Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane is central to conversations about the evolving life of Brisbane, its histories and contemporary cultures.
Housed within iconic Brisbane City Hall, MoB celebrates the creatives and history makers to deepen an understanding of place. They reflect Brisbane’s people and passions and its ever-evolving cultures. Museum of Brisbane is Brisbane City Council’s leading history and art museum, where you can experience the city’s vibrant culture.
Museum of Brisbane opened in October 2003, on the ground floor of City Hall. At MoB they build on the foundations of the earlier Brisbane City Gallery. In 2010, when City Hall closed for restoration, the Museum relocated temporarily to nearby Ann Street. MoB reopened in April 2013 after a significant refurbishment of City Hall.
Now located in a purpose-built gallery, Museum of Brisbane is on the top floor of the revitalised City Hall, offering views of two of the building’s heritage features, the Clock Tower and copper dome.
Museum Highlights Tour
An oasis in the heart of the city, Museum of Brisbane is a place to learn and discover the stories of Brisbane. Not sure where to start? Book a free guided highlights tour of current exhibitions!
Designed by the curatorial team and delivered by a MoB Tour Guide, this tour unpacks the themes of current exhibitions, offers a deeper understanding of artworks and explores the rich stories of Brisbane.
Perfect for long-time locals or first-time visitors. All ages welcome.
Walking with Vida
Step back in time and explore City Hall and beyond, through the eyes of Vida Lahey, one of Brisbane’s most celebrated artists and advocates.
In this fully immersive, theatrical walking-tour performance you’ll be transported to the places that influenced Vida and learn about the personal stories behind some of Brisbane CBD’s most iconic sites.
Discover the sights and sounds of the past and interact with the master painter as she walks and talks you through her world.
Tour departs from the King George Square foyer of City Hall.
Duration of tour: 90minutes (tours may extend beyond 90mins)
Distance: 1.7 kilometres
Capacity: 15
$55 Adult*
$50 Members*
*Plus $3.19 booking fee
Brisbane City Hall Tour
Discover the secrets of Brisbane’s heritage-listed City Hall building with a guided tour.
With its impressive neo-classical façade, mosaic tiles, stained-glass windows and soaring ceilings, Brisbane City Hall is at the heart of the city. Discover the secrets of this magnificent building which has been the setting for many cultural, social and civic events in the city’s history.
Known as the ‘People’s Place’, City Hall was built between 1920 and 1930 at a cost of almost one million pounds. At the time it was the second largest construction project in Australia, second only to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A highlight is the stunning auditorium, inspired by Rome’s Pantheon, which has hosted rock stars and royalty and is home to the Father Henry Willis & Sons Pipe Organ, made up of nearly 4,400 pipes. This instrument is one of only two of its kind in the world, and the auditorium continues to be integral to events that reflect the creative and connected city.
City Hall is a working civic building and some areas may be unavailable at certain times.
Tour begins in the King George Square foyer on the ground floor of City Hall. Please note this tour will include staircases.
BYO Baby Tour
Back by popular demand! Join MoB for a baby-friendly guided tour of the Museum.
Perfect for parents and their babies, this tour provides the opportunity for families and carers to delve into the themes of the exhibition while allowing plenty of time to stop and chat, feed and cuddle your baby.
Enjoy a museum experience in a low pressure, inclusive environment designed to accommodate even the tiniest art critic where slings, front packs, prams, feeding and even tantrums are all welcome.
Places are limited! Whether it’s your baby’s first visit to MoB or a just a great excuse for a day out, come and share a cultural experience designed just for you. Please ensure you have also booked tickets for your baby or toddler.
Brisbane City Walking Tour: Past and Present
Peel back the layers of Brisbane’s culture by delving into stories of Traditional Custodians, convicts, public art and one of Brisbane’s towering cathedrals. Then, explore artistic interpretations with a short walk through Museum of Brisbane's exhibition, 'Making Place: 100 Views of Brisbane'.
What makes a place? Is it bricks and mortar that build it, or the people that inhabit it? Is it the memories that have been made over millennia that keep it alive? Rapid change is not new to Brisbane. It is a city that has seen constant developments in industry, politics, lifestyle, architecture, and technology over its history, building layer upon layer.
Perfect for first-time visitors or long time lovers of Brisbane, this fast and fun romp through history is not to be missed!
BOOKING FEES APPLY
Adult: $25 + booking fee
Concession: $20 + booking fee
City Hall Clock Tower Tour
Discover the hidden secrets of your heritage-listed City Hall building with a guided tour of Brisbane’s iconic Clock Tower.
