The National Museum of Australia (NMA) is one of the country's most important museum institutions and boasts the largest collection of Aboriginal art in the world.

It is housed in a new 2001 building located on a small peninsula on the north shore of Lake Burley Griffin.

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Modern building

Although the institution of the National Museum of Australia was established in 1980, it did not have its own building until 2001.

This was designed by architect Howard Raggatt, and the futuristic building resembles intertwined knots with the symbolism of connecting the stories of all Australians.

The museum's collections

The museum has more than 210,000 objects in its collections and focuses primarily on Australian history, with an emphasis on the stories of cultures and specific people.

The most comprehensive and most visited exhibition is the Aboriginal Australian exhibition, which is one of the world's most respected.

Emphasis is placed on themed sections of the museum that feature significant people or events in Australia's history. Some of the most popular sections include:

• Captain James Cook's nautical and navigational instruments
• Cycling museum of 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans
• The Holey Dollar, the first coin minted in Australia
• An exhibition dedicated to the 2004 Sydney Olympics
• Australian flag found in the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York after the 2001 terrorist attacks
• and many more

In addition to the permanent exhibitions, there are also a large number of temporary exhibitions.

For information on permanent and temporary exhibitions, visit the museum's official website: nma.gov.au.

Entrance fees and opening hours

The museum is open every day from 9am-5pm.

Admission to the permanent exhibitions is free.

Temporary exhibitions have a charge, prices are usually between 20 aud and 35 aud and tickets can be booked via the museum's website: nma.gov.au/visit.

How to get there

The 53 bus runs from the centre to the museum, once every 30 minutes on weekdays and once an hour on weekends.

There is a large car park at the main entrance, which you can pay 4 aud /hour or 17 aud /day on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, parking is free.

You can also get here on foot along the pretty boardwalk along the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

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