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The best museum filled day in Canberra

Have you ever thought about spending a day exploring all the most amazing museums Canberra has to offer? Well, now you can. Canberra has some of the best museums in Australia. They range from having exhibits about wars, politics, Australian history, and so much more. This article will go over four of those museums and what they have to offer, to show you the reader the best museum filled day in Canberra.

National Museum of Australia

First up is one of the most well-known museums in Canberra and that is the National Museum of Australia.

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Ill-loop-inating early morning look at the Museum Forecourt courtesy of @zipping12.⁣ ⁣ #sunrise #goodmorning #museum #photography

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The National Museum of Australia is a great way to spend a couple of hours. With two of the free exhibits being filled with Landmarks from around Australia and the other being the First Australians exhibit, which shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.

Starting off here at about 9 am is the perfect way to start your day. Due to it being one of the most popular museums in Canberra, going here first in the morning is your best way to avoid the crowds brought in later on.

The only costs you have to worry about is parking which is $3.10 per hour or $14.50 per day. But I would recommend donating around $5 dollars on entry to support the museum and spend your money on whatever paid exhibit is on when you are visiting because it will make your experience even better.

National Archives of Australia

The second destination on this museum filled weekend is the National Archives of Australia.

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#enlightencanberra not long now! We are so excited for #archives #after #dark pop in for #illuminations, #musical #performances, #projections and #free family #fun #NationalArchivesofAustralia #nationalarchives #visitcanberra #canberra #igerscanberra #hercanberra #art #music #storytelling #archiveselfie

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I think it will take a couple of hours to go through the museum, which includes a large collection of government records from 1901 onward. Overall the museum has over 40 million items you can view so you can view whatever your heart desires.

These items include Cabinet, Federation, Prime Ministers and other national leaders, and most of the activities with which the government has been involved, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO)  and Royal Commission records, service records of Australians who served in wars, notably World Wars I and II, migrant selection documents and naturalisation papers of millions of people who have come to live in this country, the records of refugees displaced by World War II by name, the copyright collection dates back to colonial times and patent and trademark records.

The Museum itself has free entry to all visitors, but parking does cost $3 for an hour, $6 for two hours, $10 for three hours and $15 for all day.

The Museum of Australian Democracy

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Hi everyone, thank you for all your messages of love and concern for our beautiful building. We'll be back open from 9am tomorrow, Wednesday 22 January, with free entry! However, some of our galleries will remain closed due to damage sustained during the storm. Our regular PlayUP space is temporarily closed, but a pop-up PlayUP is open for business on the lower floor. Just ask one of our friendly staff for directions when you get here 🙂

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The Museum of Australian Democracy has a wide array of Political based exhibits within its walls, whether they are permanent exhibits or not. Some of the permanent exhibits you can see whenever you would like to visit are Truth, Power and a Free Press (which explores stories from those on the front line for the battle for truth and has stories from many Australian Journalists and objects from Australia’s media history), Prime Ministers of Australia (which explores the public achievements and inside stories of every Australian Prime Minister) and Designing Democracy (where you can discover the ideas and ideals that inspired radicals and revolutionaries to create modern Australia’s core foundations. See fascinating and often surprising objects Australians have used to fight for their rights and freedoms).

The Museum also offers up many different tours to explore the museum, including the Highlights and the Insights tours and many more which can be found here.

The cost to visit the museum is $2 for adults, $1 for concessions & children over 5 (children under 5 are free) and $5 for family (2 adults and dependent children).

Australian War Memorial

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The Australian War Memorial combines a shrine, a world-class museum, and an extensive archive, acknowledging those who serve our country and commemorating the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war or on operational service. Tours of the Memorial connect visitors with the powerful stories of courage, devotion, and mateship told through our collection. Our experienced and passionate guides will create a memorable experience designed to help enhance your understanding of the exhibits and stories we hold, offering a personal touch to your visit. Highlights audio tours are also available for individual use in English, Mandarin, and Hindi. An Auslan (Australian Sign Language) video translation of the tour is also available. #MyAWM #AWMemorial

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Finishing off this museum filled day is the Australian War Memorial. This is last on the day because it is the one that I think readers will spend the most time at due to how large the collection of items is and how interesting it is to view the entire history of Australia in armed conflicts.

It will probably take you around three hours to see all that the museum has to offer. The best being exhibits on the Japanese internment camps and the peacekeeping missions that Australian’s have gone on.

The price of entry for the museum is free including parking for four hours. But I would recommend a gold coin donation to keep the museum alive, since all who work there are volunteers. I would also recommend looking at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Wall of Honour.

Hopefully this article has inspired you to check out these museums in your own museum filled day.

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