Australian Museum Museum

Address: 1 William Street (corner of College Street), Sydney NSW 2010, Australia

Website: https://australian.museum

Hours: Daily 10am-5pm

The Australian Museum in Sydney is the country’s oldest museum, founded in 1827, and is located on College Street beside Hyde Park in the central business district. It specialises in natural history, geology and anthropology collections.

The museum’s displays cover paleontology, zoology, earth science and cultural collections, including significant material relating to Indigenous Australian and Pacific cultures. It operates permanent galleries and rotating temporary exhibitions that present research collections to the public.

Over its history the institution has expanded its collections and exhibition spaces and now combines research, public galleries and education programmes. The museum also runs outreach and scientific research activities linked to its collections.

Situated in Sydney’s CBD beside Hyde Park, the museum is easily reached from central transport hubs and is a short walk from Museum train station and several bus routes.

• Location: Located adjacent to Hyde Park on College Street in Sydney’s CBD, the museum is a short walk from Museum railway station and other central transport links.
• History: Founded in 1827, it is one of Australia’s oldest museums and specialises in natural history and anthropology collections.

What to See#

• Natural history galleries: Permanent natural history galleries that cover topics from paleontology and vertebrate zoology to earth sciences, with specimens and interpretive displays.
• Cultural and temporary exhibition galleries: Galleries and displays covering Indigenous Australian and Pacific cultures, alongside rotating temporary exhibition spaces for changing displays and research-led shows.

The Australian Museum sits in central Sydney opposite Hyde Park on College/William Street. Take Sydney Trains to Museum Station (City Circle network) and it’s a very short walk (a few minutes) from the station concourse; many city buses run along William and College Streets and drop nearby. If driving, the museum is in the CBD with limited street parking and nearby paid parking garages; it’s within easy walking distance of Town Hall and St James.

• Use Museum Station (Sydney Trains) and the College Street exit for the shortest walk to the main entrance and to avoid crossing busy roads.
• If you want to see special exhibitions, check the museum's website and book timed-entry tickets in advance-major exhibits can sell out on weekends.
• To avoid school group crowds and get quieter galleries, visit on weekday mornings or late afternoons; weekends and school holidays are noticeably busier.