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Grainger Museum

Grainger Museum

One of Melbourne's most fascinating museums, a unique site devoted to creativity.

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In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020. Please see this announcement for more information.

The Grainger Museum—the only purpose-built autobiographical museum in Australia—is home to a wonderful collection of art, photographs, costumes, music scores and instruments acquired by Percy Grainger, an icon of twentieth century Australian musical culture.

  • Get Involved

    Find out more about getting involved and giving to the Museum.

  • Research

    Learn how to search and access the diverse collection for research.

  • Education

    The Grainger Museum offers collaborative opportunities for student learning. Read more about some of our past programs.

  • Discover

    Discover more about the Grainger Museum, collection and Percy Grainger.

Opening hours

In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020. Please see this announcement for more information.

Sunday - Friday
12.00pm – 4.00pm

Saturday
Closed

The Grainger Museum is closed on public and University Holidays.

General Admission is FREE

Plan your visit

  • Book a tour

  • Events & Exhibitions

  • Education

In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020. Please see this announcement for more information.

Opening hours

Sunday - Friday
12.00pm – 4.00pm

Saturday
Closed

The Grainger Museum is closed on Public and University Holidays.

In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020. Please see this announcement for more information.

Admission

General admission is free.

The Grainger Museum occasionally hosts ticketed events and concerts: View our calendar.

A cartoon map of Melbourne streets and key landmarks, identifying the path from Flinders St Station to the Grainger Museum

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Getting here

Address

Grainger Museum
Gate 13, Royal Parade
Parkville, Melbourne

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Public transport from the city

Catch the No. 19 tram North along Elizabeth Street/Royal Parade and alight at Stop 11: University of Melbourne.

For more information on public transport, check PTV.

Parking

Limited street parking is available on Royal Parade, directly out the front of the museum.

Cycling

Bicycle lock racks are available at the front and rear of the Grainger Museum, and throughout the University. A free public bike pump and repair station is adjacent to the bicycle lock racks at the front of the Museum.

Accessibility

The Grainger Museum is accessible for wheelchair users and the mobility impaired. If additional assistance is required, please contact us in advance.

The Grainger Museum is one of the Cultural Collections of the University of Melbourne.

We are proud to be accredited under the Museums Australia (Victoria) Museum Accreditation Program.

In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020. Please see this announcement for more information.

Exhibitions

  • 1 January 20181 January 2022
    Grainger Museum Online
    Exhibition

Events


Past Exhibitions & Events
Plan Your Visit

The Grainger Museum is the only purpose-built autobiographical museum in Australia.

Its fascinating collection contains not only objects directly related to Percy Grainger's compositional career, such as scores and manuscripts, but also more than 50,000 items, including diaries, ethnographic objects, furniture, decorative arts, photographs, artworks, clothing and correspondence with famous and not-so-famous contemporaries.

Grainger began planning the Museum after his mother's death in 1922 and it was officially opened in December 1938. The building was designed by the University's architect, John Gawler of the firm Gawler and Drummond, in close consultation with Grainger. The Museum's historical and architectural significance is recognised by the building's inclusion on the Register of the National Estate and the Victorian Heritage Register, and its classification by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

In 1955, Grainger set down his revised Aims of the Grainger Museum, outlining his 'cosmopolitan and universalist outlook on music'. Grainger's wide ranging interests have resulted in a unique Museum with broad appeal, a must-see for locals and tourists alike.

  • History

    A brief history of the Grainger Museum.

  • Supporters

    Discover our major supporters and how you can support the Grainger Museum.

Plan Your Visit

In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020. Please see this announcement for more information.

  • Become a Member

  • Subscribe to e-news

  • Plan your visit

Parkville Campus

Address
Grainger Museum
Gate 13, Royal Parade
Parkville, Melbourne
Email
grainger@unimelb.edu.au
Phone
+61 3 8344 5270
Postal Address
Grainger Museum, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010

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News from the Grainger Museum.

  • Announcement from the Grainger Museum

    In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Grainger Museum is temporarily closed to the public from March 18, 2020

    17 Mar 2020 News
  • Volunteer Profile February 2020

    Ashley is a postgraduate student at the University of Melbourne. As well as studying law, she has a passion for history and museums, which drew her to the Grainger Museum's Volunteer Program.

    19 Feb 2020 News
  • From the Collection February 2020

    The Grainger Museum is extremely grateful to David Rezits for the donation of a published score of the two-piano version of Lincolnshire Posy, autographed by Percy Grainger.

