Visiting The Mint with Kids

The Mint – visiting the Australian Mint with kids

We visited The Mint on one of our most recent trips to Canberra as part of a long stay in the capital. We’ve done a lot of Canberra’s more publicised kid friendly activities and decided to try out a few others.

I wouldn’t say that this is the best activity we’ve done in Canberra but it was fun as the kids got to make their own money.

A trip to the Mint shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes including the time to make your own coin. You could include it in a day that you visit Telstra Tower or the Pod Playground so that the kids still get a exercise based activity before heading over to this more museum orientated activity.

TOP TIP: make sure you have $3 on hand, PER CHILD, so that the kids can make their own $1 coin.

We visited The Mint on one of our most recent trips to Canberra as part of a long stay in the capital. It's not the best activity we've done in Canberra but the kids did get to make their own money which has pride of place at home.

The Royal Australian Mint

The Mint is where all the circulating coins are made in Australia. The notes are produced in Melbourne still.

It produces more than 2 million coins everyday.

In addition to coins, the Mint is also responsible for producing medals and medallions, tokens and seals for Australia and overseas. You can see some of these on display which is pretty interesting.

Where is The Mint?

Location and address

The Mint is located on Denison Street in Deakin (ACT), about 10 minutes drive from Canberra city centre.

The actual address is just Dension Street, Deakin act 2600. There is no building number.

If your GPS is not picking it up although it should try one of the following:

  • change the location to the proper full name which is ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT.
  • it is opposite the corner of Denison Street and Strickland Crescent.

You’ll know you’re going the right way if you pass the Mint Oval. You’ll also know that you’ve gone too far when you hit the second oval.

Parking

Free parking is available in our car park, accessible from Denison Street. It is limited to 2 hours but you won’t need more time than that!

Features of The Mint

In recent years, the Mint has undergone some renovations and is now more visitor-friendly.

There are two levels, the ground floor with the coin shop and cafe and then the top level which houses the museum and the factory viewing area.

I was expecting the tour that is offered to be of the factory where the money is produced but unfortunately this was NOT the case. I really should have done my research better but it was a last minute decision to visit.

Most of the space you have access to is divided between the large windows overlooking the factory and a museum dedicated to coins. The most interesting part, if he’s busy working, is Titan. We’ll get to him in just a bit.

The Museum Aspect

Explaining the process

Not only do you get to read about the process but you’ll see the various stages and types of instruments that are needed to bring a coin to life. Then you get to watch what happens in the factory below.

Facts and Figures

You’ll see loads of facts and figures detailed throughout the museum section of the mint. The number of coins produced each year, the other countries whose money is made there and the history of coinage in Australia.

They also answer some of the most popular questions that are asked like “Will you produce a $5 coin?”. I won’t tell you the answer to that, if you’re interested in things like that, you should visit.

There is also a lot of information about convicts and thieves and the involvement of convicts and their role in the creation and development of money in Australia.

We learnt that our surname was one of the most popular convict names.

Art

When we visited there was a piece of art that has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever seen. It was a massive piece 9m long created with dignitaries, athletes and guests during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

If you ever get the chance to go and see Caina Putut, Ilya, Wartanganha you really must!

While I don’t think Caina Putut, Ilya, Wartanganha is at the Mint still, I hope that space will be utilised to show off other national art pieces of importance.

We visited The Mint on one of our most recent trips to Canberra as part of a long stay in the capital. It's not the best activity we've done in Canberra but the kids did get to make their own money which has pride of place at home.
Watching Titan in action at the Royal Australian Mint.

Titan

Titan the Robot is a HUGE attraction at The Mint. He is responsible for helping make the coins. Titan is the strongest robot at the Mint, capable of lifting 1,000 kilograms!

You can watch Titan work, lifting the drums of coin blanks and finished coins.

Watch him carefully because we he’s finished he may just do a dance for you.

If you visit on a day that he’s not working you can use the touch screens to watch a video of him doing his job.

Exhibitions

See some of the most treasured coins from the National Coin Collection on display in the Treasures of the National Coin Collection exhibition.

The exhibit includes a 1930 penny, 1 kilogram gold coin and the famous “kookaburra” pennies. Some of the coins in this exhibition are among the rarest, most valuable and most extraordinary coins in Australia.

