National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
4.5
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Welcome to the National Library of Australia – the home of Australian stories. Whether you are a culture lover looking to visit an exhibition, a researcher uncovering new knowledge from our 10-million-items-and-counting collection, or you need a gift from the Bookshop, plan your visit today. Our exhibition galleries and Bookshop are open from 9am to 5pm every day (except Christmas Day and Good Friday). Our Main Reading Room and Special Collections Reading Room are open from 10am – 8pm Monday to Thursday and 10am – 5pm Friday and Saturday. The Main Reading Room is open on Sunday from 1:30pm–5pm. Check out the National Library website for our opening hours, to plan your visit and to find out more information about what’s on.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
705 reviews
Excellent
404
Very good
236
Average
47
Poor
12
Terrible
6
Lori L
6 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
Tried 2 days in a row, on a weekend, which happened to be a long weekend hosting the Enlighten Festival to have a drink at the cafe on the balcony, overlooking the lake. Both days we were told balcony would be closed within the next 15-20 minutes of arriving (even though we arrived at different times of the early afternoon). And both days they had run out of Cider. Very, very disappointed in organisation, accommodation and sympathy shown by the staff.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wayne C
Sydney, Australia61 contributions
Oct 2020
There are two exhibitions at the NLA at the moment: Ellis Rowan's Birds of Paradise & Built Australia. Ellis Rowan was one of the best bird & plant painters ever. It was a treat to see so many paintings & learn a bit more about her. Built Australia is a beautifully curated group of prints, paintings & photographs showing a great variety of Australian buildings. There could have been ten times more items on display so I'm hoping for further exhibitions on this subject.
Written November 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marty ..
Ballina, Australia3,331 contributions
Sept 2022 • Solo
I discovered .. even thou you are able to read the books / magazines , within the mega building of the National Library Australia .. you aren’t allowed to take any of the books / magazines out of the library building
Also within the NLA .. is a cafe & art galleries
Also within the NLA .. is a cafe & art galleries
Written September 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dumby The Donkey
Dangar Island, Australia10 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
On our last day in Canberra, my family was looking for something to do, and we decided on the National Library after seeing the huge building from the car. As we walked in, we were immediately drawn to the beautiful stained glass patterns in the windows, and the little cafe in the corner. First, we went and had a look at the gallery, which housed many interesting artefacts like Ben Hall's revolver and a few maps and articles about Eddie Mabo, to include just a few. The cafe staff were very friendly, and the food was great, too. The library seems like a great place to meet up with friends for an hour or two to catch up with each other, or a good place to go if you have work you want to finish with a coffee by your side.
Written July 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,603 contributions
Apr 2022
The National Library of Australia (NLA) is a reference library . It is located on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. It's east to see this distinctive building, built in monumental style. The NLA has the world's greatest material on Australia, dating back to the Great Southern Land. It also curates Trove, an online research tool that covers a multitude of Australian information sources. Trove is an invaluable tool for scholars and researchers.
Written April 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris B
Penrith, Australia201 contributions
Jan 2023
A massive building housing many different spaces. Displays, reading rooms, books and books and books. Lovely stained glass windows. Free entry and heaps of parking.
Written January 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barb W
6 contributions
Sept 2022
Great exhibition taken from the Library's own collections - showed aspects such as nature/environment, buildings, events through the past 50 years. Really great insight into Australian history. The Bookplate Cafe is also worth a visit!
Written October 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate L
Sydney, Australia121 contributions
Oct 2018 • Family
Go for the building, the great Bookplate cafe and the incredible Leonard French stained glass windows. The Captain Cook exhibition whilst showcasing some amazing artefacts was dreary and unengaging. The lighting was awful so when looking closely at books and things you cast big shadows over them making them harder to read. The exhibition lacked a context for most of the items on display and totally failed to register any excitement or inspiration from these incredible journeys.
Written October 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rldot1
Canberra, Australia71 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
I have been to the National Library many times, both to eat at the excellent Bookplate cafe and to see visiting exhibitions. The permanent Treasures exhibition is a highlight in itself and well worth the time. However, it was a small exhibition I went to two weeks ago that took my breath away. The most expensive manuscript ever sold at auction (15.5 million dollars) was on display. The Rothschild Book of Prayers is a simply magnificent illuminated prayer book. The detail in the illustrations is so fine that it is almost unbelievable. The highlight however was being able to go upstairs to the Reading Room, don a pair of gloves and for 10 minutes leaf through a faithfully reproduced facsimile copy. I almost could not breathe. The illustrations were reproduced in such high quality colour copies that you could see the finest lines. They were printed on paper that had the weight and feel of vellum. Whatever your religious beliefs, this was a surreal and dare I say it, life impacting experience. I have seen many special things in many museums around the world but I left with a feeling I've never experienced before. It was amazing!
Written July 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiziana D
Wanniassa, Australia40 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
The library is a beautiful building to visit with an exhibition gallery, gift shop and fabulous restaurant which offers indoor and outdoor eating with the most fantastic view of Lake Burley Griffin. You will not be disappointed with the selection of wines and deliciously healthy food.
Written November 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I need a brief summary of how excellent and fabulous the national library actually is (and it is fabulous.)
Written September 8, 2018
Hey sorry - i don;'t always check these messges so it's a bit late now.
I can't give you a fuller response other than it's a terrific space all in all. It was fabulous for me on the day I went (which was some time ago) because it was easy to access, wasn't crowded, was free to get it and had a really great visiting exhibition.
Hipe this is helpful
Written January 6, 2019
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