Presented by historic artefact specialist Bronwyn Woff (Artefrag Analysis), this half-day workshop on the use and usefulness of historic artefacts for on-site context dating will include discussion of broad field methods as well as hands on learning in identification of indicative datable artefact types.
Featuring original statues, mosaics, frescoes, jewellery and everyday objects from the humblest to the most sumptuous, this Melbourne-exclusive exhibition is a vibrant exploration of Rome’s political, cultural and social life.
Join the National Trust and their qualified archaeologists for a hands-on introduction to archaeological practice at Barwon Grange. Working on a simulated colonial-era site, you’ll explore how archaeologists uncover and interpret evidence from the past, using tools and techniques applied in real investigations. This event is suitable for all ages.
Join us in May 2026 for a nationwide program of events celebrating Australian archaeology and the work of Australian archaeologists.
Through the voices and languages of our Koorie community, First Peoples tells the story of Aboriginal Victoria from the time of Creation to today. This major exhibition at the Melbourne Museum celebrates the history, culture, achievements and survival of Victoria’s Aboriginal people.
Join the National Trust and their qualified archaeologists for a hands-on introduction to archaeological practice at Como House and Garden. Working on a simulated colonial-era site, you’ll explore how archaeologists uncover and interpret evidence from the past, using tools and techniques applied in real investigations. This event is suitable for all ages.
In celebration of National Archaeology Week, we're inviting all young archaeologists, historians, actors, storytellers and artists to the Hellenic Museum, for a free workshop exploring the myths and archaeology of theatre in the ancient world.
Discover Melbourne’s hidden cultural history on a guided First Peoples led walking tour. Step beyond the city streets and discover Narrm (Melbourne) through a different lens. Led by knowledgeable First Peoples guides, our tours share the rich cultural history of Narrm and the continuing connection of the First Peoples to Country.
Discover the most iconic artefacts of Melbourne's past at Melbourne Museum, where you’ll join your knowledgeable guide in a tour across the decades to hear the hidden stories of what made Melbourne the city it is today.
Join us to hear from historians, archaeologists, and community members who are recovering the stories of the Yarra Bend Asylum. The Asylum opened in 1848, and operated until the mid 1920s. Most of it was demolished, Yarra Bend Park was created, and its history has been mostly forgotten – until now.
Join us for a panel event that brings the hidden history of Melbourne to the surface. Drawing on two recent conference papers, this session explores the delicate balance between excavation and conservation through the lens of local archaeological discoveries.
The Ballarat Heritage Festival is a community cultural festival held annually in Ballarat as a major tourist attraction. It celebrates the city’s history, drawing on Ballarat’s reputation as a historic Australian city. This festival, just one hour west of Melbourne, is all about mixing old and new, retro vibes paired with innovative thinking, celebrating country and culture, a region that’s proud and historic while forever evolving as a modern city.
Discover the most iconic artefacts of Melbourne's past at Melbourne Museum, where you’ll join your knowledgeable guide in a tour across the decades to hear the hidden stories of what made Melbourne the city it is today.
The open plains of Western Melbourne are home to half-lost landmarks that tell vital stories of colonization, survival, and cultural identity. Join us for an insightful exploration into the region’s layered past and the creative future of its ruined homesteads.
Step into the world of ancient drama as timeless stories from Greek and Roman theatre are brought to life in this unique collaborative performance event. The Show Must Go On! celebrates the enduring power of classical storytelling through a dynamic series of curated excerpts from some of antiquity’s most iconic plays.
Australia has a long and complex deep time history, spanning more than 65,000 years. This professional learning day will equip Victorian teachers with foundational knowledge in archaeology and palaeoecology, directly aligned to the Australian and Victorian Curricula. Through expert sessions and hands-on excavation experience at La Trobe University, teachers will leave with the content knowledge and practical strategies to teach deep time history with confidence.
The ancient theatre of Nea Paphos was constructed in c. 300 BCE, and was used for more than six and a half centuries as a venue for performance and spectacles. This talk will look at recent research in ancient theatre studies, particularly in terms of architecture, performance and reception by ancient audiences. Can we use the work at Paphos as a case study in better understanding the role of theatre in the Classical city?
Hear three emerging scholars share their research on the human experience of Amarna’s busy streets and neighbourhoods, the residents of Amarna’s emotional and social attachment to their houses, and the changing nature of domestic religious practice in the multicultural milieu of Roman Egypt.
What fueled the ancient Greeks and Romans? And who ate better? This light-hearted discussion will explore the chief ingredients of the ancient Greek and Roman diet while giving you the chance to eat your history at the same time.
Join us for an enlightening event as we explore the fascinating intersection of archaeology and our beloved railway systems. Our panel of experts will share insights from recent archaeological investigations and heritage preservation projects, shedding light on the rich history that lies beneath our feet.
Food gives us a window into the everyday lives of people in the past and reminds us that our own diet can have ancient roots. This presentation looks at what people in the Roman Empire ate and drank, the familiar and the strange, from chickpeas and olive oil to dormice and sparrows. It will explore not only diet but some cultural and religious aspects of what, how, and why different foods were eaten.
The ‘fall’ of the Roman Republic is undeniably important for our understanding of much of the subsequent history of the Mediterranean world, the evolution of European political thought, and the wider history of what might be considered ‘Western’ civilization. Can the fall of the Republic be understood through the use of modern scholarship on democratic decay and authoritarian takeovers?
Calling all young archaeologists! This week is National Archaeology Week, and this year we are celebrating the history of ancient Greek food. Learn about the key role played by food in the daily life of ancient Greeks, from the military training of Spartan children to currying favour from the gods!
