Royal Australian Mint
Situated in Deakin, Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, The Royal Australian Mint makes all of Australia’s coins as well as some for international customers.
Parking
The Mint has its own visitor carpark, so parking isn’t an issue. Well sign posted, the building is also easy to find.
What’s There
On entry, you are greeted with a display of $1 coins spilling from a bucket (inside a class box, so no free samples!). If you have any questions, an information booth with a staff member will help.
All of the main displays are on the second level. Climbing the stairs, look at the faces of each step because they are filled with five-cent coins.
At the top, look up to see replica coins hanging from the ceiling.
The coins display takes you through the history of coins in Australia, starting at colonial times, through to the present. The transition to decimal currency is particularly well covered, showing the design process and many of the designs considered before settling on the ones we know.
Walking past the displays, you can view the working area of the mint through large windows. On a work day this area is bustling with activity, but we were there on a weekend so it was quiet. At the far end, you can sit on a stack of giant coins and watch the factory floor.
Gift Shop and Café
Located on the ground floor, the gift shop has everything about coins for sale. If you like to collect or invest in coins, you can buy collections of the current coins in circulation, or a set of gold coins to invest in.
Next to the gift shop The Mint Café sells food and drinks to refuel before or after your visit.
What Did We Think?
We were not sure what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised as to how good it was. The excellent display of coins and the history of decimal currency was very interesting and easy to follow. Visiting on a working day would be better so that you see the factory working.
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I remember visiting the Mint many, many years ago when my parents decided we needed to have a holiday in Canberra to see all the Government stuff. We must have been there on a week day because I remember looking down through the big glass windows onto the factory floor below. i don’t remember the hanging coins though. Looks like there has been a lot of display additions since we were there. Pity there’s no free samples!
We were also surprised how much it had changed. We first saw it in the 1990s when, like you we only saw the factory floor. It’s a huge improvement with the displays.
Tourism is a much bigger thing these days. People expect more and there’s a lot of competition from the fun-oriented tourism, but good for kids to know where Mum and Dad’s money really comes from.
You are right about the competition. It’s great as a tourist, you get to see some amazing things.
How interesting. This would be a fun stop on a road trip. I don’t know if any of the US Mints have tours or museum type displays, but you’ve inspired me to check it out.
Pleased that we inspired you! It was a really interesting visit. Hope you find a US mint that opens to the public.
What an interesting spot! Those stairs with the coins in the front are really cool !
I love it when somewhere does something just a little different to make it a bit more interesting to visit.