A brand-new exhibition that has been in the making for 66 million years has made its way to Melbourne Museum.
Yes, you read that correctly, 66 million years. What could possibly take that long? Meet Victoria, one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils in the world. Victoria is also the first real T-Rex fossil to even be shown in the state of Victoria.
Opening on the 28th of June, this special exhibition space on the lower level of the Melbourne Museum, takes you on a journey of discovery. Combining new immersive technologies with a fantastic light and soundscape, along with the most recent palaeontological findings, you can discover more about the famed T-Rex than ever before.
Proudly on display as you enter the exhibition is the T-Rex skull in a glass cabinet in the middle of the space, allowing you to walk around the impressive fossil and giving you the opportunity to examine it from whatever angle you wish. Alongside the skull is an incomplete fossil of Victoria’s femur, complete with captions around the base of the enclosure explaining what happens when a fossil is formed and why portions of a bone may end up missing during the fossilisation process.
There are plenty of interactive displays throughout the space, including a sound booth that allows you to compare the different sounds animals make in comparison to what the T-Rex may have sounded like. There is also a ‘build-your-own’ digital T-Rex experience that gives you the options to pick its skin colour, and even the types of feathers it might have. Yes, you read that correctly, feathers! Once you have made your selections, the T-Rex you have chosen will appear on a screen behind you as it walks through a digital prehistoric landscape.
Towards the end of the interactive space is a large circular platform with a digital projection displayed upon it. It shows a volcano in the middle that is bubbling away with lava, and surrounding it are different types of habitats and other dinosaurs. Here, we learn how the T-Rex might have hunted prey. A combination of narrated audio and the projected display makes for a fun and exciting learning experience.
Before I knew it, I was heading into the final part of the exhibition, the incredible full-sized fossil of the T-Rex named Victoria. I was completely blown away by the sheer size of the fossil, audibly gasping “Wow!” as I entered the final area. The fossil is laid out in what I can best describe as a running position. I can only imagine how massive it would look if they had positioned it in an upright standing position. I circled around the massive fossil for ages, in complete awe of its beauty. There are even interactive screens around the fossil that provide you with information on various parts of Victoria’s skeletal structure. Victoria really is a thing of beauty. I could have stayed in that final space for ages, just staring up at its enormousness.
Of course, an exhibition wouldn’t be complete without a Gift Shop. Although admittedly, I was disappointed to find that there wasn’t much on offer that was dedicated to Victoria herself. Alas, I left with a magnet with a T-Rex and Triceratops on it. Having preciously seen the permanent Triceratops fossil, Horridus, also at Melbourne Museum, it was a nice way to remember my trip to the exhibition.
Victoria the T. Rex is an experience I will never forget. I absolutely love anything to do with Dinosaurs and this exhibition, whilst short, was well worth the visit. With only a month left until Victoria packs her bags, there is not much time left to visit her.
Victoria the T. Rex will be at Melbourne Museum until October 20th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://museumsvictoria.com.au
https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/victoria-the-t-rex
https://museumsvictoria.com.au/media-releases/a-real-t-rex-is-coming-to-australia