Public Tours

There are free public tours on offer every day, 7 days a week. These tours run through the museum and past the viewing windows of the factory. You don’t actually get to go into the factory.

The public tours run for approximately 30 minutes and starts outside the theater.

Tour times

Monday-Friday
10.00am, 11.00am and 2.00pm

Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
11.00am, 1.00pm and 2.00pm

I would still check the free public tour times for the day you are visiting on their website.

We visited The Mint on one of our most recent trips to Canberra as part of a long stay in the capital. It's not the best activity we've done in Canberra but the kids did get to make their own money which has pride of place at home.
Make sure to pick up your copy of “My Visit to The Mint” if you’re visiting with Kids.

Special Highlights for the Kids

“My visit to The Mint”

When you arrive make sure to pick up a copy of the A5 book “My Visit to The Mint”. Inside it has lots of information for the kids about The Mint and activities for the kids to complete. There is also space for the kids to fill out their answers. My kids have saved their books, so sweet.

Things to find include:

  • The Holey Dollar and Dump. These are the earliest coins made in Australia by a convicted forger.
  • Coins stuck in coral from a ship wreck.
  • Olympic Medals.

The last couple of pages of the activity book are puzzles for the kids to complete. There is a “spot the difference”, work search and a maze. Hand it over to the kids and let them complete it while you get a cup of coffee from the cafe.

If your kids complete the booklet and want to check their answers download the solutions sheet from ramint.gov.au/students.

Guessing Games

There are two main guessing games in the big entrance to The Mint.

First up, guess how may dollar coins are in the glistening Coin Dome.

Then move to the stairs and see which of the stairs holds the most 5c coins, make sure you don’t include the coin ‘blanks’.

The colouring in station

When we visited during school holidays there was a colouring in station upstairs. The kids got to design and colour in their own $1 coin colouring in sheets.

Get a photo on top of loads of coins

On the top level, right at the end of the viewing platform there are plastic stacks of coins that the kids can sit on.

We visited The Mint on one of our most recent trips to Canberra as part of a long stay in the capital. It's not the best activity we've done in Canberra but the kids did get to make their own money which has pride of place at home.
My littlest playing on the piles of plastic money.

Making your own coin

The absolute highlight of The Mint for my kids was when they got to make a coin themselves.

It’s not very complex, all it requires is you paying for a token coin ($3) which you then insert into a machine and pull the lever.

You get to follow the coin all along the machine until it pops out ready for you to save.

Yes, I know… paying $3 for a $1 coin. Crazy hey but it is a memento. Actually, its proper currency so you could use it but I think it’s better saved.

Facilities at The Mint

Accessibility

A ramp leads into the building and the main foyer and shop are accessed through automatic doors. The museum and all aspects of it are fully accessible to people in wheelchairs.

There are some wheelchairs on offer but they are limited so please get hold of them if you would like to book one in advance. You can get hold of them at 6202 6900.  

The main access between the ground floor and the first floor is the staircase which houses thousands of 5c coins and blanks. But, it’s not the only way up.

There are lifts directly opposite the entry on the ground floor.

Food and drinks

There is a cafe that serves snacks and drinks but you must eat in the cafe as you’re not allowed eating and drinking in the museum.

The Coin Shop

I spent quite a bit of time wandering around the coin shop, it has coins to commemorate every year dating as far back as the 30s and 40s.

We visited The Mint on one of our most recent trips to Canberra as part of a long stay in the capital. It's not the best activity we've done in Canberra but the kids did get to make their own money which has pride of place at home.
The coin staircase at the Mint.

Tickets and Opening Hours

Tickets

Entry to The Mint is FREE!!

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday
8.30 am to 5 pm


Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays
10 am to 4 pm

The Mint is closed on Christmas Day and Good Friday.

History of the Mint

The Mint was originally located in Melbourne but then a decision was taken to move it to the Capital. For a short period both mints operated concurrently.

His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, opened the Royal Australian Mint on 22 February 1965.

The first task of the Mint was to produce new coins for the introduction of decimal currency on 14 February 1966. Since then it has produced more than fifteen billion circulating coins