Australian Museum

The Australian Museum is the oldest natural history museum in Australia, located at the corner of William and College Streets in central Sydney. It holds collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology. Visitors can see permanent and temporary exhibitions, and the museum also conducts scientific research.

Don't miss

• The Long Gallery, part of the original 1846 wing designed by Mortimer Lewis in Greek Revival style
• The neoclassical west wing along William Street, built in 1868 by Colonial Architect James Barnet
• The Crystal Hall, a carbon-neutral glass box entryway opened in 2015
• Collections of over 21 million cultural and scientific objects, including zoology, mineralogy, and anthropology
• The 1963 International Style eastern wing, which doubled the museum's floor space

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Australian Museum

Cheapest way inAustralian National Maritime Museum Entry Ticket - See It All4.6★ · 155 travelers1-4 hoursFree cancellationFrom$25 per personSee dates →Most bookedSydney Opera House Official Guided Walking Tour4.7★ · 4,135 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$36 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleNature and Wildlife: Australia in One Day - Private Tour5★ · 366 travelers11-12 hoursFree cancellationFrom$431 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• The museum is at the corner of William Street and College Street in the Sydney central business district, opposite Hyde Park.
• Entry is free for the public after the 2020 refurbishment.

A bit of history

The museum was founded in 1827 by Earl Bathurst, making it the fifth oldest natural history museum in the world. It was originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum and was renamed the Australian Museum in 1836. Its scientific reputation grew under curator Gerard Krefft in the 1860s. The museum moved to its current site in 1849, and the earliest building on the site, the Long Gallery, was designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis and opened to the public in May 1857.