Australian Museum

The Australian Museum is Australia's oldest museum, located at 1 William Street in central Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1827, it is renowned for its extensive natural history and cultural collections, including First Nations and Pacific cultural artefacts, palaeontology, mineralogy, zoology and anthropology. Its heritage-listed buildings house permanent and temporary exhibitions opposite Hyde Park.

Visitors can explore multiple floors of galleries in heritage and modern buildings opposite Hyde Park. Expect natural history displays including dinosaurs and fossils, minerals and crystals, Australian wildlife in the Wild Planet gallery, and dedicated First Nations galleries such as Garrigarrang and Bayala Nura. The museum offers permanent collections, temporary exhibitions, interactive displays, a museum shop and cafe, with self-guided exploration and guided tours available.

Founded in 1827 by order of Colonial Secretary Earl Bathurst as the Colonial Museum, the Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia. Initially housed in temporary premises, it moved to its current College Street site with the first purpose-built Lewis Wing constructed from 1846. The museum has played a central role in scientific research, natural history documentation and anthropological collecting in Australia and the Pacific.

The museum holds nationally significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections and extensive Pacific cultural collections, supporting research, education and cultural understanding. Its First Nations galleries and programs developed with Indigenous communities present living cultures, histories and knowledge systems of Australia and the Pacific region.