Guide to First Peoples history collections in Victoria
Discover a guide to First Peoples history collections in Victoria where you can learn more about the history of First Peoples, Culture, their strength and resistance as the oldest living culture in the world and the ongoing impacts of colonisation.
Dr Vicki Couzens, Keerray Woorroong GunditjmaraFind First Peoples History collections near you.
Explore the resources below to find First Peoples History collections near you and across Victoria.
Koorie Heritage Trust
The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) holds Victoria’s only public collection dedicated to Koorie art, history, and culture. Visitors can explore artefacts, exhibitions, a research library, and a family history service. The Trust also offers cultural experiences and a First Peoples art shop.
Location: Birrarung Building, Federation Square
Phone: 03 8662 6300
Open daily 10am – 5pm. Free entry.
State Library Koorie collection
The State Library of Victoria holds extensive collections documenting Aboriginal life, culture, and history - from early contact to contemporary experiences. Materials include maps, newspapers, diaries, and activist posters, offering diverse perspectives on Koorie Victoria.
Location: State Library Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 8664 7000
Open daily 10am – 6pm.
Museums Victoria Bunjilaka Collection
The First Peoples exhibition, at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum, is a shared endeavour of Museums Victoria and the Victorian Aboriginal community. The First Peoples Yulendj Group of Elders and community representatives have brought their knowledge, stories, culture, objects and images to guide the exhibition's development. Explore virtually or visit in person.
Location: Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Phone: 13 11 02
Open daily 9am – 5pm.
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
AIATSIS tells the story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia and creates opportunities for people to encounter, engage and be transformed by that story. We support and facilitate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural resurgence.
Victorian Collections
Victorian Collections is a digital archive featuring thousands of items from galleries, museums, libraries, archives, historical societies, and cultural collections across Victoria, Australia.
Public Records Office Victoria (PROV)
The Koorie Records Unit raises awareness of Aboriginal records in the Public Record Office Victoria and works to make them more accessible to the Aboriginal community.
Location: Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel St, North Melbourne
The Foley Collection
A selection of digital works from a major historic archive collected over the past 45 years by Aboriginal activist/academic Gary Foley.
Mapping Aboriginal Melbourne
An interactive map that reveals some of Aboriginal peoples’ deep connection to this Country, the City of Melbourne, and significant events and experiences since colonisation.