Best places: Historical place museums in Australia

Large, old penitentiary providing interactive cultural exhibits on convict life, tours & a cafe.

1836 lighthouse featuring an iron spiral staircase to the tower balcony & clifftop views of the sea.

👍👍 The State Coal Mine is definitely the tourism highlight of Wonthaggi and the region! This is a terrific coal mine thanks in a large part to the dedication of a special group of people - The Friends of Wonthaggi State Coal Mine. There is just so much to see and do here! Schedule more than one day if...

One of the country's longest continuously operating prisons, with history & ghost tours & a museum.

👍👍 Absolutely beautiful, full of history. Lovely photos and interesting information.

👍👍 It's a beautiful place to visit and have a picnic. BBQ's and plenty of seating available on site. Flowers all in dull bloom in September. We saw a train passing the train station 🚉

Living history museum with a blacksmith shop, antique machinery display & tours by costumed guides.

Site featuring a 19th-century fort & surrounding park, with guided tours & history-oriented shows.

Sprawling living history museum with 70+ pioneer buildings & an array of artifacts on display.

👍👍 Choc malt milkshake and a couple of scoops of ice cream were fabulous. The setting was immaculately retro and we loved it.

Interactive displays, skeletons & a whale chasing ship, plus a cafe, at a former processing factory.

1830 edifice serving as a chapel, jail & court for male convicts, with an execution yard & gallows.

Museum devoted to the post-apocalyptic movie with photos & props, plus original & replica vehicles.

👍👍 Very interesting historical farm buildings repurposed as a restaurant and visitors centre. The Devonshire cream tea, scones with jam, hot chocolate and coffee were all very good. The surrounding grounds are well worth a walk.

👍👍 A very worthwhile & informative centre to learn more about Mary MacKillop, Australia's Saint.

Convict-built 19th-century governors' residence, now housing a collection of colonial furniture.

👍👍 Great place to visit on a Sunday for a casual, family friendly day out. They have markets, petting zoo, pony rides, old cars, pub/hotel for lunch, jumping castle, steam train exhibit, fire engine museum & more.

👍👍 This place is managed by a not-for-profit and run by volunteers. The old house has its own interesting history, and the winery is also quite nice, including its gardens and bamboos. When you think about the amount of work required of winery owners to get something like this off the ground, it is an...