Incorporating an old brick sewage-pumping station that resembles a French chateau, this engrossing museum keeps inquisitive grey matter occupied with interactive displays. Figure out the mysteries of the universe (or your own anatomy) by poking buttons, pulling levers, lifting flaps and learning all sorts of weird facts. The planetarium splashes the universe onto a 16m-domed ceiling during 40-minute shows.
Scienceworks
Melbourne
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.78 MILES
Considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world, Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens draw over two million visitors a year…
4.28 MILES
Melbourne's most-celebrated laneway for street art, Hosier Lane's cobbled length draws camera-wielding crowds to its colorful canvas of graffiti, stencils…
4.38 MILES
One of Melbourne's icons, the Shrine of Remembrance is a commanding memorial to Victorians who have served in war and peacekeeping, especially those…
4.99 MILES
With a capacity of 100,000 people, the "G" is one of the world’s great sporting venues, hosting cricket in summer and AFL (Australian Football League,…
3.88 MILES
With more than 600 traders, 'Vic Market' is a large open-air market brimming with food, shopping and cultural experiences. Early mornings are best for…
4.9 MILES
With a palm-fringed promenade, sandy beach and eclectic architecture, St Kilda’s seaside appeal lands somewhere between Brighton in England and Venice…
4.18 MILES
Housed in a vast, brutally beautiful, bunker-like building, the international branch of the NGV has an expansive collection, from ancient artefacts to the…
4.57 MILES
Established in 1862, this compact zoo remains one of the city’s most popular attractions and continues to innovate, having become the world's first carbon…
Nearby Melbourne attractions
1.74 MILES
A fine collection of old steam locomotives, and mini-steam-train rides for kids.
2.15 MILES
Take a look around the last of 60 Australian-built Bathurst Class corvettes still afloat. This one did time as an escort ship and minesweeper along the…
2.24 MILES
Melbourne’s main sea terminal, Station Pier, has great sentimental associations for many migrants who arrived by ship in the 1950s and '60s, as well as…
2.34 MILES
A modest museum showcasing maritime artefacts, model ships and the like.
2.34 MILES
This marine precinct comprises historic boat sheds, a maritime museum, a pirate-themed tavern and Victoria's oldest morgue (1859; visit on a ghost tour)…
2.34 MILES
Seaworks is the headquarters for this anti-whaling crusader. It's often possible to drop by and look at displays about its direct-action campaigns and to…
2.48 MILES
Forget St Kilda – the pleasant lopsided grin of coarse golden sand at Williamstown is a much more appealing place for a dip. It has its own surf…
2.5 MILES
This sleek distillery-warehouse-bar is massive, with a public area up the front and copper stills at the rear. Sample the Distillery's Selection flight (…