    19 Feb 2020 News
  • New programs for 'How It Plays' exhibition

    Our popular exhibition has been extended into 2020 to showcase the Living Instruments Project and host musical events in collaboration with Speak Percussion and the Federation Handbells.

    21 Nov 2019 News
  • Academic English at the Grainger

    Meet the students who are using the Grainger Museum collection to enhance their academic English presentation skills.

    24 Sep 2019 News
  • From the Collection September 2019

    As part of her Australian Research Council-funding project, Dr Lorinda Cramer has been working within the Grainger Museum costume collection, sharing her skills and expertise regarding all things Australian costume history. We invited Lorinda to provide a summary of her work thus far, to share with our online audience.

    24 Sep 2019 News
  • Visitor Profile August 2019

    In this month's Visitor Profile, we speak with VCA/MCM academic Paul Fletcher about his involvement in our current exhibition Fabric Culture.

    21 Aug 2019 News
  • Volunteer Profile July 2019

    We would like to introduce you to Samuel, who is a Grainger Museum volunteer. We recently asked Samuel a few questions and we're very glad that he was happy to respond and share with everyone a little bit about himself.

    22 Jul 2019 News
  • From the Collection July 2019

    The Grainger Museum Collection has a rich collection of material relating to the Dolmetsch Family, who were pioneers in early music performance and instrument creation. The Museum contains extensive correspondence between the Dolmetsch family and Percy Grainger, ranging over two decades from the 1930s to 1950s, as well as instruments made in the Dolmetsch instrument workshop, including a Treble Viola da Gamba, an Alto Viol, and three recorders.

    22 Jul 2019 News
  • Intern Profile June 2019

    Through her Masters of Arts & Cultural Management, Jenna sought out an internship at the Grainger Museum to complement her studies in the areas of Museum publicity and marketing.

    21 Jun 2019 News
  • Volunteer Profile May 2019

    Rachel is a new volunteer at the Grainger Museum, hailing from our neighbour across the sea, New Zealand. Read on to be introduced to Rachel and hear about her studies and life outside of her role at Grainger Museum Volunteer.

    24 May 2019 News
  • From the Collection May 2019

    In March 2019 we profiled our intern Regitze Phil, who was translating the Danish-language letters from Karen Holten to Percy Grainger.

    24 May 2019 News
  • Visitor Profile April 2019

    For this month's Visitor Profile we speak to John Richter, a tuned percussion expert who has been assisting the Grainger Museum in the lead up to our next exhibition.

    24 Apr 2019 News
  • Intern Profile March 2019

    In this month's Intern Profile we introduce you to our current intern Regitze, and provide a snapshot of her project with us at the Grainger Museum.

    22 Mar 2019 News
  • Grainger Museum Composer in Residence

    We are pleased to introduce our Grainger Museum Composer in Residence, Kate Tempany, who will be engaging with the forthcoming exhibition, How it plays: Innovations in percussion.

    22 Mar 2019 News
  • Melbourne School of Design x How it plays

    The Grainger Museum is collaborating with the Melbourne School of Design for the design and fabrication of a key section of the forthcoming exhibition How it plays: Innovations in percussion.

    22 Mar 2019 News
  • How it plays: innovations in percussion

    Enjoy a sneak peak into our upcoming exhibition How it plays: innovations in percussion.

    11 Mar 2019 News
  • Visitor Profile February 2019

    This month’s Visitor Profile features researcher Marissa Kyser, who has come all the way from the United States of America to undertake research into the collection.

    22 Feb 2019 News
  • From the Collection February 2019

    Innovations in percussion explored at the Grainger Museum Store.

    22 Feb 2019 News
  • Visitor Profile January 2019

    As Merrill has been a part of the Grainger Museum Volunteer Program for over a year now, we thought it was about time we introduced her to you.

    21 Jan 2019 News
  • Visitor Profile December 2018

    This month’s Visitor Profile features Christopher, whom we met when he came in to see our Objects of Fame: Nellie Melba & Percy Grainger exhibition.

    21 Dec 2018 News
  • Limited edition 'Objects of Fame' exhibition catalogue

    The limited edition exhibition catalogue Objects of Fame: Nellie Melba & Percy Grainger is now available for purchase at the Grainger Museum and online.

