Australian Museum

Permanent exhibitions
Special exhibitions and events

Opening Hours: 10am - 5pm
Free General Entry
Closed Christmas Day
Where to find us: 1 William Street
Sydney NSW 2010
Australia

The 2021 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

Immerse yourself in the beauty of the natural world with this stunning photographic exhibition.

On now

COVID-19 safety

The Australian Museum is open with COVID-19 protocols in place, including vaccination requirements. Wearing a fitted face mask is mandatory.

COVID-19 protocols

Welcome to life on Earth. Every one of Earth’s millions of species is unique, but they are all connected through evolution. Come and see life in all its glorious diversity – over 400 animals under one roof!

Permanent exhibition
Open daily
10am-5pm

200 Treasures of the Australian Museum

The Westpac Long Gallery showcases 100 treasures from our collections alongside the stories of the 100 people who’ve helped shape Australia.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily
10am - 5pm

Why not join the family?

Discover even more by becoming a Member. Delve into the Australian Museum’s collections, join a vibrant community and support our groundbreaking research and cultural projects.

Become a Member

Museum news

Read about our latest discoveries, research expeditions and collection objects on display.

Australian Museum Shop

Advocating for the richness of life, the earth and culture in Australia and the Pacific, the Australian Museum Shop aims to ignite wonder through thinking, learning and play.

AM Member discount

Plan your visit

From dinosaurs to rooftop dining, the transformed Australian Museum has something for everyone and General Admission is now free. Plan and book your visit to the Australian Museum, and discover the extraordinary exhibitions on display.

Admission Information COVID-19 Safety Location & Access

What's on

Discover our exciting exhibitions and program of events including Prehistoric Playground for kids and First Nations cultural programs.

Dinosaurs

How well do you know your dinosaurs? Discover the amazing creatures that ruled the world until 65 million years ago in this exhibition that brings the Mesozoic era to life.

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours

Redeem your Dine & Discover vouchers at the AM

Redeem your Dine & Discover vouchers towards membership and events, including exhibition tours and at our restaurant, seven days a week, until 30 June 2022.

Redeem in person

School programs and excursions

Book school excursions at the Australian Museum, Sydney, that inspire and engage students of all ages.

Book now

Bayala Nura: Yarning Country

Explore and celebrate Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through a rich diversity of objects and stories of living culture. See more than 250 fascinating objects from Indigenous communities around Australia.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily
10am - 5pm

200 Treasures of the Australian Museum

The Westpac Long Gallery showcases 100 treasures from our collections alongside the stories of the 100 people who’ve helped shape Australia.

Pacific Spirit

Experience the diverse and dynamic cultures of the Pacific and admire the skill, creativity and spirituality of the region’s artists through this collection of colourful treasures from across the region.

Wild Planet

Located at the entrance to the Australian Museum

Museum Shop

Come and explore our exciting range of products inspired by the Museum's collections. All proceeds help fund our science, education and exhibitions programs.

Shop for beautiful objects

Audio tours of exhibitions

Delve into the Australian Museum exhibitions and enrich your understanding of our collection on display through our self-guided audio tours.

Audio tours
Accessible audio descriptive guides

Listen now

Australian Museum news

Discover our research behind the scenes, read stories from our collections and learn about the latest fieldwork findings in our blog.

News highlights Listen to our Podcasts Visit the Media Centre

Coming soon: Burra Learning Place

Burra Learning Place – the AM’s upcoming, interactive children’s exhibit – is due to open in July 2022. Burra Learning Place offers a ‘many-ways’ experience where First Nations and western knowledges are brought together in layers of learning that promote living well with Country and each other.

24 January 2022

Hemitelsella mutilloides Smith & Mitchell, 2021.

The world’s most colourful silverfish!

Australia has more described silverfish species than any other country, but even our entomologists were amazed when they discovered these species online – and were amazed at just how colourful these two new species are!

18 January 2022

Head to toes: the treatment undergoes!

