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What’s on

    Events

    A visitor in the grounds of Vaucluse House, listening to an audio tour with their phone and headphones.
    12 April – 15 June
    Special event

    Self-guided walking meditation

    A bustling, city location might not seem like an obvious place to meditate, but did you know you can practice mindfulness anywhere?

    Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
    Saturday 12 April
    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
    Saturday 17 May 10.30am–12pm
    Cardboard box containing two small bisque dolls and a pair of pink knitted booties
    Saturdays, 19 April – 24 May
    Workshop

    Mobile making at Meroogal

    This creative mobile-making activity takes inspiration from the Meroogal collection

    Corner West and Worrigee streets, Nowra NSW 2541
    Saturday 17 May
    Donor event
    Tour

    Convict Sydney Walking Tour

    Join one of our knowledgeable and expert Guides in a tour of Convict Sydney

    Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
    Wednesday 21 May 10.30am–12.30pm
    Riley Mansfield and Daniel McIntyre laying in the hammocks at Hyde Park Barracks
    Various dates, 8 May – 5 June
    Workshop

    Meditation in the Hammock Room with Rachael Coopes

    Meditation is a practice that involves focusing the mind to achieve a state of calm and clarity

    Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
    Thursday 22 May 6.30pm–7.30pm
    Terrarium Workshop With Tammy Huyhn
    Workshop

    Terrarium Workshop with Tammy Huynh

    Join us for an exploration of the Wardian case, with Gardening Australia presenter Tammy Huynh and Museums of History NSW Curator Dr Scott Hill

    70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142
    Saturday 24 May 1pm–2.30pm
    Rachael Coopes
    25 May & 1 June
    Workshop

    Yoga with Rachael Coopes

    Looking for a way to integrate stretching, movement and mindfulness into your busy daily life?

    Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
    Sunday 25 May 10.30am–11.30am
    Various dates
    Tour

    Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country Curator Tours

    Join exhibition co-Curator, Dr Penny Stannard for a special tour of the exhibition Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country

    Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
    Thursday 29 May 6pm–6.45pm
    Peta Morris Sound Bath for Hiromi Tango's Hope Installation
    Various dates, 1 May – 12 June
    Workshop

    Sound Bath with Peta Morris

    Sound bathing is a practice that harnesses the power of sound vibrations to promote wellbeing and relaxation

    Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
    Thursday 29 May 6.30pm–7.30pm
    Translation of Luke
    Online talk

    First Nations Community Access to Archives: Bridging Now to Next

    The First Nations Community Access to Archives team at Museums of History NSW will be discussing how improving access to archival material can support the revitalisation and reclamation of First Nations Languages and Cultures

    Friday 30 May 10.30am–11.30am
    Door to the Police Station Charge Room, Justice & Police Museum
    Tour

    Members Hour: Justice & Police Museum

    Welcome to Members Hour: Justice & Police Museum

    Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
    Saturday 31 May 9am–10am
    The Vaucluse House dining room fully set and lit by candlelight
    Tour

    An Evening at Vaucluse House

    Experience the Wentworths’ picturesque estate and harbourside retreat on an exclusive and intimate tour after dark

    Wentworth Road, Vaucluse NSW 2030
    Thursday 5 June 6pm–8pm
    First Nations Speaker Series
    Talk

    Understanding Sydney: A City on Country

    Join artist and designer Alison Page and historian Dr Paul Irish for a thought-provoking in-conversation with MHNSW Curator Dr Penny Stannard

    Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
    Thursday 12 June 7pm–8pm
    NRS-4481-4-44-[AF00194836]
    Sydney Open Series
    Tour

    Queering Macquarie Street

    Dr Tuan Nguyen will lead a history walk down Macquarie Street, exploring stories of queer people who walked along the same path

    Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
    Saturday 14 June 10am–11.30am
    Welcome Choir for the Hope Programs at Hyde Park Barracks
    Workshop

    The Welcome Choir

    The Welcome Choir is a friendly, all-ages, all-abilities choir focused on the uplifting experience of singing together

    Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
    Sunday 15 June 10.30am–12.30pm
    Detective at foot of Argyle Steps, The Rocks (Sydney), late 1930s. Details unknown.
    Tour

    Sin City: Sydney Crime Stories

    Visit real crime scenes from the past and hear the stories behind the crimes

    Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
    Sunday 15 June 10.30am–12.30pm
    The Winter Solstice at Elizabeth Bay House
    Tour

    Winter Solstice at Elizabeth Bay House

    Wrap up warm and arrive at the elegant Elizabeth Bay House before dawn to experience a magnificent display as the sun rises over the horizon

    7 Onslow Avenue, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011
    Saturday 21 June 6.30am–8.30am
    Photograph of seven NSW Police capturers of the Andrew George Scott (alias Captain Moonlite) gang of bushrangers, New South Wales, Australia, 1879, reproduction black and white photograph
    Talk

    In conversation: Community Policing, Policing a Community

    On the anniversary of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (24 June 1978), join us for this special Collections Series event

    Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
    Tuesday 24 June 6pm–7.30pm
    Government Printing Office 1 - 07748 - Mental Hospital Parramatta: patients' bedrooms
    Online talk

    Mental Health Patient Records

    This webinar will explore the surviving patient records created by government mental health facilities that are held within the State Archives Collection

    Friday 27 June 10.30am–11.30am
    Susannah Place - goods in the corner shop window re-created to circa 1915, 64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, 1991
    Tour

    Members Hour: Susannah Place

    Experience Members Hour at Susannah Place

    58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
    Monday 30 June 9am–10am
    Wide shot of two visitors exploring Parbury Ruins during Sydney Open
    Tour

    Digging Up the Neighbourhood

    Starting at Susannah Place, this walking tour explores some of the fascinating archaeological sites in The Rocks and Millers Point

    58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
    Wednesday 16 July 10.30am–12.30pm

    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

    Now showing
    Featured display

    Let’s party like it’s 1815

    Let’s party like it’s 1815 by Joan Ross is an eight-minute digital artwork on display at the Museum of Sydney that colourfully critiques the legacy of the colonisation of Australia

    Saturday 12 April
    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
    Tapis linoleum : saisons 1893-94 / John Barry, Ostlere & Co. Ltd., fabricants a Kirkcaldy (Ecosse) [trade catalogue]
    Featured display

    Repurposed: Creative reuse in the library collection

    Our current library display explores the unique and sometimes surprising ways in which items from the library collection have been repurposed

    Tuesday 11 March
    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

    Coming soon

    Symphony of the Dreaming render
    Opening 23 May
    Featured exhibition

    Symphony of the Dreaming

    Symphony of the Dreaming is a live music and light experience on the forecourt of the Museum of Sydney that explores the Aboriginal concept of Country and its relationship to light, rhythm, sound, energy and place

    Friday 23 May

    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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