Federation Square and ACMI

Federation Square sits at the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets, directly opposite the domed Flinders Street Station and St Paul's Cathedral, and it is where Melbourne gathers: for football finals on the big screen, festivals, protests, New Year's celebrations and simply meeting friends under the clocks across the road. Opened in 2002, its angular, shard-patterned buildings divided opinion at the time and still do, but the square works as a public space, and it holds two of the city's best free cultural venues. The first is ACMI, Australia's museum of screen culture. Its free permanent exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image, traces the history of film, television, video games and digital art through hands-on displays, original props, costumes and playable games, and it is one of the most enjoyable museums in the country for all ages. ACMI was transformed in a major renewal and reopened in 2021, and it also runs cinemas with a strong programme of new releases, retrospectives and festival screenings, plus ticketed exhibitions that change through the year. The second is the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria's home for Australian art, from First Nations works and colonial painting to the Heidelberg School and contemporary art, also free. Around them, the square has bars and cafes, a riverside edge along the Yarra, and the city's visitor information services nearby. Fed Square is in the Free Tram Zone and a short walk from everything in the central city, so it makes a natural first stop on day one: get your bearings, see the station across the road, and spend an hour or two inside ACMI before heading into the laneways.

ACMI is the reason to linger. The Story of the Moving Image is laid out so that you can follow it from optical toys and early cinema through to animation, television, music videos, video games and online culture, with plenty of screens and interactive stations. Visitors receive a small device called The Lens, which lets you collect objects as you go and look them up later online, a neat touch for anyone who wants to remember what they saw. Children love the games and animation sections; film buffs will find real treasures among the props and costumes. Entry to the permanent exhibition is free and the museum opens daily, generally from 10am to 5pm, while the cinemas and bar run later on screening nights. Check the programme before you visit: a ticketed exhibition or a special screening may suit your trip.

The Ian Potter Centre is the companion visit. Where NGV International across the river covers world art, this building tells the story of Australian art, and it is a good place to understand the country through its painters, from Aboriginal bark paintings and contemporary First Nations work to the light-filled landscapes of Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin. It is also free, and rarely as busy as the main NGV building, which makes it a calm counterpoint to the square outside.

Practical notes. The square itself is free and open at all hours. Events can take over parts of it, especially in summer and during major sporting events, so the atmosphere varies from quiet to packed. At the time of writing, construction work around the Swanston Street and Flinders Street corner has affected the usual pedestrian crossing, so follow the signs and allow a few extra minutes. The Yarra riverbank below the square links to Birrarung Marr park and on to Melbourne Park and the MCG, which makes for a pleasant walk to a match or a tour. For a meal, the laneways start right across Flinders Street.