What’s on
Events
12 April – 15 June
Special event
Self-guided walking meditation
A bustling, city location might not seem like an obvious place to meditate, but did you know you can practice mindfulness anywhere?
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Saturday 12 April
Saturdays, 19 April – 24 May
Workshop
Mobile making at Meroogal
This creative mobile-making activity takes inspiration from the Meroogal collection
Corner West and Worrigee streets, Nowra NSW 2541
Saturday 19 April
Various dates, 1 May – 12 June
Workshop
Sound Bath with Peta Morris
Sound bathing is a practice that harnesses the power of sound vibrations to promote wellbeing and relaxation
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 1 May 6.30pm–7.30pm
Tour
A Night at the Macarthurs’ at Elizabeth Farm
Join our expert staff for an intimate look at life in Australia’s oldest surviving homestead, built by John and Elizabeth Macarthur
70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142
Saturday 3 May 6pm–8pm
11am & 2pm, 3 May
Tour
Curator-led tours
Join Dr Jacqui Newling, the Meroogal Women’s Art Prize 2024 curator, for a special guided tour of the exhibition at Meroogal, home to four generations of women from the 1880s to the 1980s
Corner West and Worrigee streets, Nowra NSW 2541
Saturday 3 May 11am–12pm
Various dates, 8 May – 5 June
Workshop
Meditation in the Hammock Room with Rachael Coopes
Meditation is a practice that involves focusing the mind to achieve a state of calm and clarity
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Thursday 8 May 6.30pm–7.30pm
Sydney Open Series
Tour
Parramatta Heritage Tour: Rosehill and Harris Park
Celebrate the Australian Heritage Festival with a guided tour of Elizabeth Farm, Hambledon Cottage and Experiment Farm Cottage
70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142
Saturday 10 May 10am–12pm
![Alexander Mackintosh Archive :
architectural plans and specifications, 1901-1924: Alfred H. Hale and Norman D. Hale, architects : architectural plans and specifications, 1905-1921 / Alfred H. Hale & Norman D. Hale [architectural drawings]](https://images.mhnsw.au/fotoweb/embed/2025/04/2161bf7ca0dd41239726913d7e21b49e.jpg)
12pm & 2pm, 13 May
Talk
The Alexander Mackintosh Archive
Join Mel Flyte, Collections Discovery Assistant at Museums of History NSW, for a special viewing of the Alexander Mackintosh Archive
The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tuesday 13 May 12pm–1pm
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
Saturday 17 May 10.30am–12pm
Tour
Convict Sydney Walking Tour
Join one of our knowledgeable and expert Guides in a tour of Convict Sydney
Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Wednesday 21 May 10.30am–12.30pm
10.30am & 1pm, 24 May
Workshop
Terrarium Workshop with Tammy Huynh
Join us for an exploration of the Wardian case, with Gardening Australia presenter Tammy Huynh and Museums of History NSW Curator Dr Scott Hill
70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142
Saturday 24 May 10.30am–12pm
25 May & 1 June
Workshop
Yoga with Rachael Coopes
Looking for a way to integrate stretching, movement and mindfulness into your busy daily life?
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Sunday 25 May 10.30am–11.30am
Online talk
First Nations Community Access to Archives: Bridging Now to Next
The First Nations Community Access to Archives team at Museums of History NSW will be discussing how improving access to archival material can support the revitalisation and reclamation of First Nations Languages and Cultures
Friday 30 May 10.30am–11.30am
Tour
Members Hour: Justice & Police Museum
Welcome to Members Hour: Justice & Police Museum
Corner Albert and Phillip streets, Sydney NSW 2000
Saturday 31 May 9am–10am
Sydney Open Series
Tour
Queering Macquarie Street
Dr Tuan Nguyen will lead a history walk down Macquarie Street, exploring stories of queer people who walked along the same path
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Saturday 14 June 10am–11.30am
Workshop
The Welcome Choir
The Welcome Choir is a friendly, all-ages, all-abilities choir focused on the uplifting experience of singing together
Queens Square, Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
Sunday 15 June 10.30am–12.45pm
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 15 June 10.30am–12.30pm
Online talk
Mental Health Patient Records
This webinar will explore the surviving patient records created by government mental health facilities that are held within the State Archives Collection
Friday 27 June 10.30am–11.30am
Tour
Members Hour: Susannah Place
Experience Members Hour at Susannah Place
58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Monday 30 June 9am–10am
Tour
Digging Up the Neighbourhood
Starting at Susannah Place, this walking tour explores some of the fascinating archaeological sites in The Rocks and Millers Point
58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Wednesday 16 July 10.30am–12.30pm
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
Now showing
Featured display
Let’s party like it’s 1815
Let’s party like it’s 1815 by Joan Ross is an eight-minute digital artwork on display at the Museum of Sydney that colourfully critiques the legacy of the colonisation of Australia
Saturday 12 April
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
![Tapis linoleum : saisons 1893-94 / John Barry, Ostlere & Co. Ltd., fabricants a Kirkcaldy (Ecosse) [trade catalogue]](https://images.mhnsw.au/fotoweb/embed/2025/03/8165e4349beb43d798932be0abf711f6.jpg)
Featured display
Repurposed: Creative reuse in the library collection
Our current library display explores the unique and sometimes surprising ways in which items from the library collection have been repurposed
Tuesday 11 March
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
Coming soon
Opening 23 May
Featured exhibition
Symphony of the Dreaming
A journey through light, music and Country
Friday 23 May
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