ACMI

ACMI, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is a museum of screen culture and occupies part of Fed Square, on Flinders Street between Swanston and Russell Streets. It was established in 2002 under Victoria's Film Act, with its first stage opening that October, and it closed in 2019 for a $40 million redevelopment before reopening in February 2021.

The centrepiece is The Story of the Moving Image, a free permanent exhibition covering the past, present and future of film, television, videogames and art. It spreads across about 1,600 square metres and includes more than 900 objects, so even a quick visit gives a good overview of how moving images have been made and watched. The Lens lets you collect favourite objects as you go and then look at your personal collection online after you get home, which is a useful way to follow up on anything you missed.

Behind the exhibition sits a collection of more than 250,000 items, including films, ephemera, objects, videogames and time-based media art. It began in 1947 as the collection of the State Film Centre. ACMI also runs cinemas with a regular programme of screenings, and some exhibitions and events are ticketed, so check the What's On listings if you want to plan an evening around a film.

General entry is free and the museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, opening at 1pm on Anzac Day and closing on Christmas Day. The Level 1 cafe and bar opens from 8:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays and 10am to 4:30pm at weekends, with longer hours around cinema sessions, and the shop opens from 11am to 5pm. ACMI suits families as well as film fans, since the main exhibition is free and designed to be family friendly.

The Flinders Street entrance is opposite Flinders Street Station, within the Free Tram Zone, so it is one of the easiest museums in the city to reach. Building works have closed the pedestrian crossing at the Swanston and Flinders Street corner, so cross at Russell Street or at the Swanston Street crossing outside the station. Paid parking is available in the Fed Square car park, about 200 metres away, and there are bike racks around the square, though bikes cannot be brought inside. Allow around two hours for the exhibition, and pair it with the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, also at Fed Square.