Australian Museum

Founded in 1827, the Australian Museum is the country's oldest natural history museum. Its sandstone building on the corner of College and William Streets faces Hyde Park, with the main public galleries opened in the 1850s. A major renovation completed in 2020 created new entrance spaces and galleries, and general entry has been free since then.

The museum's collections cover zoology, mineralogy, palaeontology and anthropology, and its galleries are arranged so you can dip in and out. Highlights include the displays of Australian animals, the mineral collection, dinosaur and fossil exhibits, and the 200 Treasures gallery, which tells stories of people and objects that shaped Australia. First Nations cultures are a strong focus, with galleries presenting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects, knowledge and voices.

The museum's scientific work continues behind the galleries. Its researchers study Australian wildlife and run long-term field projects, including the Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef, operated since 1973, and the FrogID citizen science project, launched in 2017, which invites the public to record frog calls on their phones.

The museum also runs major touring exhibitions, which are ticketed separately, and a programme of talks and events. Families with younger children will find dedicated learning spaces, and the café is a convenient place for a break. It opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00 and closes on Christmas Day; the learning space and café close a little earlier.

Allow two to three hours for a good look at the permanent galleries, longer if you add a special exhibition. The museum suits families particularly well, but the anthropology and mineral collections hold the interest of adults too. Weekday afternoons outside school holidays tend to be quieter than mornings, when school groups often visit.

The museum is a short walk from Museum and St James stations and sits across the road from Hyde Park, so it combines easily with the Archibald Fountain, St Mary's Cathedral and Hyde Park Barracks, all within ten minutes on foot. Oxford Street and the cafés of Darlinghurst are just to the east if you want lunch afterwards. If you have more time, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is around fifteen minutes' walk away through The Domain, making it easy to pair the two free museums in one day.