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. They unearthed around 140,000 objects that had lain hidden beneath the city’s streets for almost 140 years. Even the most ordinary object has many stories to tell, depending on how you look at it.
VisitEvents
Sydney Open Series
Tour
Caring for Rose Seidler House as a Museum of Mid-Century Design
Discover the challenges and rewards of caring for a mid-century modern building in this unique and informative tour of Rose Seidler House
71 Clissold Road, Wahroonga NSW 2076
Saturday 14 February 12pm–1.15pm
Tour
Members Hour: Rouse Hill Estate
Experience Members Hour at Rouse Hill Estate
356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill NSW 2155
Sunday 15 February 9am–10am
Tour
Queer Histories, Queer Futures
This Mardi Gras, Museums of History NSW Assistant Curator Dr Tuan Nguyen and Collection Discovery Assistant Mel Flyte will lead a history walk down Macquarie Street
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Saturday 21 February 4.30pm–6.30pm
Online talk
Vernon and Sobraon: Nautical Training Ships for Boys
Join us for a webinar exploring the stories of the inmates of the nautical training ships the Vernon and the Sobraon
Friday 27 February 10.30am–11.30am
Talk
Breaking Ground: Women in Archaeology
This enlightening conversation will examine the significant role played by women in the development of archaeology as a field in Australia
Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 5 March 6pm–7pm
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 8 March 10.30am–12.30pm
Special event
Château Reawakening
Australian couple Felicity Selkirk and Tim Holding’s restoration of the dilapidated Château de Purnon is an internet sensation. Join us at The Mint for a special event that will transport guests to the Loire Valley for a night
10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tuesday 10 March 6pm–9pm
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
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
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
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
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
Workshop
Shadow Play Workshop
Explore shadow play in this hands-on workshop with artist Jumaadi
356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill NSW 2155
Thursday 16 April 10.30am–1pm
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
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]](https://api.mhnsw.au/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.mhnsw.au%2Ffotoweb%2Fembed%2F2026%2F01%2Fdf84db79ee6c445d8f73b92edf2b6cbc.jpg&w=1920&h=400&fit=inside&format=webp)
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
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
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
Event series
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
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
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
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
Featured display
Madjeri
Madjeri (pronounced mud-jer-ee) is the Dharawal word for canoe or small floating vessel
Saturday 3 August
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
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
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
Touring exhibition
On the Move
Grab your ticket and enter an interactive transport world created in collaboration with illustrator James Gulliver Hancock
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
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