What’s on

Featured exhibition

Unearthed

Between 1983 and 1991, archaeologists excavated one of the most contested blocks of land in Sydney – the site of Australia’s first Government House

Visit Exhibition

Events

White Bay Power Station
Sydney Open Series
Tour

White Bay Power Station Behind-the-Scenes Tours

As part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, go behind the scenes at Sydney’s longest-serving power station, at White Bay

Saturday 14 March 12pm–1.15pm
Macquarie Lightstation
Sydney Open Series
Tour

Tours of Macquarie Lightstation

Explore the iconic Macquarie Lightstation, home to Australia’s first lighthouse. Join us to uncover the fascinating story behind its construction and its vital role in shaping Australia’s maritime history

Saturday 21 March 10am–11am
Wentworth Mausoleum
Tour

Wentworth Mausoleum Walking Tour

Join us for a walking tour to the rarely opened Wentworth Mausoleum and learn about William Charles Wentworth’s extravagant 1873 state funeral

Wentworth Road, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Thursday 26 March 10am–11.30am
Online talk

The ‘Old Register’: Illuminating Early Colonial NSW

Join us for this webinar which will explore the ‘Old Register’ and what it can tell us about early colonial NSW

Friday 27 March 10.30am–11.30am
Photograph of Elizabeth Bay House near the end of Macleay occupancy, showing front facade, part of kitchen wing and aviary (to left) and front lawn, printed by Freeman & Co, circa 1895
Tour

Members Hour: Elizabeth Bay House

Experience Members Hour at Elizabeth Bay House

7 Onslow Avenue, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011
Sunday 29 March 9am–10am
Skye Blackburn for Aw Yuck its Gross workshop
Workshop

Aw Yuck, that's gross!

Explore the world of insects and bugs at Elizabeth Bay House in this hands-on workshop for children

7 Onslow Avenue, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011
Tuesday 7 April 10.30am–11.15am
Workshop

Spooky mini-zine workshop

Celebrate all things spooky by making your own haunted house mini-zine with author Lucie Stevens

Wentworth Road, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Wednesday 15 April 10.30am–12pm
Talk

Firestick

A new six-part talk series featuring First Nations visionaries who are blazing a trail and lighting the way for future generations in diverse industries from video game design to global fashion

10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 16 April 6pm–7.30pm
Special event

Macquarie Street Adventure

Join us in the April school holidays for a day of free drop-in activities proudly presented by Museums of History NSW, the Parliament of NSW and the State Library of NSW

Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Friday 17 April 10am–3pm
Wide shot of two visitors exploring Parbury Ruins during Sydney Open
Tour

Digging Up the Neighbourhood

This walking tour uncovers The Rocks and Millers Point archaeology, including rare access to the preserved Parbury Ruins

58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Wednesday 22 April 10.30am–12.30pm
DEVONSHIRE STREET CEMETERY, SYDNEY TERMINAL, SYDNEY TERMINAL NSW
Online talk

The Reinterment of Devonshire Street Cemetery

Join us for this webinar exploring records from the NSW State Archives Collection that reveal the history of one of Sydney’s oldest burial grounds

Friday 24 April 10.30am–11.30am
Gloucester Street facade, Susannah Place Museum
Tour

Members Hour: Susannah Place

Experience Members Hour at Susannah Place

58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 30 April 9am–10am
Proceedings [Judge Advocate's Bench]
Online talk

On the Bench: Records of the Lower Courts of NSW

Join us for this webinar that will explore the bench books held in the NSW State Archives Collection

Friday 15 May 10.30am–11.30am
Talk

Contested Ground: Archaeology and Urban Development

What do we do with the artefacts? Caring for our archaeological heritage

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Wednesday 20 May 6pm–7pm
Donor event
Tour

Convict Sydney Walking Tour

Join one of our knowledgeable and expert guides for a tour of Convict Sydney

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Wednesday 20 May 10.30am–12.30pm
Archaeologists from the original first Government House dig site at the launch of the Unearthed exhibition
Tour

Members Hour: Museum of Sydney for Unearthed

Experience Members Hour at the Museum of Sydney

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 21 May 5.30pm–6.30pm
Special event

Dream Feast – Vivid Food

Activate your senses at Dream Feast, a communal dining experience where food, music, moving image and history come together in the historic and atmospheric surrounds of The Mint in Sydney for Vivid Food 2026

10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tuesday 2 June 6pm–8.45pm
Online talk

‘Confused heaps’ and ‘systemic order’: Keeping records in 19th-century NSW

Join us for a fascinating talk that uncovers how official records were created, kept and carefully (and sometimes not so carefully) stored in 19th–century NSW

