News

Dr Aaron De Souza (standing, right), Research Manager at Museums of History NSW, presenting archaeological artefacts from the site of Australia’s first Government House

Exploring the archaeology of the first Government House

Donors joined Dr Aaron De Souza, Research Manager at Museums of History NSW, for a fascinating bespoke talk and behind-the-scenes viewing of a selection of the more than 140,000 archaeological finds from the site of Australia’s first Government House

Estate at Vaucluse House wedding reception

2024 Wedding Industry Awards win for Estate Vaucluse House

Estate Vaucluse House has won the Greater Sydney Wedding Venue – Historic Venue category at the 2024 Wedding Industry Awards

Scottish Rifles outside Hyde Park Barracks / photographer Charles Bayliss

New insights from an old photograph

A recent acquisition for the Caroline Simpson Library captures a rare view of the long-demolished southern range of the Hyde Park Barracks

View from the Sirius building

Sydney Open Adaptive Reuse 2024 Members Competition winner

On the day of Sydney Open, the winner of our members competition, H K of Redfern, and a guest enjoyed a very special personal tour of the Sirius building

Jacaranda tree at Vaucluse House

Saying goodbye to spring: the jacarandas at Vaucluse House

For those who visit Vaucluse House, the annually blossoming jacarandas are a friendly and gentle reminder that spring is coming to a close for another year

Sydney Opera House - Red Book

Envisioning the ‘Sydney National Opera House’: A different ‘Red Book’

A variant version of the ‘Red Book’ – with additional plans dated May 1958 – has recently been generously donated to Museums of History NSW by Mr Mark Matheson

page from an 1836 bundle of correspondence

Languages alive 2024

In the second annual NSW Aboriginal Languages Week, held on 20–27 October, we celebrate the determination and courage of First Nations peoples to maintain and revitalise languages

Two men pushing a heavy object on a wooden trolley

Conservation works at Rouse Hill Estate

After detailed condition inspections of the state heritage–listed Rouse Hill Estate, MHNSW’s Capital Works and Heritage teams have begun a large-scale conservation project that will sensitively address a range of identified issues

North range of the Hyde Park Barracks

Hyde Park Barracks conservation works complete

In collaboration with experienced heritage consultants and tradespeople, MHNSW has now completed challenging and complex conservation works on the northern range buildings on the Hyde Park Barracks site