About MAC Museum
Matthew's Apple Computer Museum is a physical space in Somerville, Victoria, dedicated to displaying and preserving products from and related to Apple.
The museum
Matthew’s Apple Computer Museum – MAC Museum – is a physical space dedicated to the display and preservation of products from and related to Apple.
It is located in the antiquing district of the Mornington Peninsula in Somerville, Victoria, Australia, which is about 40 mins south of Melbourne CBD.
MAC Museum primarily displays Matthew's own collection, but also features some items generously provided by other collectors.
Timeline
Matthew is introduced to his Dad's Macintosh SE/30 at age four.
Old Apple gear is collected from local schools after class.
A work-experience placement turns into a teenage job with Macs.
A cheap Gumtree Mac SE restarts collecting and restoring.
A vintage meet-up sparks the idea for easier public access.
The Somerville premises opens after setup through late 2024.
About Matthew
The beginning
Hi there, I’m Matthew. I’ve been a long-time Apple guy since my Dad introduced me to his Macintosh SE/30 in 1990 when I was four years old.
Since then, I’ve been extremely fascinated in computers generally, but most particularly Apple computers. I grew up in a Mac household, and started working at a local AppleCentre when I was 15 after being offered a job following a work-experience stint.
Early collecting
As a teenager I would call up local schools to see what old Apple stuff they wanted to clear out, and then Mum would drive me around after school to pick things up. This started the first chapter of my interest in collecting, repairing and restoring.
Unfortunately, most of this was stuff was moved on in the mid-late noughties as I grew up, moved out, and started a family of my own.
Late 2018
In late 2018 – now 33 years old – I had this growing desire to pick up this hobby again, but it was now fuelled by something else… nostalgia.
I found a cheap Mac SE listed on Gumtree in a neighbouring suburb, and this kicked off the hobby once again. I thought it’d be great to have a couple of machines to play around with, explore some old games, and to show the kids what was around back when I was growing up.
Early 2020
In early 2020 I visited a vintage computing meet up with my Dad and my 12 year old son. I thought it was really cool for Dad to see the computers he introduced to me, and now I could introduce them to my son.
I had previously focused on computers I had myself growing up, but seeing stuff I had never really played with before – I missed the Apple II series era growing up, and an Apple ///, I never thought I’d ever see one of those – this really kicked off my interest to explore Apple’s history in more detail.
I had some unsuccessful attempts to visit some other people’s collections, and then I thought, “Surely I’m not the only person that would like easy access to view and experience this stuff?” And with that, the idea for MAC Museum was born.
2024-2025
I continued building my collection while the premises selected for MAC Museum was being constructed. Initially an estimated completion date of Dec 2021 was advised… this ended up stretching out until March 2024.
The last half of 2024 was spent establishing the MAC Museum premises, and MAC Museum finally opened in January 2025.
Why it matters
MAC Museum is not just about storing old computers. It is about preserving the experience around them: the design, the software, the peripherals, the magazines, the repair work, and the feeling of sitting down at a working machine.
The collection gives visitors a way to explore Apple history beyond screenshots and product photos, with hardware that can be inspected, discussed, and often used.
Computers, monitors, software, accessories, books, and magazines.
Visit
MAC Museum is open on advertised dates in Somerville, Victoria.
