PLUS MELBOURNE MUSEUM TO PRESENT SPECIAL TUTANKHAMUN SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES  

23 September, 2011: As the September school holidays approach, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs has reached another significant milestone – 650,000 ticket sales.

Premier Ted Baillieu welcomed the announcement that the exhibition has sold 650,000 tickets. 

“This exhibition continues to deliver record-breaking attendances and will be Australia’s biggest cultural event in 2011, if not the biggest major event this year,” Mr Baillieu said. 

“The success of this wonderful exhibition – which has been extended until December 4 – shows that Melbourne is the best place in Australia to stage big exhibitions like this. I look forward to many more people from across Victoria and interstate coming to Melbourne Museum to see this once in a lifetime exhibition”, Mr Baillieu said.  

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs had previously set a record when it opened to the public on

8 April with 150,000 tickets pre-sold. Four months into its run, the exhibition exceeded attendance figures for all Australian exhibitions that have come before it by reaching 500,000 visitors. Due to popular demand, the exhibition has extended its season until 4 December, 2011 when it must leave the country.

Over the September/October school holidays, Melbourne Museum will provide a number of free Tutankhamun activities to complement the exhibition including:

• Mysteries of the Nile – an activity room themed with Ancient Egyptian décor where children can dress up in Ancient Egyptian costumes, participate in ‘make and take’ craft as well as quietly read or play board games.
• Unwrapping the Mummy – a 20-minute presentation on how mummies are preserved the history behind mummification.
• Treasures from the Tomb – children can ‘make and take’ their own archaeological notebooks, drawing inspiration from Howard Carter’s original notebook as an example. Children will be shown how to take notes, draw tomb diagrams and make rubbings of cartouches, as well as solve puzzles.

The activities run daily from 11am to 3pm, and no bookings are required.  “The response from children of all ages has been overwhelming, and the exhibition is the perfect school holiday activity for the family. We strongly recommend that people pre-book their tickets to guarantee the session they want,” said Stephen Flint Wood, Managing Director of IMG Arts & Entertainment.

650,000 ticket sales ranks the exhibition higher than Melbourne Museum’s A Day in Pompeii in 2009 which attracted 332,679 people and Titanic the Artefact exhibition in 2010 which reached 480,879 in its six-month run. Interstate the highest attended exhibition had been the National Gallery of Australia’s Masterpieces from Paris, which recorded attendances of 476,000.

“For Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs to have reached this milestone is outstanding” said Dr J Patrick Greene, CEO, Museum Victoria. “Following on from the success of A Day in Pompeii in 2009 and Titantic: The Artefact Exhibition in 2010, these three exhibitions have, between them, been seen by well over 1.5 million people. The success of these touring exhibitions exemplifies Melbourne Museum’s proven record of providing exhibitions of the highest international standards to visitors from Victoria and all over Australia.”

This is the first visit of King Tutankhamun’s treasures to Australia, and Melbourne is the exhibition’s one and only stop on the continent. Advanced booking is recommended to guarantee desired date and time. More information about visiting hours and tickets can be found at kingtutmelbourne.com.au.

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is a National Geographic exhibition that explores the figures who guided ancient Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. The exhibition focuses on the 18th Dynasty, a 250-year period when Egypt was at the height of its power and the “Golden Age” of Egyptian artistry. This was the era when Tutankhamun and his ancestors reigned. 

The exhibition is organised by the National Geographic Society, Arts and Exhibitions International and IMG, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Australian visit is made possible by a partnership with the Victorian Government, Victorian Major Events Company and Melbourne Museum.

BOOKINGS: 

kingtutmelbourne.com.au or telephone Ticketek 132 849

For Official VIP, Dining, Corporate Hospitality & Travel Packages visit showbiz.com.au/kingtut or call 1800 KING TUT

More information is available at kingtutmelbourne.com.au

PRICES:

Adults from $29.50

Children from $17.50

Concessions from $26.50

Family 4 Pack (2 adults & 2 children) from $80.00