The National Gallery of Victoria's impressive Fed Sq offshoot was set up to showcase its extraordinary collection of Australian works. Set over three levels, it's a mix of permanent (free) and temporary (ticketed) exhibitions, comprising paintings, decorative arts, photography, prints, sculpture and fashion. Free 50-minute tours are conducted daily at 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm.
Indigenous art is prominently featured and there are permanent displays of colonial paintings and the work of Melbourne's own Heidelberg School, most notably Tom Roberts' famous Shearing the Rams (1890) and Frederick McCubbin's monumental triptych The Pioneer (1904). The modernist ‘Angry Penguins’ are also well represented: the gallery houses the work of Sir Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester and Albert Tucker. Other prominent artists whose work is displayed include Grace Cossington Smith, Russell Drysdale, James Gleeson, John Brack, Jeffrey Smart, Fred Williams and Brett Whiteley.