In Part 2 of this special AM blog series, Melissa Holt tells us about the treatment process for two of the Egyptian cartonnage objects which includes x-ray analysis and tear repairs!

13 January 2022

Truth-telling, as old as the hills

Another ‘Australia Day’ will be celebrated by some on 26 January, and with it undoubtedly a polarising debate on Australia’s founding story.

11 January 2022

The discovery of an exceptional new fossil site offers a glimpse into Australia’s ancient rainforests

New fossil site offers unprecedented insight into Australian landscape, approximately 15 million years ago.

10 January 2022

This year, in our brimming biome home

Discover the Australian Museum's extraordinary achievements in the face of a testing year.

23 December 2021

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours
Learning journeys

Saltbush dominated habitat of Aridulodrilus molesworthae.

Earthworms can sometimes surprise us

Australia is richly endowed with earthworm biodiversity, but of the 750 or so named species of earthworm in Australia, very few have been found in arid environments. The Broken Hill earthworm, a new genus and species, was a serendipitous find in an unexpected location. Find out more at the AM!

21 December 2021

Discoveries and disruptions: 2021 in AMRI

2021 was an unprecedented year for many: despite COVID-19 disruptions and restrictions, AMRI scientists discovered an unprecedented number of species, published at a new record, carried out fieldwork, and engaged with the public in our citizen science programs.

20 December 2021

News from LIRS: Marine pollution research

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. For this month, we feature: Marine pollution research.

16 December 2021

Patient Zero, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Patient Zero: stories of disease outbreaks

In conversation with Joel Werner and Olivia Willis, co-winners of the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism.

14 December

Dr Laetitia Gunton digitising sponge specimens.

Digitising the treasures of the sea

The Australian Museum is digitising its collections, including the historic and diverse Marine Invertebrate collection. We explain how the Museum is opening up its treasure trove of specimens to the world and the discoveries we are making along the way.

14 December 2021

Where nature, science and culture intersect

We are Australia’s first museum, and have over 21 million scientific specimens and cultural objects in our collections. Learn more from First Nations people, discover thousands of animal factsheets and explore our online education resources.

Discover & Learn Animal Factsheets Learning Resources

For teachers and students

Our education programs and resources spark curiosity, develop scientific understanding and enhance cultural awareness in students of all ages.

Collections
Knowledge
Exhibitions

First Nations

Learn more about this land’s First Nations peoples and cultures.

Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Extinct animals

Animal factsheets

Discover the astonishing variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, marine life and more in the Australian Museum collections.

Identify an animal
Cultural objects
Fossils and minerals

Object and species identification

Use our online enquiry form for help with Australian animal identification, natural history and cultural object enquiries.

Ask an expert

Climate change

The Australian Museum has been involved in raising awareness and researching impacts of climate change for over a decade.

What are we doing?
What is climate change?

Megafauna
Fossil sites in Australia
Geological time scale

School girl looking at megafauna display

Australia over time

Learn about our evolving landscape, Australian megafauna and other extinct animals and how we use fossils to relate the animals of the past with those of today.

The Mesozoic era
Dinosaur factsheets
Australian dinosaurs

Megafauna

Megafauna are large animals such as elephant, mammoth, rhinocerous and Australia's own diprotodon.

Extinction theory

Dinosaurs and their relatives

Discover the Mesozoic era of the dinosaurs! Dinosaurs are classified as a group of reptiles, although some of their features are found in mammals and birds living today.

Stages of Decomposition
The Human story
Virtual Autopsy

Science of life

Learn about biodiversity, the scientific study of life and organisms, and the story of human evolution.

Shaping the Earth
Minerals
Fossils

Earth science

The Mineralogy and Palaeontology collections include rocks, minerals, gemstones and fossils, and reveal how the earth was formed.

Museum news
Education programs
Collection information

Westpac Long Gallery Level 1 Collection Cases

Discover & Learn

We are Australia’s first museum, and have over 21.9 million scientific specimens and cultural objects in our collections. Learn more about our latest discoveries, animal factsheets and education programs.

