National Communication Museum facts for kids
The National Communication Museum (or NCM) is Australia's special place for exploring how we communicate. It shows off amazing technologies from the past and present. You can find it in Melbourne, in a suburb called Hawthorn. It's right next to Swinburne University of Technology. The museum is inside a cool old telephone exchange building from 1939. It first opened its doors in September 2024. This museum stands on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people.
Contents
Discover the National Communication Museum
The Museum's Beginnings
The idea for the National Communication Museum started with some important help. Telstra gave the museum its first funding. This money allowed them to collect many special communication items. These items are very important to Australian history and culture. The museum wants to show how people and technology connect. It also encourages visitors to think about what communication might look like in the future!
The NCM took the place of the Victorian Telecommunications Museum. This means it continues a long tradition of sharing communication stories.
What You Can Explore at the Museum
The museum has many exciting things to see and do. One popular spot is the fully interactive cyber cafe. It feels just like the 1990s! Here, you can "surf the web" like people did back then. You can also play classic retro games. And yes, you can even try chatting on MSN Messenger! It's a fun way to experience older internet technology.
Gallery
-
The front reception area at the NCM, 2025
-
The cyber cafe (internet cafe) at the NCM, 2025
-
Electromechanical Speaking Clock Mark 2 at the NCM, 2025
-
The Assman Speaking Clock at the NCM, 2025
-
Commodore PET 2001 at the NCM, 2025
-
Garfield phone on display at the NCM, 2025
_at_the_National_Communication_Museum_03.jpg)