    14 Dec 2018 News
  • Grainger, whittled

    This month we share a guest feature from Dr Derham Groves, Senior Lecturer in Architecture here at the University of Melbourne.

    22 Nov 2018 News
  • From the Collection November 2018

    A public research query about the Mona McBurney Collection, held in the Grainger Museum, turned up a fascinating experiment in keeping time for Grainger Curator Heather Gaunt.

    22 Nov 2018 News
  • Visitor Profile October 2018

    Meet Kim, a Grainger Museum volunteer. Here Kim talks about her experiences of the role, her own background and her favourite object on display in the Museum.

    19 Oct 2018 News
  • Visitor Profile September 2018

    Meet Daniela GutiƩrrez, who is currently studying her Masters of Arts and Cultural Management here at The University of Melbourne. Within her MA, Daniela is completing the Engaging Exhibition Audiences Internship at the Special Collections and Grainger Museum.

    19 Sep 2018 News
  • Stillness | Perfection - Grainger | Amplified

    This Science Gallery Perfection exhibition satellite event presents three new compositions created by student composers at the University of Melbourne, played through a sound system in the Grainger Museum courtyard. Visitors are invited to contribute their responses to the sonic environment via a web platform (in the form of iPads installed within the space or on their personal devices).

    14 Sep 2018 News
  • Current Transmissions

    The penultimate in our Sythesizers Public Program series, 'Current Transmissions: 50 Synthesizer Greats' performance at the Grainger Museum on Thursday 23 August, 2018 was a very special experience for all.

    24 Aug 2018 News
  • From the Collection August 2018

    A special gift to Percy from the King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, during his 1910 tour.

    24 Aug 2018 News
  • Visitor Profile August 2018

    Alice O'Rourke is the 2018 UK recipient of the International Museums and Collections Award. She is currently studying a Masters of Art History and Curating at the University of Birmingham, and has come to Melbourne for a month-long placement at the University of Melbourne.

    24 Aug 2018 News
  • Composition students seeking perfection in the Grainger courtyard

    A collaboration between the Melbourne School of Design, Parallel Practice, the Faculty of Fine Art and Music, SoundLab and the Grainger Museum

    24 Jul 2018 News
  • Open House Melbourne 2018

    The Open House Melbourne 2018 weekend is almost upon us!

    24 Jul 2018 News
  • Visitor profile July 2018

    This month we met Mitchell and Marcus, two public servants who share a love of electronic music and who visited the Grainger Museum to view our current exhibition Synthesizers: Sound of the Future.

    24 Jul 2018 News
  • From The Collection July 2018

    Melba sings Grainger’s Colonial SongNellie Melba and Percy Grainger performed together only twice, both times in the context of fund-raising for the WWI War Effort in America. Both Grainger and Melba were deeply committed to using their talents for this cause. Exploring this relationship, Curator Heather Gaunt found another Australian fund-raising connection with Melba singing Grainger’s Colonial Song.

    24 Jul 2018 News
  • Search for the Sublime: An Evening with Percy Grainger Event Review

    It’s a nightclub! It’s a book launch! It’s the Grainger Museum! Our courtyard was transformed into a pop-up techno party of sorts on Wednesday 20 June in celebration of the launch of the latest issue of Swampland magazine, one of Australia’s newest (and, evidently, coolest) music journals.

    21 Jun 2018 News
  • Hats off to Grainger!

    Two students in the Museums and Collections Projects Program, Crystal Baptist and Sharon Wong, are working on a project in the Grainger Museum with Curator Heather Gaunt, to rehouse the large collection of hats.

    21 Jun 2018 News
  • Visitor Profile June 2018

    Mike is a volunteer  at the Grainger Museum. We spoke to him about his experience of being a volunteer, and what he has gotten out of the role.

    21 Jun 2018 News
  • From The Collection June 2018

    Discover more about the Bridgeport Presentation Baton, which will be on display as part of the Grainger's next temporary exhibition in September.

    21 Jun 2018 News
  • From the Collection May 2018

    John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Percy Grainger appears in various forms – postcards, posters, programs – in the Grainger Museum Collection. Curator Heather Gaunt explores the history of this ubiquitous image…

    21 May 2018 News
  • Engineering students recreate the Cross-Grainger experiments for Synthesizers: Sound of the Future

    A team of four engineering students chose to undertake their group Capstone Project in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with the Grainger Museum in Semester 1 2018.

