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

Logan & Vanessa Bishop with Sarah Bishop learning to weave at Rouse Hill Estate during NAIDOC 2019
Festival

Dharug Day Out

We’re joining forces with Muru Mittigar Cultural Centre to bring you a day of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy, featuring live music, cultural performances and a range of food and artisan stalls

356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill NSW 2155
Sunday 12 July 11am–2pm
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
Thursday 16 July 10.30am–12.30pm
Workshop

Weaving on Country with Malima

Malima, a family business from the La Perouse Aboriginal Community, share traditional Aboriginal weaving techniques. In this immersive workshop, learn about cultural knowledge and practices that connect weaving to Country

Wentworth Road, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Thursday 16 July 11am–12.30pm
Performance

House/Music: claire rousay

With its sweeping harbour views and rich layered interiors, Elizabeth Bay House offers a spectacular setting for music. Canadian–American musician, composer and artist claire rousay has created a unique form of musique concrète, zeroing in on personal emotions and the minutiae of everyday life

7 Onslow Avenue, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011
Friday 17 July 6pm–6.45pm
Littlemore House
Tour

Glenn Murcutt Birthday Celebration and Tours of Littlemore House

This is your chance to wish one of Australia’s most celebrated architects, Glenn Murcutt AO, a happy 90th birthday with friends at the Littlemore House in Woollahra – a project completed 40 years ago this year and opened publicly for this event only

Sunday 26 July 10am–12pm
Tour

Members Hour: Caroline Simpson Library for Burdekin House

Experience Members Hour at the Caroline Simpson Library for Burdekin House

The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tuesday 28 July 1pm–2pm
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
Performance

House/Music: Believe

In the charged atmosphere of the Justice & Police Museum, this live performance unfolds in a space shaped by layered stories. Believe is a new free jazz supergroup comprising four of the most inventive improvisers and composers in Sydney’s creative music scene

Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Friday 31 July 6pm–7pm
Tour

Members: Convict Sydney Walking Tour

Experience a members-only Convict Sydney Walking Tour

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Tuesday 4 August 10.30am–12.30pm
Talk

Vital Records: Tracing Births, Deaths and Marriages in NSW

Join us for a full-day seminar on the vital records that are key to all forms of historical research – births, deaths and marriages

Friday 7 August 9am–4.30pm
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
Tuesday 11 August 10.30am–12.30pm
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 13 August 6pm–7.30pm
Performance

House/Music: Wytchings

The historic Elizabeth Farm homestead creates a fitting backdrop for this exclusive listening experience. Wytchings is the music project of artist Jenny Trinh. Trinh creates electronic soundscapes that are introspective yet familiar, and that soundtrack the abstract experiences of growing up amid the changing urban landscapes of Western Sydney

70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142
Friday 14 August 6pm–7pm
Tour

Copy, Paste, Profit

Discover the dark and tangled tales of Indian design woven through this historic textile collection

The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 20 August 3.30pm–4.30pm
Tour

Holding Hatred

Behind the walls where Sydney’s accused, convicted and condemned were charged and sentenced lie objects too disturbing for regular public display

Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 27 August 3.30pm–4.30pm
Performance

House/Music: Hilary Geddes Quartet

Take a seat at the historic Justice & Police Museum and be transported through improvisation and sound as the Hilary Geddes Quartet play music from the album Redleaf. Hilary Geddes is an Australian guitarist and composer whose work moves between jazz, indie and experimental music

Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Friday 28 August 6pm–7pm
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 Rose Seidler House and close up of front door
Talk

Members Hour: Rose Seidler House

Experience Members Hour: Rose Seidler House

71 Clissold Road, Wahroonga NSW 2076
Sunday 30 August 9am–10am
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
Burdekin House, Elizabeth Bay House, Sydney Mint, Old Sydney 1933-35 / [Thomas J Lawlor, photographer] [photograph album]
Featured display

Leaving Only Memories: The loss of Burdekin House

Our current display showcases objects and artworks related to Burdekin House, a grand colonial mansion that once stood on Macquarie Street but was demolished in 1933, a victim of Sydney’s urban development

Tuesday 7 July
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

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

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

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