Sydney Australia Sydney Australia


Sydney Museums

See the museums in Sydney on the Map: Map of Inner Sydney Australia - for attractions go here: All Sydney Attractions.

More NSW Museums go here:

NSW Museums

 

Name Museum Extra Info Address

Arms of Australia Museum

Early history of Sydney with displays, photos and artefacts.

Link - Arms of Australia Museum

Phone 02 4735 4394

Gardenia Ave
Emu Plains

NSW
2750

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Sydney’s premier art collection of Australian, European, Asian, contemporary, photographic and tribal art. A fine art museum and exhibition space holding regular art and culture events, displaying famous Australian and international artist’s artwork. Excellent Aboriginal Art Display.

Link - Art Gallery of New South Wales

 

Art Gallery Road, The Domain.
Central

NSW
2000

Australian National Maritime Museum

Situated in Darling Harbour, at the western end of Pyrmont Bridge, this museum highlights the fascination and affinity Australians have with the sea. There is also a large floating collection of craft, from a destroyer to a 1888 racing cutter. Prime resource for historic vessels, migrant ships, family history, genealogy, maritime research, arts and culture, seamanship and much more.

Link - Australian National Maritime Museum

West end of Pyrmont Bridge, Phone 9552 7777

2 Murray St.
Darling Harbour

NSW
2000

 

Name Attraction Extra Info Address

Brett Whiteley Studio Museum

Brett Whiteley Studio

Link - Brett Whiteley Studio Museum

 

2 Raper St.
Surry Hills

NSW
2010

Discovery Centre

Eight Days That Changed the World, an extensive display that shows the meeting between local Aboriginal Culture and the crew of the Endeavour, led by Captain Cook in 1770. There is also info on the delicate wetlands and coastal areas of this region, inhabited by the wildlife that was originally studied by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, scientists who accompanied James Cook on his historic journey to chart the east coast of Australia and the South Pacific.

Link - Discovery Centre

Ph 02 9542 0649

Kurnell

NSW
2231

Elizabeth Bay Farm

Elizabeth Farm was commenced in 1793 and contains part of the oldest surviving European building in Australia.

Link - Elizabeth Bay Farm

 

70 Alice St
Rosehill

NSW
2142

Elizabeth Bay House

Built between 1835 and 1839, Elizabeth Bay House was described as the finest house in the colony.

Link - Elizabeth Bay House

 

7 Onslow Ave
Elizabeth Bay

NSW
2011

Government House

Government House was constructed between 1837-1845. It is the most sophisticated example of a Gothic Revival building in New South Wales.

Link - Government House

 

Macquarie St., Botanic Gardens
Central

NSW
2000

Hyde Park Barracks

Hyde Park Barracks, designed by Francis Greenway, was a home to convicts and place of punishment until 1848.

Link - Hyde Park Barracks

 

Queens Square - Macquarie St.
Central

NSW
2000

La Perouse Museum

Near the site where Captain Cook first landed at Botany Bay in Jan 1788 and a day later the French explorer Comte de Laperouse arrived. There are exhibitions and artefacts on Australian history. You can take tours of Bare Island Fort, a defense complex set up to protect Botany Bay from sea incursions.

Link - La Perouse Museum

Phone 9311 3379. Open Wed to Sunday 10am to 4pm, except Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Cable Station, Anzac Parade
La Perouse

NSW
2036

MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art

Located in the Rocks, this museum offers work by contemporary Australian artists from television, film, video, laser, paintings, sculpture and other forms of visual expression. Great cafe and gift shop.

Link - MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art

Phone 02 9241 5892 Open 11am-6pm daily. Guided tours 12pm, 1pm and 2pm daily. Bookings Phone 061 2 9252-4033.

Circular Quay West
The Rocks

NSW
2000

Meroogal

Meroogal, in the South coast town of Nowra, was built in 1885-1886. This delightful timber house, with its "gothic" trimmings, is a charming testament to early days and early ways. By guided tour only. Tours depart on the hour.

