information: Book tickets

Join us to discuss our first novel, Robert Harris’s Pompeii. Through the eyes of four characters – a young engineer, an adolescent girl, a corrupt millionaire and an elderly scientist – Harris brilliantly recreates a luxurious world on the brink of destruction. All Friends welcome. Join Friends

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