Curated for the curious
Activities for kids at home

Get involved

Make a donation. Become a member or volunteer. Or put your passion into practice on a citizen science project. Find out how you can get involved with the Australian Museum.

Become a Member Make a Donation Contact Us

AM Inside Out

Deep dive into fascinating stories and learning materials for inquisitive minds, everywhere.

Membership packages
Museum discounts

Become a Member

With unique benefits, special events and exclusive access, an Australian Museum Membership unlocks even more wonder.

Join and save today

Donate to the Australian Museum Foundation

The Australian Museum Foundation relies on your donation to help invest in the future of Australian Museum research, education and programs.

Ways to join the Foundation
Our supporters

Donate now

FrogID

FrogID is a national citizen science project that is helping us learn more about what is happening to Australia’s frogs.

Free mobile app
Record frog calls

DigiVol
FrogID mobile app
Australasian Fishes

Andrew Trevor-Jones, citizen scientist for Australasian Fishes

Citizen science

See our citizen science projects and discover how you can get involved and contribute!

Get involved

Work at the Museum

Discover the exciting roles in research, exhibitions, education and communicating the relationship between people, culture and the natural environment.

Research
Exhibitions
Communication
Scholarships

Postgraduate Awards
Research
Fellowship

Awards & Fellowships

The Australian Museum Foundation & Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) offers several different fellowships to visiting researchers.

Support our research
Help save the reef

Life at Lizard: Waging war on the Crown-of-Thorns starfish

Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation

Proudly supporting science at the Australian Museum's Lizard Island Research Station and elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.

Get involved

Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

Rewarding excellence in Australian research & innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science

Key 2022 Dates
School Science
Frequently Asked Questions

Media releases
Photography & filming
Media contact

Media Centre

Discover the latest news about the Australian Museum and Australian Museum Research Institute. The Media Centre also provides information, images and expert comment on scientific and cultural research, exhibitions and wider Museum activities.

Organisation
Governance
Our history
Future plans

About the Museum

The Australian Museum has been inspiring exploration of nature and culture for more than 190 years. Learn more about what we do, our extraordinary collections or our fascinating history.

Our Organisation Our History Museum Collections

About the Museum

Learn more about our organisational structure, what we do, the passionate people who work at the Australian Museum and our fascinating history.

Biodiversity & geodiversity
Collections-based research

Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI)

AMRI brings together scientific expertise and world-class research infrastructure to increase our knowledge of the world around us and inform environmental decision-making for a better future.

Reef research
Planning a trip
Fellowships and grants

Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station

The Lizard Island Research Station is a world-leading supplier of on-reef facilities for coral reef research and education. Located on the northern Great Barrier Reef, 270 km north of Cairns in Queensland, Australia.

Natural Sciences
Cultural collections
Museum Archives

Museum collections

The Australian Museum has spent more than 190 years building a vast collection of over 21.9 million objects and specimens alongside an enviable reputation for world-leading science.

Aviation wildlife strike
Conservation genomic projects

Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics

Our primary focus is on ecological applications such as species identification, individualisation, conservation and small population management.

Lord Howe Island
Solomon Islands
Historic expeditions

Research and expeditions

Learn about past Australian Museum expeditions and field work from around the globe that have contributed to our collections and research.

Strategic plans
Annual reports
Protected loans

Australian Museum Archival images 200 Treasures

The Australian Museum’s statement of reflection

Cultural institutions have a responsibility to critically reflect on history and how it influences the present.

By Nathan mudyi Sentance

Policies and Reports

Review the Australian Museum's policies, plans and publications.

Future plans

As part of a $40M Blockbuster Funding agreement created by the NSW Government, the Australian Museum will be able to host and tour major exhibitions over the next four years including: Ramses The Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs and SHARKS.

Visit the Australian Museum in Sydney

Visit Australia’s first museum in the heart of Sydney to discover Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, our collection of Australian dinosaurs, and the deadliest of down under animals. See you at the Australian Museum.