Stories

Our houses, museums and collections are packed to the brim with stories of all kinds

Latest stories

An immersive solution to preserving the past

An important part of Collections Care work at the Western Sydney Records Centre is to conserve records that have been requested by readers and assessed as requiring repair

Conservation

Conservation in action: Vaucluse House waterfall, ponds and rill

The Vaucluse House Waterfall, Ponds and Rill Conservation Project will preserve the integrity and heritage significance of these important features of the estate. It was made possible by the generous support of the F&K De Angeli Foundation

Women police in NSW: a history of firsts

A collection of photographs at the Justice & Police Museum document the hard-won firsts, beginning in 1915, that led to women attaining equal status within the NSW Police Force

A closer look at bricks

A high-tech research collaboration is giving us new insights into some very familiar objects from our vast archaeological collection

First Nations stories

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Government and General Order regarding the 'civilisation of the Aborigines', 10 December 1814
First Nations

Grief in the archives: a Blak reflection on Sorry Day

In this article, Dylan Hoskins, Project Assistant on the First Nations Community Access to Archives project, reflects on the significance of National Sorry Day through his lived experience as an Aboriginal person

Our Ngura
First Nations

Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country: The Library of the Dreaming

Dharawal and Yuin designer Alison Page shares the knowledge and philosophies that define Aboriginal understandings of Country and the life that is lived on it

NRS 12061 [12/8749.1] 62/1515pt1, p334
First Nations

Advocacy, allyship and the rise and fall of the Aborigines Protection Board

In the lead-up to 26 January, the State Archives Collection provides opportunities to explore and reflect on past examples of advocacy and allyship in the fight for First Nations rights

[Sydney from the north shore], Joseph Lycett, 1827.

Hearing the music of early New South Wales

A new website documents an exciting partnership between Museums of History NSW and the University of Sydney in an exploration of Indigenous song and European settler vocal and instrumental music in early colonial NSW

Hyde Park Barracks tableau

Convict Sydney

From the beginnings of the ‘convicts’ colony’ to the expansion of the British settlement further into Aboriginal Country, these stories trace the history of contemporary Sydney

Close-up of a wallpaper from the John and Phyllis Murphy collection, Museums Discovery Centre

Wallpaper

With Australia’s largest collection of historical wallpapers, including over 3,000 samples donated by John and Phyllis Murphy, the Caroline Simpson Library contains a wealth of associated stories

Pictorial guide to identifying Australian architecture collection : style chart and photographs used as illustrations for 'Pictorial guide...' by Richard Apperly, Robert Irving and Peter Reynolds, first published by Angus & Robertson, Sydney, in 1989

Architecture & design

Stories about architecture and design inspired by our collections, historic sites and exhibitions enable a better understanding of the history and trends that have influenced Sydney’s built environment

Plant your history

Explore the horticultural heritage embedded in our historic gardens, and discover the plants that have shaped and been shaped by NSW’s cultural and natural history

Special photograph number 868, Phil Jeff, 9 August 1922, probably Central Police Station, Sydney

Underworld

The 1920s were a fertile time for criminal activity in Sydney’s inner suburbs. These stories delve into Sydney’s underworld

From our collections

Stories from the State Archives Collection, Caroline Simpson Library Collection and museum collections offer invaluable insights into the cultural, social and historical contexts of NSW and Australia

Explore
Eastern-most bedroom of the Overser's Cottage at Rouse Hill House.

Heritage

Museums of History NSW preserves and presents the unique history found in the buildings, collections and landscapes we manage. Learn about our approach to heritage conservation in these stories from our places

Black and white full length portrait of young man in uniform.

World War I

Explore the impact of World War I on a range of communities in NSW and Australia through stories relating to army recruitment, military strikes, family separation and loss

Conserving our collections

An immersive solution to preserving the past

An important part of Collections Care work at the Western Sydney Records Centre is to conserve records that have been requested by readers and assessed as requiring repair

A women holds a large book open while she threads the pages together.

Conserving the archive

Supervising conservator Dominique Moussou talks through her work and some of the projects underway in the MHNSW conservation lab

Sandstone headstone lying horizontal against dark background

Historic houses in 3D

A project to capture 3D scans of MHNSW properties will greatly assist conservation work and create exciting new interpretation opportunities far into the future

3D story telling

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'Kioto', a house on the Belltrees estate, Scone, 1893

Home in the Hunter

The Hunter Region is the traditional home of the Wonnarua people. The first European settlers arrived in the 1820s, mainly squatters who claimed large areas of land on which to graze sheep

Elizabeth Farm house - front verandah and carriageway

'A most excellent brick house' Elizabeth Farm

Curator Dr Scott Hill explores some of the enduring mysteries buried in the architecture of Australia’s oldest surviving homestead

Person in red shirt kneeling in front of lifted floorboards removing debris.
Museum stories

Hyde Park Barracks: a keeper of lost things

Uncover and explore some of the items found inside the barracks

Image of a 3D scan of a dark brown leather shoe on a dark background

Dodgy, dangerous, disturbing

3D models: a fascinating exploration of some seemingly innocent objects modified for nefarious purposes from the Justice & Police Museum collection

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