    21 May 2018 News
  • Visitor Profile May 2018

    Meet Kirsten, a marketing manager from Melbourne, in this month's visitor profile

    21 May 2018 News
  • New products in the Grainger Museum shop

    We pleased to announce the release of our latest additions to the Grainger Museum shop - Grainger tea towels and tote bags, as well as limited edition EMS Synths posters, and David Cheswick's album 50 Synthesizer Greats as part of our current exhibition, Synthesizers: Sound of the Future

    24 Apr 2018 News
  • Synthesizers: Sound of the Future Exhibition Officially Opened

    The Grainger Museum’s eagerly anticipated new exhibition, Synthesizers: Sound of the Future, is now officially open to the public.

    20 Apr 2018 News
  • From the Collection April 2018

    Carl Temple explores a little known link with Kaiser Wilhelm II discovered in the Laver Collection within the Grainger Archive.

    20 Apr 2018 News
  • New volunteers at the Grainger

    You may have noticed plenty of new faces at the Grainger Museum after an intake of new volunteers was completed in March 2018.

    20 Apr 2018 News
  • Music making memories at the Grainger Museum

    In 2017, the Grainger Museum hosted the pilot program Music Making Memories, which focused on wellbeing for people with dementia, and their carers.

    20 Apr 2018 News
  • From the Collection March 2018

    Our curator, Dr Heather Gaunt, shares an example of how we use our collection to facilitate interactive learning within the university community.

    21 Mar 2018 News
  • Visitor Profile March 2018

    Chynthia has recently commenced volunteering with the Grainger Museum.

    21 Mar 2018 News
  • Sound artistry in 'Synthesizers' exhibition

    Exhibition Synthesizers: Sound of the Future opens on 20th April

    21 Mar 2018 News
  • From the Collection January 2018

    The Grainger Museum was a happening place in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Curator Heather Gaunt explores the Ian Bonighton Archive of scores in the Grainger Collection which illustrate the explosion of experimentation in musical composition at the Grainger at that time.

    27 Feb 2018 News
  • From the Collection February 2018

    Curator Heather Gaunt explores the fascination with ‘chance’ music at the Grainger Museum by composers in the 1960s, and the influence of Percy Grainger’s MS Random Round.

    22 Feb 2018 News
  • Visitor profile February 2018

    Martha Louise, a recent visitor and donor to the Grainger Museum, shares her story about close family connections with Percy.

    22 Feb 2018 News
  • Melba goes to the National Gallery of Australia

    Objects within the Grainger Museum collection are often requested by other museums and art galleries to contribute to their own exhibitions. Curator Dr. Heather Gaunt explains why our portrait of Nellie Melba by Baron Arpad Paszthory, is currently on loan to the National Gallery of Australia.

    22 Feb 2018 News
  • Grainger Museum Composer in Residence 2018

    Current Faculty of Fine Arts and Music postgraduate student, Lewis Ingham, has been appointed as the Grainger Museum Composer in Residence for 2018. This year’s Composer Residency focusses on the creation of a soundscape for the forthcoming Grainger Museum exhibition Objects of Fame: Nellie Melba and Percy Grainger.

    22 Jan 2018 News
  • From the Collection December 2017

    Heather Gaunt's research for the upcoming Synthesizers exhibition reveals a little known experimental music machine.

    21 Dec 2017 News
  • New IT Student Interns at the Grainger

    The Grainger Museum is fortunate to have two postgraduate IT Interns working together at the Grainger three days per week from December 2017 through to February 2018 on a project focused on collection access.

    21 Dec 2017 News
  • Launch of Grainger Museum Online

    Grainger Museum Online is the new platform for the Grainger Museum to present curated exhibitions in an online environment.

    21 Dec 2017 News
  • Museum Holiday Closure 2017

    The Grainger Museum will be closed from Friday 22 December 2017 for the University holiday period and will reopen on Tuesday 2 January 2018.

    21 Dec 2017 News
  • Visitor profile November 2017

    Jon Drews, Client Services Officer at the Grainger Museum, meets with a new Grainger Museum visitor, Michael.

    21 Nov 2017 News
  • From the Collection November 2017

    Exhibitions Coordinator Brian Allison shares the story behind this platinum print 'Portrait of a dancer', by Stephanie Ludwig.

    21 Nov 2017 News
  • From the Collection October 2017

    Watch Jon Drews, Client Services Officer at the Grainger Museum, discuss a contemporary reinterpretation of the kangaroo pouch tone tool.

