Explore Melbourne

Located in the cultural heart of Narrm (Melbourne) by the banks of the Birrarung Marr (River of Mists – Yarra River), we are a not for profit First Peoples arts and cultural organisation providing opportunities for all to learn, connect and re-connect with the rich living cultural heritage of Aboriginal Victoria. We are open daily, 10am – 5pm (excluding Victorian and national public holidays).

Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre tells the story of survival against the odds and celebrates our vibrant cultures through performances, storytelling, artwork and more. First Peoples tells the story of Aboriginal Victoria from the time of Creation to today. This major exhibition celebrates the history, culture, achievements and survival of Victoria’s Aboriginal people. Open 9am to 5pm daily. Note: museum entry price applies.

Looking fifty years into the future, Reimagining Birrarung: Design Concepts for 2070 presents a series of provocations for the lands and waters of the Birrarung (Yarra River). Focusing on ecological regeneration, public access and connectivity across the catchment, this exhibition asks what it means to acknowledge a river as a living and integrated natural entity. Free entry.

Welcome to Wurrdha Marra – meaning ‘Many Mobs’ in the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language. The name comes to the NGV from the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and supports the purpose of this space in sharing the work of First Nations artists, from emerging to senior figures, and across time and place. For First Nations peoples around the world, art and design are part of a continuum where the past intersects with the present, different materials converge, and diverse perspectives come together. The central role of art in passing down important cultural knowledge is celebrated in this display through the diverse approaches that artists take to maintaining and regenerating customary cultural practices and iconography while also creating new forms of expression.

The Eastern Kulin is an alliance of 5 Traditional Owner groups: the Wurundjeri, Bunurong, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wadawurrung peoples. Eastern Kulin Country extends around Port Phillip and Western Port, up to the Great Dividing Range and through the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys. The groups are spiritually, culturally, politically and economically connected with a shared creator, Bunjil. Note: the subject of some of the locations on this tour may be distressing.

Come explore and connect with an exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of William Barak. To the colonial world he was William Barak, to his people he is Beruk. Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung artist and the last Ngurungaeta, activist, leader, trailblazer – Beruk remains a source of knowledge for Wurundjeri people through his works and he continues to influence generations worldwide. The beruk exhibition, curated by descendants of Beruk, for the first time welcomes home two artworks, Corroborree (Women in Possum Skin Cloaks) and a Parrying Shield back to Wurundjeri Country and community where they belong. Honouring Beruk's cultural legacy, this exhibition explores objects, paintings and portraits Beruk and other residents of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve created during the post-colonial era of the mission station.