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Museums
Elizabeth Bay House
Elizabeth Farm
Hyde Park Barracks
Justice & Police Museum
Meroogal
Museum of Sydney
Rose Seidler House
Rouse Hill Estate
Susannah Place
The Mint
Vaucluse House
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Caroline Simpson Library
State Archives Reading Room
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Become a member
For exclusive Member events and experiences plus a range of year round benefits
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Coomaditchie: The Art of Place
Experience community life by the ocean through the works of First Nations artists
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Coomaditchie: The Art of Place
Experience community life by the ocean through the works of First Nations artists
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Collections
Dive deep or just browse among our diverse and inspiring collections
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State Archives Collection
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Caroline Simpson Collection
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Caroline Simpson catalogues
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Museum Collections
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Collections on Tour
We're on the road again, sharing our stories with the people of regional NSW
Read on
Collections on Tour
We're on the road again, sharing our stories with the people of regional NSW
Read on
Learning
Explore the past and imagine the future through immersive and interactive programs and resources, onsite and online
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Onsite programs
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Learning
Discover past lives, events and stories in the places where they actually unfolded
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Learning
Discover past lives, events and stories in the places where they actually unfolded
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First Nations Hub
A dedicated space for First Nations community, cultures and history
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Read and reflect
First Nations Hub
First Nations Speaker Series
First Nations Community Access to Archives
First Nations stories
Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker
The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum
Read on
Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker
The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum
Read on
Get involved
Our supporters are a central part of our story and our success
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Stitching for our house museums
For almost 15 years, a dedicated group of volunteers has gathered to sew, crochet, knit, embroider and stuff historically authentic soft furnishings for our houses
Read more
Stitching for our house museums
For almost 15 years, a dedicated group of volunteers has gathered to sew, crochet, knit, embroider and stuff historically authentic soft furnishings for our houses
Read more
Stories
There’s no limit to the stories our houses, museums and collections can tell
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Popular topics
Architecture & design
Collections
Conservation
Convict Sydney
First Fleet
First Nations
Music
Photography
Regional NSW
Underworld of the Roaring 20s
Sydney Opera House
Women's stories
A new way of living
Once word spread about the newly built Rose Seidler House in 1950, it was the ‘most talked about house in Sydney’
Read more
A new way of living
Once word spread about the newly built Rose Seidler House in 1950, it was the ‘most talked about house in Sydney’
Read more
Venue hire
From magnificent colonial style buildings to iconic modern designed spaces, we have a venue ready for you
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Our venues
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Corporate
Be inspired
Unique and spectacular spaces for your next event or occasion
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Be inspired
Unique and spectacular spaces for your next event or occasion
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Government services
Information and resources for managing, storing and transferring government records 
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Government Records Repository
Manage your records with GRR
GRRWeb
Agency Services
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Public access to records
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Visit the State Records NSW website

Search our website and collections

Go direct to State Archives online indexes Go direct to State Archives catalogue

News

In the news

Michael Lech with a selection from a massive collection of wallpaper

As the Sydney Opera House turns 50...

The Sydney Morning Herald

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

14 Oct 2024

Archivist

Take part in providing and promoting access to the NSW State Archives Collection, which provides valuable evidence of events and decisions which have shaped our history, communities and lives

14 Oct 2024

Collection Officer - Barcoding

Be a part of barcoding our diverse collections. As a Collection Officer – Barcoding, you'll use your expertise in object handling and attention to detail to improve the management and care of our objects

9 Oct 2024

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

24 Sep 2024

A large register sits open showing handwritten entries of wages paid to orphans

Wages Paid to Orphans – a regional tour

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our recent Collections on Tour program on Wages paid to orphans, 1849-1851

23 Sep 2024

Image of the front of the coloumns on the Rum Hospital verandah

Major conservation works completed on the Rum Hospital verandah

In the 2023–24 financial year the MHNSW Capital Works team completed detailed conservation works on the ‘Rum Hospital’ building at The Mint

16 Sep 2024

Cover label Small debts registers [Newcastle Court of Petty Sessions]

Archives for Everyone

The Archives for Everyone project has seen us partner with 14 groups who have nominated Small Debts registers from Courts of petty sessions throughout NSW

11 Sep 2024

A student in costume for an immersive re-enactment of the trial of Bushranger John Vane during the program Bailed Up! at the Justice and Police Museum

Thank you to our donors

We thank all our donors who contributed to the 2024 Annual Appeal: Engaging with History. With your generous support, MHNSW raised over $210,000, which will help to fund accessible learning programs, transportation subsidies for schools from low socio-economic areas and free virtual learning events to help schoolchildren across NSW engage with history

23 Jul 2024

Woman using a washboard and laundry bucket in a courtyard

Memorable learning experiences at Elizabeth Farm

At Museums of History NSW, we strive to create memorable and meaningful experiences for school students – bringing history to life in the places where it happened

16 Jul 2024