National Gallery of Australia Museum

Address: Parkes Pl, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia (on the Parliamentary Triangle)

Website: https://www.nga.gov.au

Hours: Daily 10:00am-5:00pm (check site for late-night openings and closures)

Admission: Free entry to the permanent collection; special exhibitions ticketed (prices vary)

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) is the country’s national art museum, located in the Parliamentary Triangle of Canberra and tasked with building and presenting a national collection. It holds extensive holdings of Australian, Indigenous, Asian and international art and stages major temporary exhibitions.

The gallery complex includes indoor galleries for rotating displays and a significant outdoor sculpture garden. Public programmes include lectures, tours, family activities and national touring exhibitions, and the NGA supports conservation and research for its collections.

The NGA was created by federal act in 1967 and the Canberra building opened in the early 1980s to house the national collection. Since opening it has expanded its collections and public facilities, adding new gallery spaces and permanent installations.

The gallery is sited in the Parkes precinct of Canberra, adjacent to Lake Burley Griffin and within the national cultural district; it is a short drive or public-transport trip from the city centre and national institutions such as Parliament House.

• Establishment: The National Gallery of Australia was established by federal legislation in 1967 and the purpose-built Canberra building opened in the early 1980s.
• Collections: The collection includes substantial holdings of Australian Indigenous art, Asian works, and European and American paintings; general exhibition spaces are free while major exhibitions are ticketed.

What to See#

• Sculpture Garden: An outdoor sculpture garden that displays large-scale works across lawns and native planting, connected to the gallery’s main exhibition spaces.
• Main galleries: Dedicated Australian art galleries and rotating temporary exhibition halls that present the national collection and special exhibitions.

The National Gallery of Australia is in the Parliamentary Triangle at Parkes, Canberra. It is served by ACTION buses from the city (Civic/City Interchange and other major interchanges) with stops that drop visitors at the Arts Precinct/National Gallery - a short walk from the stop to the gallery forecourt. The gallery is also an easy walk or short taxi ride from central Canberra across Commonwealth Avenue/Lake Burley Griffin.

By car the gallery is about 2-3 km from Canberra’s central business district; there is on-site visitor parking and drop-off access off Parkes Way/Commonwealth Avenue.

• Aim for a weekday morning just after opening; large temporary exhibitions and school groups often congest the galleries later in the day and on weekends.
• Buy timed tickets for special exhibitions in advance online to avoid long queues; the permanent collection is free, so visitors often head straight to the temporary shows-prioritise those first.
• Approach from the lakeside/park side (Parkes/King Edward Terrace area) to access the main entrance and sculpture garden directly; allow time to walk the outdoor sculptures along the lake, which many visitors miss.