Explore the character, cultures and soul of the city

Built over and around the remains of Sydney’s First Government House, the Museum of Sydney is transforming into a new First Nations cultural space. Join us on Gadigal Country for a changing program of exhibitions, events and conversations that explore the character, cultures and soul of this city, and celebrate the diversity, strength and resilience of its First Nations custodians.

The forecourt in front of the Museum of Sydney
First Nations

The future of the colony's dreaming

The Museum of Sydney site is set to be transformed into a new First Nations cultural space

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000. Phone +61 2 9251 5988

Museum of Sydney

Gadigal Country

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000. Phone +61 2 9251 5988
  • Cafe
  • Wheelchair accessible
Plan your visit

Exhibitions & displays

Past exhibition

The People’s House: Sydney Opera House at 50

Celebrating five decades of extraordinary performances and unforgettable moments from the Sydney Opera House

Edge of the Trees installation, Museum of Sydney forecourt
Permanent display

Edge of Trees

This site-specific piece commissioned for the forecourt of the Museum of Sydney at its opening in 1995 was created by artists Fiona Foley and Janet Laurence

Permanent display

Yura Nura: People & Country

Yura Nura: People & Country presents contemporary Aboriginal reflections on the history of Sydney and colonisation

First Fleet ship models, Museum of Sydney
Permanent display

First Fleet Ships

This display explores the journey, arrival and first contacts of this fleet’s largely unwilling human cargo

Stories

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[First Government House, Sydney] / watercolour drawing by John Eyre
Museum stories

First encounters

The Museum of Sydney is built on and around a site that links us to the very beginnings of modern Australia

Handpainted image from book of woman in canoe. Margins of page visible on left and right.
First Nations

A fisher woman of Warrane

Daringa’s short but fascinating life reflects the connection of coastal Aboriginal peoples to the water, and the key role played by women in the fishing economy

Paiting showing boats and Aboriginal people in canoes
First Nations

The convict impact on Aboriginal people

Impacts of the convict system on Aboriginal Country and communities

Learning programs

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Two girls in school uniform making string in exhibition space with other students behind.
Onsite

Garuwanga Gurad (stories that belong to Country)

During this program at Museum of Sydney, on the site of first Government House, students have a unique opportunity to explore links between Indigenous and European histories, cultures and perspectives in the expanding Sydney colony of the 1800

Students exploring the Edge of the Trees sculpture at Museum of Sydney for Whose Place program
Onsite

Whose Place?

During this thought-provoking and engaging program, students learn that this place was an important site of contact between British and Aboriginal people

Annual Giving 2023–24: engaging with history

Supporting children to discover history

Find out more