National Gallery of Victoria

The National Gallery of Victoria is an art museum in Southbank on St Kilda Road with modernist architecture and a glass waterfall wall at the entrance. The collections are distributed across multiple floors with galleries of different sizes and natural lighting through skylights.

The museum was founded in 1861 as the first public art museum in Australia and moved to the current St Kilda Road building in 1968. Architect Roy Grounds designed the modernist structure with bluestone and a monumental water curtain.

The collection includes European paintings, Asian ceramics, and Australian works that visitors view in thematically arranged rooms. Rotating exhibitions regularly bring loans from international collections and contemporary installations into the galleries.

The museum opens daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and offers guided tours during the day. Wheelchair-accessible entrances and elevators connect all floors, with cloakrooms located on the ground level.

Auguste Rodin's first bronze cast of The Thinker from 1884 stands permanently in one of the main galleries. This casting was made during the sculptor's lifetime and ranks among the most valuable sculptures in Australian public collections.

Location: City of Melbourne

Inception: 1861

Architects: Mario Bellini

Official opening: 1862

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Fee: No

Part of: Melbourne Arts Precinct

Address: 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3006

Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 10:00-17:00

Phone: +61386202222

Website: https://ngv.vic.gov.au

GPS coordinates: -37.82250,144.96889

Latest update: December 12, 2025 18:01