Tuesday 9 June 10.30am–11.30am
Hotel Victoria, William and Victoria Streets, Darlinghurst, Plans for re-erection, corner elevation, elevations to William and Victoria Streets, Architect E Lindsay - Thompson, King Street, Sydney, Lodged 23 January 1914, signed 30 November 1914
Online talk

Designing Your Local: Hotel Plans in the NSW State Archives Collection

Join us for this webinar which will explore the beautiful plans of historic NSW pubs held in the State Archives Collection

Friday 26 June 10.30am–11.30am
Online talk

Catalogues of Lost Dreams

House contents have been sold by auction in Sydney for over 200 years. Discover the gossip behind these sales and view auction catalogues

Friday 31 July 10.30am–11.30am
Distribution of 50 free girls (from the Foundling Hospital, Cork) who arrived July 1831 by the Palambam
Online talk

‘Most came because their fare was paid for them’: NSW assisted immigration

Join us for this webinar led by Dr Richard Reid, to get a glimpse of the treasures in the NSW State Archives Collection that illuminate the assisted emigrant journey

Friday 28 August 10.30am–11.30am
Exterior of mausoleum
Tour

Members: Wentworth Mausoleum Tour

Enjoy a members-only walking tour of the rarely opened Wentworth Mausoleum and learn about William Charles Wentworth’s extravagant 1873 state funeral

Wentworth Road, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Wednesday 16 September 2pm–3.30pm
Members brand photoshoot
Tour

Members Hour: Hyde Park Barracks

Experience Members Hour 2026 at the Hyde Park Barracks

Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Monday 12 October 9am–10am

Event series

Sydney Opera House sails with a crane in front and the Sydney Open graphic over the top

Sydney Open Series

Building on the Sydney Open program, this series offers talks, workshops, and tours throughout the year, with a focus on history, architecture, design innovation, sustainability, and heritage

A brick wall with an old wooden window with bougainvillea growing over it

HomeGrown Series

Exploring Australian homes, gardens and domestic life past and present through a rich and eclectic mix of workshops, tours and talks held in Museums of History NSW’s beautiful historic houses and gardens

Close-up on a wallpaper laid out ready for digitisation, Museums Discovery Centre

Collections Series

Join our expert curators, archivists, researchers and conservators for talks, tours, viewings and discussions as they highlight some of our most fascinating collection material

On display

Eora by Michael Riley
Featured display

Eora by Michael Riley

Eora, by the late Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi filmmaker and photographer Michael Riley (1960–2004), is a 20-minute digital film that tells the story of Sydney’s First Nations people – before and after colonisation

Saturday 7 December
Madjeri
Featured display

Madjeri

Madjeri (pronounced mud-jer-ee) is the Dharawal word for canoe or small floating vessel

Saturday 3 August
Featured display

A Century of Paint Colour Charts: 1880–1980

Contemporary interiors seem to reject colour in favour of ‘greige’, off-whites, and neutrals. Yet for many centuries the choice and concentration of colour for the decoration of interiors reflected wealth, status, and fashion

Monday 2 March 4.30pm–invalid datetime
Sergeant Tracker Alexander ‘Alec’ Riley, standing in police uniform
Permanent display

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

Saturday 1 April
Tony Albert, Healing land, remembering Country, 2020. Installation view for Elizabeth Farm (2020).
Permanent display

Healing land, remembering Country

A powerful work by Kuku Yalanji artist Tony Albert

Sunday 30 April
Permanent display

Yura Nura: People & Country

Yura Nura: People & Country presents contemporary Aboriginal reflections on the history of Sydney and colonisation

Saturday 1 April

Touring exhibitions

How Cities Work illustration.
Touring exhibition

How cities work

Enter an immersive cityscape full of magical, tactile experiences to discover how the city works. Peek inside buildings, duck underground, and explore the streets to find out what’s going on above your head and beneath your feet

Girl with superimposed illustration of aeroplane and clouds
Touring exhibition

On the Move

Grab your ticket and enter an interactive transport world created in collaboration with illustrator James Gulliver Hancock

Black and white photo of two women in street
Touring exhibition

Street Photography

Before the days of Instagram, personal cameras, copyright and privacy laws, street photographers were a familiar part of city streets during the 1930’s to the late 1950’s, inadvertently creating a vast archive of black-and-white, postcard-sized candid images

Dual mugshot in black and white; man seated and then man standing, with cap on.
Touring exhibition

Underworld: Mugshots from the roaring twenties

Welcome to the dark side of the Roaring Twenties. Descend into a seedy underworld where the only rules were never squeal to the police and always, always shoot first

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