Link - Meroogal

 

Cnr West & Worrigee Streets
Nowra

NSW
2541

Reserve Bank of Australia Museum

The Museum of Australian Currency Notes has exhibits and displays of the currency notes that have celebrated and made their mark on the history of the country. They include notes from the beginning of the Australian colonial history all the way through to today’s advanced polymer ones. No free samples but an interesting take of this nation’s story.

Link - Reserve Bank of Australia Museum

10.00 am and 4.00 pm Monday to Friday except Public Holidays and NSW Bank Holidays. Phone +61 2 4731 3000

Reserve Bank of Australia, Ground Floor at 65 Martin Place
Sydney (City Centre)

NSW
2000

Museum of Fire

Fire is dangerous yet essential to our lives. Explore the fascinating history of fire fighting and the modern impact of fire in the home and the environment. They even have a Junior Firefighters Training Area for the Kids!

Link - Museum of Fire

Open from 9.30am to 4.30pm seven days a week. Phone +61 2 4731 3000.

Off Castlereagh Rd.Penrith
Penrith

NSW
2750

Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest

Formerly the home of sculptor Gerald Lewers and his wife Margo, an abstract painter. The existing circa 1901 farmhouse, its property and art collection were bequeathed to Penrith City in 1978.

Link - Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest

 

86 River Road
Emu Plains

NSW
2750

Quarantine Station

The Quarantine Station was built in 1832 to help prevent the spread of epidemics. Besides the historical buildings, there were some very beautiful rock engravings created by some of the early residents of the facility - and a lonely graveyard for those fortunate as to survive the long sea journey only to die from sickness here.

Link - Quarantine Station

Bookings are essential. Tours depart from the entrance of the Quarantine Station on Mondays Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends at 1.15pm.

North Head Scenic Drive
Manly

NSW
2095

Rose Seidler House

Rose Seidler House, built between 1948 and 1950, is one of the most uncompromising modernist houses in Australia.

Link - Rose Seidler House

 

71 Clissold Road
Wahroonga

NSW
2076

Rouse Hill

Rouse Hill was established by Richard and Elizabeth Rouse in 1813 and has been in use by six generations of the one family. Guided tours only. Bookings essential.

Link - Rouse Hill

 

Guntawong Road, off Windsor Road
Rouse Hill

NSW
2155

Susannah Place Museum

Built in 1844, Susannah Place Museum is a row of four terraces that incorporates a turn-of-the-century corner store. Rare in the city of Sydney, it has a continuous history of domestic occupancy by working class families.

Link - Susannah Place Museum

 

58-64 Gloucester Sreet
The Rocks

NSW
2000

Sydney Heritage Fleet

Australia’s largest collection of operating heritage ships and boats. The Sydney Heritage Fleet’s mission is to acquire, conserve, restore and operate heritage vessels and artifacts with a significant maritime background.

Link - Sydney Heritage Fleet

You can also cruise on Sydney Harbour on one of their historic steamers, or sail on board the square rigged tall ship James Craig out on the open ocean.

6 Mansfield St.
Rozelle

NSW
2039

Sydney Observatory

Historic Sydney Observatory is a museum about astronomy and its history. Our regular program of exhibitions, films, talks and night viewings gives you a glimpse of the history of astronomy and its history. Complete with state of the art 16 inch Telescope and a Planetarium.

Link - Sydney Observatory

Phone 02 9217 0485

Watson Road, Observatory Hill
The Rocks

NSW
2000

Sydney Tramway Museum

Shoot through on a Bondi tram! or Take the tram with PARKLINK to the Royal National Park! Australia’s oldest tramway museum (founded in 1950) and the largest in the southern hemisphere.

Link - Sydney Tramway Museum

Phone 02 9542 3646

Royal National Park
Loftus.