People from around the world left their homes and arrived here, impacting the Country and lives of First Peoples. They also brought their memories and cultures, and they continue to contribute to an evolving diverse society. Journey through time to hear how the stories of First Peoples and the migrants that followed have intersected in joy, sorrow, loss and resilience.
Embark on an exciting journey through the archaeological wonders of Melbourne during National Archaeology Week. Meet at the front entrance to the Melbourne Museum, where the hosts will help you log into the Scavos app to start the game. The event is for all ages, and requires self-paced walking.
Through the voices and languages of our Koorie community, First Peoples tells the story of Aboriginal Victoria from the time of Creation to today. This major exhibition at the Melbourne Museum celebrates the history, culture, achievements and survival of Victoria’s Aboriginal people.
What shaped this city? Who lived here? What were their lives like? The Melbourne Story is packed with icons of the city's past and present. There are tales of heroes and scoundrels, growth and decline, and the changing ways Melburnians live, work and play. Big stories—of Aboriginal activism, of gold that built grand buildings, of waves of migration—sit alongside quieter tales of everyday life in the big smoke.
Join us in May 2025 for a nationwide program of events celebrating Australian archaeology and the work of Australian archaeologists.
The Alchemy of Gold is a special forum which brings together archaeologists, historians and the community to explore how the discovery of gold in Victoria in the 1850s reshaped the state. The Alchemy of Gold is a series of lectures, workshops and field visits which will take place in and around Castlemaine from 16 to 18 May 2025.
The Ballarat Heritage Festival is a community cultural festival held annually in Ballarat as a major tourist attraction. It celebrates the city’s history, drawing on Ballarat’s reputation as a historic Australian city. This festival, just one hour west of Melbourne, is all about mixing old and new, retro vibes paired with innovative thinking, celebrating country and culture, a region that’s proud and historic while forever evolving as a modern city.
Join Ian Waina and Andy Gleadow as they share how Traditional Owners and scientists have worked together over the last decade to determine the age of rock art sites on Kwini and Balanggarra Country in the East Kimberley. Members of the public are welcome to this keynote presentation for the International Symposium of Archaeometry.
In this free workshop for National Archaeology Week, budding young archaeologists will learn to recover and document hidden "artefacts" in the Hellenic Museum courtyard!
Join us for a free, interactive in-person workshop hosted by the Department of Archaeology and History at La Trobe University. The workshop will focus on the Australian Curriculum Year 7 history unit ‘deep time history of Australia’, and is suitable for pre-service and in-service teachers.
Journey into Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with a First Peoples guide. Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia though a journey of identifying significant native plants within the Gardens. Learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country.
Heritage Harvest Weekend aims to preserve and share the cultural heritage of the Ballarat gold rush – and the rare trades brought to country Victoria from around the world. Held at Sovereign Hill as part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival.
More than a million items were found in the excavation works for the Metro Tunnel Project including teeth, coffee beans, chalk boards and more. In a unique VR experience, visit 19th-Century Melbourne and explore the artefacts uncovered during the tunnel’s archaeological digs – one of the largest archaeological digs in Victorian history.
Journey into Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with a First Peoples guide. Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia though a journey of identifying significant native plants within the Gardens. Learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country.
Immerse yourself in the history and world-class facilities of the MCG, as you go behind-the-scenes to gain an insight into Melbourne's sporting culture, while exploring one of the world's most iconic stadiums.
Join Monash University’s Jessie Birkett-Rees, Andrew Connor and Anna Stevens as they explore the history of archaeological excavations in Egypt and Georgia. From pharaoh Akhenaten’s city, to medieval fortresses in Georgia, to a looted Ptolemaic burial – we’ll examine some of the legacies of past fieldwork, and how these shape research today.
Join us for a hybrid workshop hosted by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and La Trobe University. The session will focus on the Year 7 Australian Curriculum unit ‘deep time history of Australia’ and will include workshop sessions on cultural competency in the classroom and object-based learning. Suitable for pre-service teachers and in-service teachers.
Journey into Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with a First Peoples guide. Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia though a journey of identifying significant native plants within the Gardens. Learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country.
The Pontine Marshes is generally considered to have been unsuited for habitation until the area was reclaimed in the 1920s-30s. However, the area has a much deeper history. Archaeological work has provided rich evidence for an even more ancient and much more successful reclamation effort, dating to the late 4th century BCE. Find out more about the political context and archaeology evidence in this free lecture presented by Gijs Tol.
Journey into Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, with a First Peoples guide. Gain insight into the rich history and thriving culture of the First Peoples of Australia though a journey of identifying significant native plants within the Gardens. Learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country.
Join a Cultural Experience Guide from the Koorie Heritage Trust for the Birrarung Wilam (River Camp) Walk. During the walk, you will learn about the Aboriginal history of the Birrarung Marr (Beside the river of mists) and the Aboriginal Peoples of the Kulin Nation.
Take a walking tour of Melbourne’s lanes and arcades with Hidden Secrets Tours. Your guide reveals some of the quirkiest cafes, independent designers, street art, architecture, with historical tales of Melbourne along the way.
Join us for a debate in which we will explore the origins of our civilisation, how this legacy has been passed down from the ancient past, and the very reasons why we live the way we live. Our debaters are distinguished academics from Melbourne's leading institutions in classics and ancient history, and you will be our judges!
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.
Anything earthmoving is the theme for the May rally at the Hamilton Pastoral Museum, with big working plots for machines to show their stuff and shift some earth. Being displayed and demonstrating will be dozers and tractors with pushing and pulling tackle plus other unique old time machines.
