February 2024
Hyde Park Barracks compound
Friday 16 February
Join us for an exclusive tour of a special collection and an extraordinary place
Come behind the scenes with curator Michael Lech to discover the Caroline Simpson Library collection storeroom, located in the former judges’ common room in the Hyde Park Barracks compound, followed by an immersive expert guided tour of the Hyde Park Barracks, one of 11 World Heritage listed convict sites. This bespoke tour will focus on the evidence provided by the heritage fabric of the building, the archaeological investigations of the site, and some of its fascinating 20th-century history.
March 2024
State Archives Collection, Kingswood
Thursday 14 March
Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of our conservation lab and digitisation studio to learn about the processes involved in conserving and digitising our historical State Archives Collection
The State Archives Collection documents the daily work of the NSW Government and its agencies, from 1788 to today. With more than 14 million items, it is the largest collection of records relating to the history of NSW, its environment and the lives of its people.
Our work ensures these records are accessible and available for generations to come. On the tour, you will see our skilled conservators repairing plans, volumes and glass-plate negatives in the conservation lab and our expert technicians at work in the digitisation studio.
Read more about our behind-the-scenes tour
April 2024
Caroline Simpson Library
Friday 19 April
Join us for a bespoke viewing of the Caroline Simpson Collection followed by morning tea
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Caroline Simpson Library, which was established through an extraordinary cultural gift donated by the children of Caroline Simpson OAM (1930-2003). The endowment included furniture, artworks, books and decorative arts from their mother’s collection. A keen collector, Caroline had a passion for colonial history and heritage and an eye for rare and significant material.
This bespoke viewing of rare pictorial material held in the Caroline Simpson Collection relates to the incredible voyage of Rose de Freycinet (1794-1832), the first woman to write an account of a global circumnavigation (1817-1820).
May 2024
Concert at Vaucluse House (Donors only)
Sunday 26 May
Bespoke musical concert, featuring Anna Fraser and Neal Peres Da Costa
In this afternoon performance, musical treasures from the collections of Museums of History NSW will be revealed. Rarities from the domestic musical soundscape of the first half of the 19 century will be presented by Anna Fraser (soprano) and Neal Peres Da Costa (historical piano).
In the elegant drawing room at Vaucluse House, guests will be immersed within the world of the Wentworths and their contemporaries as our performers delight us with their interpretation of a range of musical remnants, many of which are held only at MHNW.
Read more about our musical concert
July 2024
Museum of Sydney
Thursday 25 July
Bespoke curator talk, Coomaditchie: The Art of Place, followed by morning tea
Experience community life by the ocean through the works of First Nations artists in Coomaditchie: The Art of Place at the Museum of Sydney. This exhibition celebrates the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation in 1993. The corporation provides support and services to the broader community and to the people of the Commaditchie settlement, located at Coomaditchie Lagoon in the city of Wollongong, the centre of the Illawarra region of NSW.
The loving and lyrical artworks featured in the exhibition, which include paintings, ceramics and screen-prints, speak of life in and around the settlement of Coomaditchie, its history, ecology and local Dreaming stories. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the political, social and artistic activities of a very special place.
September 2024
Elizabeth Bay House
Friday 20 September
Bespoke viewing Macleay Family Library
Join, Dr Jude Philp, Senior Curator of the Macleay Collections at The University of Sydney, to learn about Alexander Macleay’s insect collection and its significance in England and Australia. Dr Philp will explore the collection Macleay brought to Australia in 1826 and discuss how Macleay used his library to inform his work in natural history.
Dr Matthew Stephens, Research Librarian, Museums of History NSW, will share the journey to recover ‘Macleay’s ‘lost library’, which was known as Australia’s finest and most substantial natural history library when put up for auction in 1845.
The presentation will include rare access to insect specimens and books once belonging to the Macleay family.
November 2024
Caroline Simpson Library
Friday 22 November
Join us for a special viewing of Australia’s largest collection of historical wallpaper at the Caroline Simpson Library.
Explore the colours, patterns and textures of wallpaper from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries and gain unique insights into how Australians have decorated their homes. These wallpapers illuminate our collective past, reflecting tastes and trends in furnishings and interior décor, as well as helping to interpret the visual world of the past.
Learn about the recent donation to MHNSW of more than 3,000 wallpaper samples from the private collection of architects John and Phyllis Murphy. This remarkable range includes unused rolls, sample books, trade literature and lengths of wallpaper retrieved from historic buildings dating back to the 1850s. Finding even one historical wallpaper in good condition is rare; discovering thousands is truly extraordinary.
December 2024
Museum of Sydney
Thursday 12 December
Join us for a bespoke talk and behind-the-scenes viewing of archaeological finds and artefacts from the site of Australia’s first Government House.
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Museum of Sydney, built on the site of the first Government House, Museums of History NSW is taking a fresh look at what lies beneath. By applying new perspectives and asking challenging questions of seemingly mundane objects, we can reach a better understanding of a place where worlds collided and were transformed forever.
With over 140,000 artefacts, the collection spans the entire history of the site, from deep time to the original house built in the late 1780s, and even objects from the 1960s and 70s. You will discover how archaeology brings this site to life as we explore Aboriginal and colonial-era artefacts, remains of the building itself, and tangible traces of the events and activities that took place at this potent site.
Read more about our behind-the-scenes viewing