NSW
2232

The Australian Museum

The Australian Museum is rated as one of the six best natural history museums in the world. Experience the exhibitions covering Aboriginal Australia, rituals of the human life cycle, mammals and a host of curious and interesting items. The Museum was established in 1827 and is Australia’s first museum, with unique and extensive collections of natural science and cultural artefacts.

Link - The Australian Museum

Phone 02 9320 6000

6 College St.
Central

NSW
2000

The Justice and Police Museum

The Justice & Police Museum features a Magistrates Court, a recreated police charge room and remand cells, a gallery of mug shots of Sydney’s early criminals and an array of spine chilling weapons.

Link - The Justice and Police Museum

 

Cnr. Albert & Phillip Sts.
Sydney

NSW
2000

The Mint

The Mint, constructed between 1811-1816 as the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital, is one of the oldest extant buildings in central Sydney. A Mint was established there in 1854.

Link - The Mint

 

Queens Square - Macquarie St.
Central

NSW
2000

The Museum of Sydney

The Museum of Sydney is an imaginative museum offering the visitor a journey of discovery and wonder through Sydney 1788 and beyond.

Link - The Museum of Sydney

 

Corner Bridge and Phillips Streets, Sydney.
Central

NSW
2000

The Powerhouse Museum

The Powerhouse Museum is Sydney’s largest and most popular museum. Home to Australian culture and history, the Powerhouse is the perfect place to get a comprehensive insight into this rich and diverse country. Visit the Museum to find out about all things Australian - explore how Australians live, work and entertain themselves, find out about Australia’s notable record in research and innovation and discover the contemporary voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. The Powerhouse Museum is a modern, vibrant organisation with over 25 exhibitions on at any one time exploring an amazing array of phenomena to excite visitors from all over the world. More than 250 interactives bring the Powerhouse Museum to life for thousands of people each year.

Touch screen computers, audio phones, science experiments and hands-on fun are guaranteed to delight children and adults alike. An ever-changing program of temporary displays complements a range of permanent exhibitions, and regular demonstrations, performances, workshops and other special events are presented throughout the Museum.

The Museum is ideally situated in Darling Harbour, Sydney’s prestige waterfront location, and is close to the CBD and many other fantastic Sydney attractions. Easily accessible via the Metro Monorail, one of only a few above ground rail systems in the world that operates through the heart of a major city, the Museum also provides several language guides to ensure maximum enjoyment for all.

Whether its vegemite, Holden cars, didgeridoos or traditional bush kitchens you’re interested in, the Powerhouse Museum is a must-see for all international visitors.

Link - The Powerhouse Museum

Powerhouse Parramatta - Under Construction

Powerhouse Ultimo - Being Renovated

Powerhouse Castle Hill - Open Weekends 10am to 4pm

Sydney Observatory - Open Wednesday to Saturday

Phone 02 9217 0341

500 Harris St.
Darling Harbour (Ultimo)

NSW
2007

The Sydney Jewish Museum

The Sydney Jewish Museum provides visitors with experiences and understanding of the events of the Holocaust by allowing them to meet, in a dignified and moving environment, those who were involved. The museum also deals with Jewish life from the first days of European settlement in Australia.

Link - The Sydney Jewish Museum

Phone 02 9360 7999 Open Mon to Thurs 10am - 4pm Fri 10am - 2pm Sun 11am - 5pm.

Darlinghurst and Burton St.
Darlinghurst

NSW
2010

Valley Heights Rail Museum

Heritage Locomotives

 

Tusculum Rd
Valley Heights

NSW
2777

Link - Valley Heights Rail Museum

Vaucluse House

Vaucluse House survives as one of Sydney’s only 19th century harbourside estates with house, kitchen wing, stables and outbuildings and is still surrounded by 12 hectares of formal gardens and grounds. Perfect for picnics.

Link - Vaucluse House

 

Wentworth Road
Vaucluse

NSW
2030

 

Attractions in NSW

Next - Darling Harbour Attractions