Last year, after 22 years on the periphery of the central city grid, the City of Melbourne’s Collection Store moved back to its original home at Melbourne Town Hall.

This once-in-a-generation relocation has had an exciting impact on the way the collection is managed and showcased. Open display storage is now the key to the collection’s presentation, and closely tracks what has developed as a global trend. Emblematic of this change is the collection’s shift to Town Hall, the civic heart of Melbourne.

By any standard the Art and Heritage Collection is eclectic. It is made up of a range of cultural material, which now numbers over 13,000 items. The collection store provides a centre for research, conservation and collection management.

Objects in the collection fall into various categories:

Moomba, Olympics, public art, street art, city management, Melbourne photography, First Nations artists, books and plans, miscellaneous Melbourne, Council and ceremonial, city gifts and so on.

What's On

Visitors will gain exciting insights into the history of Melbourne and have the opportunity to see items they’ve never seen before, including contemporary art, historical artefacts, street art, photography and more! Tours will be led by specialists who will identify key artworks and artefacts in the collection store.

Important information to note before you book:

Meet at Melbourne Town Hall, Admin building, 90–120 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
Participants are to register with security on ground floor before commencing tour.
Large bags and backpacks: are not permitted on the tour.
Limited cloak area is available at visitor’s own risk.
Photography for non-commercial purposes is allowed.