Victoria Police Museum facts for kids
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| Location | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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| Type | Police museum |
| Key holdings | Armour of the Kelly gang |
| Owner | Victoria Police |
The Victoria Police Museum is a special place where you can learn about the history of policing in Victoria, Australia. It's run by the Historical Services Unit of Victoria Police. The museum recently got a big upgrade! It reopened its doors to visitors on September 25, 2023. This happened after three years of building and developing new exhibits.
Discovering Police History
The museum has many interesting items from over 150 years of police work. You can see things related to famous historical events and important cases. These exhibits help tell the story of how law enforcement has changed over time.
Key Exhibits and Collections
The museum's collection includes many unique artifacts. For example, there is evidence used in the case of the Hoddle Street massacre. You can also see parts of the wreckage from the Russell Street bombing, which affected police headquarters. These items show the challenges police have faced.
The Kelly Gang Armour Collection
One of the most famous collections at the museum is about the Armour of the Kelly gang. This gang was a group of bushrangers led by Ned Kelly. The museum used to have the backplate of Ned Kelly's armour. In 2002, they gave it to the State Library of Victoria. This helped complete a full set of Ned Kelly's armour. Other pieces came from Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks.
The Victoria Police Museum has Australia's largest collection of Kelly Gang armour. This includes the full sets of armour worn by other gang members. You can see the armour of Dan Kelly and Steve Hart. Historians have also helped identify which pieces belonged to which gang member. This makes the collection even more accurate and interesting.
