Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame: a history of horse racing in Australia, with a particular focus on Flemington Racecourse and the Melbourne Cup, which is held there every November. The museum houses a collection of fine and decorative arts, paintings, trophies, photographs, colours, riding equipment, a horse drawn jockey ambulance and ephemera.
Location: 400 Epsom Road Flemington. Contact: 1300 139 407. Website

Chinese Museum, Melbourne: A living part of Melbourne's modern Chinatown, the Chinese Museum is a national museum, brought into being in 1985 to document, preserve and display the history of Australians of Chinese descent who have helped shape and develop what it means to be Australian today. A range of changing exhibitions, heritage tours and public seminars are some of the ways by which the Chinese Museum shares the past, culture, and values of Australia's Chinese community with the wider public.
Location: 22 Cohen Place, Chinatown, Melbourne. Comtact (02) 9662 2888. Website

Heide Museum of Modern Art: Heide, as it is affectionately known, offers an inspiring, educational and thought-provoking experience of modern and contemporary art, architecture and landscape. It has a national reputation based upon the vision of the John and Sunday Reed and their role in the development and promotion of modern art in Australia.
Location: 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen. Contact (03) 9850 1500. Website

Jewish Holocaust Museum: The Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre is an institution dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. The Jewish Holocaust Centre was the fulfilment of a vision by Melbourne Holocaust survivors to create a memorial to the millions of Jews who were murdered between 1933 and 1945. From its humble beginnings in 1984, it has grown to become an active and internationally-recognised institution dedicated to combating racism, hatred and prejudice by fostering tolerance and understanding.
Location: 13 - 15 Selwyn Street, Elsternwick. Contact: (03) 9528 1985. Website

Jewish Museum of Australia: a significant and accessible collection of objects and stories that represents the breadth of Jewish culture and Australian Jewish life. The Jewish Museum also offers tours to two local synagogues: the historic and architecturally unique St Kilda Synagogue; and Temple Beth Israel, the principal progressive synagogue in Melbourne.
Location: Grandel Centre of Judaica, 26 Alma Road, St Kilda. Contact: (03) 8534 3600. Website

Medical History Museum: the Medical History Museum is the oldest and finest collection associated with a medical school in Australia. Through its artefacts and documents, the Museum tells the history of the Melbourne Medical School, its clinical hospitals, students and teachers. On permanent display in the Museum is a fully equipped nineteenth-century Savory and Moore Pharmacy, shipped from London and installed in 1971 with generous assistance of the Wellcome Institute.
Location: Level 2, Brownless Biomedical Library, University of Melbourne, Grattan Street (entry via University Gate 10), Carlton. Phone: (03) 8344 9935. Website

Fox Classic Car Collection: the 100 or so prestige cars on display, which are valued in excess of $15 million, were all donated by businessman Lindsay Fox. The man obviously has impeccable taste - there's not a dud among them. They are the creme de la creme of motoring, exquisite examples of the Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce. The collection is housed in the historic Queen’s Warehouse building located in the Melbourne’s Docklands precinct. | Website

The Old Treasury Building: Sitting at the top end of Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD, the Old Treasury Building is widely regarded as one of the finest 19th century buildings in Australia. It hosts the original gold vaults where gold bullion was stored during the gold rush era, as well as rare and historic documents from Public Record Office Victoria highlighting key moments from Victoria’s history. The building displays numerous permanent items in the Victorian state collection as well as temporary exhibitions.
Location: Spring Street (top end of Collins Street), Melbourne. Contact (03) 9651 2233. Website

HMAS Castlemaine: the former World War II minesweeper, HMAS Castlemaine, was built in Williamstown in 1942 so it appropriate that she has returned there after being de-commissioned. Painstakingly refurbished, she is open for public inspection. On display is a 4 inch gun, the bridge complete with wheel, compasses, radar screen and more. HMAS Castlemaine was one of sixty Australian minesweepers (popularly named corvettes) built during World War 2 in Australian shipyards as part of the Commonwealth Government's wartime shipbuilding program. All 56 Royal Australian Navy ships were named after Australian country cities and towns. HMAS Castlemaine is the last one still afloat.
Location: Commonwealth Reserve, Nelson Pl., Williamstown, Vic

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Polly Woodside: The National Trust's historic tall ship – the Polly Woodside – is on display at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre. The Polly Woodside, a three-masted iron barque, is among the best in the world as a surviving example of a late nineteenth century barque rigged, iron-hulled, ocean-going trading ship and was awarded the World Ship Trust Medal for achievement in the preservation of maritime heritage.
Contact: (03) 9699 9760. Location: Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, South Wharf, Melbourne.

Victoria Police Museum: home to a darker side of Victorian history, the museum's collection reflects Victoria Police's role in almost every major incident in Victoria.. With tales of colourful criminals and the gallant work of police in risky situations, the museum offers a unique view into the execution of Victorian crimes and the aftermath of disasters. The armour of Kelly Gang members, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart, who were captured by police in 1880 during the infamous Glenrowan siege is on display. 
Location: World Trade Centre, Mezzanine Level via Siddeley Street (near corner of Flinders and Spencer Streets), Melbourne. Contact: (03) 9247 5304. Website

National Sports Museum: widely recognised as the home of Australian sport, the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) has been the scene of many great sporting events, as well as many 'firsts' in Australian sporting history. It is home to the National Sports Museum, which houses the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, Australian Football exhibition (including Australian Football Hall of Fame), temporary exhibition areas addressing the sporting issues and events of the day and much more. This is a vibrant, exciting and attractive mix of sporting heritage and entertainment aimed at matchday patronage as well as catering for the MCG’s traditional tourist groups seven days weekly.
Location: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Yarra Park, Brunton Avenue, Richmond. Contact: (03) 9657 8879. Website

Cook's Cottage: this cottage was constructed in 1755 in the English village of Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, by the parents of Lieut. James Cook, James and Grace Cook. It is a point of conjecture among historians whether James Cook, the famous navigator, ever lived in the house, but almost certainly he visited his parents at the house. The cottage was deconstructed brick by brick and packed into 253 cases and 40 barrels, for shipping on board the Port Dunedin from Hull. Cuttings from ivy that adorned the house were also taken and planted when the house was re-erected in Melbourne in 1934. Very few of the items in the house are from the Cook family, but all are representative furnishings of the period.
Location: Fitzroy Gardens, Wellington Parade, East Melbourne. Contact: (03) 9419 5766. Website

ANZ Banking Museum: illustrates the history of Australian banking and financial services. It displays banking equipment, manuscripts and illustrations from the ANZ bank's substantial archive. The exhibition is illustrated by a unique collection of historic moneyboxes and other banking paraphernalia.
Location: the base of The Former Melbourne Stock Exchange, 380 Collins Street, Melbourne. Website