The Clock Tower Tour is a “must-do” for anyone and everyone in Brisbane!
For many years, City Hall’s Clock Tower elevated the building to Brisbane’s tallest, offering visitors a magnificent 360 degree view of the city around them. Whilst the view has changed significantly over the last 90 years, the time-honoured tradition of “taking a trip up the tower” happily continues at Museum of Brisbane.
The Clock Tower Tour includes a ride in one of Brisbane’s oldest working cage lifts, a look behind Australia’s largest analogue clock faces and time to explore the observation platform that shares a unique perspective of your city. See if you can catch a glimpse of the bells!
History on the Hill
Stretch your legs and imaginations as you trek through the history books with Museum of Brisbane's walking tour, History on the Hill. Set against the picturesque backdrop of one of Brisbane’s most iconic suburbs, History on the Hill is an interactive walking tour that lifts the lid on the hidden histories of Spring Hill. Climb to the top of Jacob’s Ladder and uncover the grisly story behind the famous Windmill, re-trace the footsteps on the Springbok riots of the 1970s, and unlock the stories behind the charming facades of the city’s historical homesteads.
A must-do tour for lovers of contemporary and convict history alike, peel back the layers on one of Brisbane’s most beloved hives of history, creativity and culture.
Adult $35 + booking fee
Concession: $30 + booking fee
MoB Member discount: $5 off
Museum Highlights Tour in Mandarin
An oasis in the heart of the city, Museum of Brisbane (MoB) is a place to learn and discover the stories of Brisbane. Not sure where to start? Book a free guided highlights tour of MoB's current exhibitions!
Designed by the Museum curatorial team and delivered by a MoB Tour Guide, this tour unpacks the themes of current exhibitions, offers a deeper understanding of artworks and explores the rich stories of Brisbane.
Perfect for long-time locals or first-time visitors. All ages welcome.
Brisbane City Hall Tour in Mandarin
Discover the secrets of Brisbane’s heritage-listed City Hall building with a guided tour in Mandarin. With its impressive neo-classical façade, mosaic tiles, stained-glass windows and soaring ceilings, Brisbane’s heritage-listed City Hall is at the heart of our city. Discover the secrets of this magnificent building which has been the setting for many cultural, social and civic events in our city’s history.
Known as the ‘People’s Place’, City Hall was built between 1920 and 1930 at a cost of almost one million pounds. At the time it was the second largest construction project in Australia, second only to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A highlight is the stunning auditorium, inspired by Rome’s Pantheon, which has hosted rock stars and royalty and is home to the Father Henry Willis & Sons Pipe Organ, made up of nearly 4,400 pipes. This instrument is one of only two of its kind in the world, and the auditorium continues to be integral to events that reflect our creative and connected city.
City Hall is a working civic building and some areas may be unavailable at certain times.
Tour begins in the King George Square foyer on the ground floor of City Hall.
Brisbane City Hall Organ Tour
Experience an up close view of this premier musical instrument. This tour offers rare access to the Father Henry Willis and Sons Organ, the centrepiece of Brisbane City Hall’s Auditorium. Explore the heritage-listed organ with insights from one of few organists qualified to play this premier instrument.
Built in 1891-92, the Father Henry Willis and Sons Organ is located in the heart of the copper-domed auditorium. Designed in London, with timber casework in Queensland maple, it is one of the premier musical instruments in Australia and has been a backdrop to many cultural, social and civic events.
Accompanied by a professional organist and guide, these tours provide access to the floor of the auditorium and an up-close view of this spectacular instrument.
Walking in Wartime
Step back in time to explore Brisbane in the Second World War.
Be transported to the age of jazz music, Yankee soldiers and the infamous Battle of Brisbane in Walking in Wartime, a fully immersive tour that will lead you around the city and into the past.
Starting in the Museum of Brisbane’s City Hall location, uncover the important role the building played during the Second World War, before heading off to uncover locations in the city that reveal compelling stories of wartime experience. Stop at the picturesque Albert Street Uniting Church to hear about Brisbane’s war brides, learn of the tensions between Australian and US troops which caused the infamous ‘Battle of Brisbane’ and uncover the secret stories of the code breakers who helped win the war. Finish your tour in front of the MacArthur Museum, the former headquarters of General MacArthur.
Adult: $25 + booking fee
Concession: $20 + booking fee
MoB Member discount: $5 off
Experiences you can enjoy:
- Family
- History & Heritage