    23 Oct 2017 News
  • Grainger Re-Animated: VCA student creativity based on Grainger Museum exhibition

    Victorian College of the Arts Fine Arts students have created engaging animations using the Grainger Museum collection.

    23 Oct 2017 News
  • Fugal alternatives: Reverberations of Studio 01 Launched

    The students of the Master of Architecture design studio at the Melbourne School of Design have staged presentations that interpret themes from Percy Grainger’s work and biography in their pop-up exhibition here at the Grainger Museum.

    21 Sep 2017 News
  • Visitor Profile September 2017

    Sania Batool has recently commenced volunteering with the Grainger Museum.

    21 Sep 2017 News
  • From the Collection September 2017

    Kerry Andersson, a volunteer through the Museums and Collections Projects Program,  discovered a special item as part of her project to research and develop a tour program.

    20 Sep 2017 News
  • From the Collection August 2017

    Grainger Museum Curator, Heather Gaunt, provides an introduction to some upcoming changes to the permanent exhibition.

    21 Aug 2017 News
  • Fugal Alternatives: Reverberations of Studio 01

    In a new collaboration this semester, the Grainger Museum is partnering with a Master of Architecture design studio at the Melbourne School of Design, where students are staging a pop-up exhibition, opening Monday 11th September.

    21 Aug 2017 News
  • Visitors experience the Grainger after dark at Nite Art

    On 27 July 2017, the Grainger was animated for Nite Art 2017, a celebration of people, art and the night in Melbourne.

    21 Aug 2017 News
  • From the Collection July 2017

    Sharon Wong shares her experience working with the Hirschfield Mack collection as part of the Cultural Collections Projects Program.

    21 Jul 2017 News
  • Visitor Profile July 2017

    Ella Whitehead was with the Grainger Museum for one week in June as part of her work experience, and here shares her favourite parts.

    21 Jul 2017 News
  • From the Collection June 2017

    One of the many hidden treasures in the Grainger museum is an eclectic collection of paintings, watercolours and photographs both by and about Australian artist Helen Lempriere (1907 – 1991).

    21 Jun 2017 News
  • Volunteer at the Grainger

    We are excited to announce the Grainger Museum is now accepting applications to its volunteer program.

    16 Jun 2017 News
  • From the Collection May 2017

    The Grainger Museum Collection does more than just repose on display in the Museum or sit quietly in boxes and on shelves in the offsite Museum Store.

    19 May 2017 News
  • Composer in Residence

    The Grainger Museum has begun a program to connect with, and support, post-graduate music composition at the University of Melbourne. From May the Museum is excited to welcome PhD student Alice Humphries as our new ‘Composer in Residence’.

    19 May 2017 News
  • Music Making Memories

    The Grainger Museum was successful in a highly competitive round for Melbourne Engagement Grants 2017.

    21 Apr 2017 News
  • From the Collection April 2017

    Male savage [figurine], c. 1907. Cork, feather, shell, paint, cloth, beads, paper, pins.Given to Percy Grainger by Knud Larsen, 1907.

    21 Apr 2017 News
  • Visitor Profile March 2017

    Say hello to Arthur, future Astronaut and Remote Helicopter Flying Electrician Who Goes Out on the Electrical Wires, who is possibly this week's youngest visitor to the Grainger Museum.

    21 Mar 2017 News
  • From the Collection March 2017

    Black satin and ermine evening gown belonging to Rose Grainger, with matching sash and stole, M. Levinsky & Co., Copenhagen.

    21 Mar 2017 News
  • From the Collection February 2017

    Orville model Harp Guitar made by Gibson, 1910s. Currently on loan to the Grainger Museum from a private collector.

    21 Feb 2017 News
  • From the Collection January 2017

    Christmas Card from Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, 1957

    20 Jan 2017 News
  • Grainger Museum Archive Project

    Do you use the Grainger Museum Archive for your research?

    20 Jan 2017 News
  • New Appointment for the Grainger Museum

    After a significant search, a new Curator, Exhibitions and Collections has been appointed to the Grainger Museum

    20 Jan 2017 News
  • New Grainger Museum Website

    2017 sees a new look Grainger Museum website launched.

    20 Jan 2017 News
  • Grainger Museum Open in January 2017

    The Grainger Museum will open in January 2017 for the first time.

    14 Dec 2016 News

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