Museums of History New South Wales

West elevation (front) of Hyde Park Barracks, from across Queens Square

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There’s plenty happening every day at our museums, historic houses and gardens, with entry free for all!

Student carrying convict bricks in the courtyard at Hyde Park Barracks

Learning

Explore our curriculum-linked programs, excursions and resources for stages 1 to 6. Inquire or book now

Education programme at Hyde Park Barracks.

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Your support will help us to preserve and share the stories of NSW through our places, collections, archives and programs

The view of the gardens from the roof of Vaucluse House

Heritage

We manage, maintain and interpret buildings and places of historic importance for the education and enjoyment of the public

Explore the collections

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Scottish Rifles outside Hyde Park Barracks / photographer Charles Bayliss
Latest News

New insights from an old photograph

A recent acquisition for the Caroline Simpson Library captures a rare view of the long-demolished southern range of the Hyde Park Barracks

View from the Sirius building
Latest News

Sydney Open Adaptive Reuse 2024 Members Competition winner

On the day of Sydney Open, the winner of our members competition, H K of Redfern, and a guest enjoyed a very special personal tour of the Sirius building

Jacaranda tree at Vaucluse House
Latest News

Saying goodbye to spring: the jacarandas at Vaucluse House

For those who visit Vaucluse House, the annually blossoming jacarandas are a friendly and gentle reminder that spring is coming to a close for another year

Sydney Opera House - Red Book
Latest News

Envisioning the ‘Sydney National Opera House’: A different ‘Red Book’

A variant version of the ‘Red Book’ – with additional plans dated May 1958 – has recently been generously donated to Museums of History NSW by Mr Mark Matheson

First Nations Hub

A space and place to celebrate and engage with First Nations cultures, knowledge and perspectives

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Stories

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[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

Phyllis Murphy in her East Malvern apartment, Melbourne, c1950
Wallpaper

Beyond the wallpaper: the life and work of Phyllis and John Murphy

A significant donation of more than 3,000 wallpaper samples to the Caroline Simpson Library reflects just one facet of the remarkable careers of Phyllis and John Murphy, partners in life, architecture and heritage conservation

The refreshed visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate

Layered histories: refurbishing the visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate

Refreshed and renewed, the refurbished visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate, on Dharug Country, offers visitors an invitation to explore the property and discover its richly layered history

Exterior of the engine room at The Mint at the completion of the adaptive reuse project, the wall stabilised and now protected by the new structure

The Mint project: Sydney’s adaptive reuse triumph

Sydney’s urban landscape is a testament to both the city’s rich history and examples of forward-thinking vision. Among the most compelling examples of this fusion of past and future is the revitalisation of the Mint complex

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