Australian Museum

School Holidays: Dinosaur Festival

Travel back 200 million years these spring school holidays as Sydney’s 'Dinosaur Museum' is taken over by a roaring program!

Programs and events

Saturday 7 October 2023
8am-10am

Children at the Australian Museum Early Birds Autism and Sensory Friendly Morning.

Early Birds: Autism and sensory-friendly mornings

Visit the Museum in a reduced sensory, relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays
11.30am, 1pm

Waranara tour guide in the Garrigarrang Gallery

Waranara Tours

Expand your understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures on this unique tour of objects from the Australian Museum's collections, led by a First Nations guide.

Permanent education space
Open daily

Burra

Be transported on an immersive journey through the eyes of burra (eel) in the Australian Museum’s new learning and play space.

5pm - 9pm every Wednesday

Nights at the Museum

Enjoy live music, a pop-up bar and explore incredible exhibitions with free guided tours by local artists during our after-hours culture fix!

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours

School programs and excursions

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

Book now

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.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily

Minerals

Be dazzled by over 1800 spectacular rocks and minerals in our new Minerals Gallery.

Permanent exhibition

Located at the entrance to the Australian Museum

Wild Planet

Delve into this audio guide of Wild Planet and learn about extraordinary animal adaptations and the importance of preserving Australia's biodiversity.

Audio guide

Play now

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 guides of exhibitions

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

Highlights of exhibits
Accessible audio description

Listen now

Latest news

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

Read our News Stories Listen to our Podcasts Visit the Media Centre

Fossilised spider, Megamonodontium mccluskyi

Large fossil spider found in Australia

The first fossil from the brush footed trapdoor spider family ever found.

27 September 2023

Kayseraspis cf. brackebuschi, GSWAF55454, partially complete (articulated) specimen, 2160.78 m. Photographer Peter Haines. Copyright Geological Survey of Western Australia

Six new species of Western Australian trilobites

Six new species of trilobites have been found deep underground in the Canning Basin, Western Australia. Dr Patrick Smith at the Australian Museum and Heidi Allen from Geological Survey of WA tell us how this discovery has reshaped our understanding of ancient life and geological time in the region.

21 September 2023

A new study re-examining flasher wrasses of Australia yields new and surprising findings, including a species new to science, <i>Paracheilinus amanda</i>.

Australia’s dazzling flasher wrasses!

Flasher wrasses are a group of dazzling, colourful little fishes. Of the twenty or so species found globally, three are known to occur in Australia – or so we thought! A new study re-examines this group, and includes a species new to science, named after an Australian Museum superstar.

15 September 2023

Farm dam on a private property on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.

Can farm dams help support frog conservation?

With the help of tens of thousands of citizen scientists across Australia, scientists from Deakin University and the Australian Museum explored the value of farm dams to frogs and determined what features of dams support more frog species.

14 September 2023

Statement regarding the Voice to Parliament

The Australian Museum (AM) shares a vision for reconciliation that is a united Australia that values and respects First Nations cultures, histories and knowledges.

8 September 2023

Ron Lovatt - DigiVol extraordinaire

Ron Lovatt has volunteered with DigiVol since the program began at the Australian Museum. He has brought his extraordinary technical skills in photography to the program, photographing nature's finest details through focus-stacking and stitching of high resolution macro images.

DigiVol

<i>Iniistius bakunawa</i>, the Eclipse-spot Razor Wrasse.

The fish that devoured the moon

Public wet markets and trawl surveys unveil a new species of razor wrasse from the Philippines and Western Australia, adding to a group of fishes that live curious lives away from the megadiverse coral reefs.

5 September 2023

The Common Mist Frog (Litoria rheocola) suffered population declines and disappearances due to the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis).

Faded out: What environments did Australian frog populations disappear from due to disease?

By looking at historical and recent frog records across Australia, including from FrogID, we reveal how Australian frog distributions have changed in response to the introduction of a deadly pathogen.

30 August 2023

Australia's leading science awards announce 2023 winners

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes announce 2023 winners.

23 August 2023

Pygmy bluetongue nose has broken the water surface of a flooded artificial burrow.

The ultimate hide & seek champion: Pygmy blue-tongues can stay hidden in flooded burrows

Did you know that endangered pygmy blue-tongues are champions at holding their breath? These lizards can temporarily suspend their breathing for almost 40 minutes in rain flooded burrows. Kim Michael, recipient of the 2022/23 Peter Rankin Trust Fund for Herpetology, tells us more.

21 August 2023

Hear our new podcast: Nocturnal Worlds

Journeys through nature for sleep and relaxation.

An Audiocraft original podcast
created with the AM

Listen now

Palaeontologist Lachlan Hart with fossil named Arenaepeton supinatus

Scientists name new species of giant amphibian found in retaining wall

Arenaepeton supinatus was discovered in rocks cut from a nearby quarry that were intended for the building of a garden wall.

9 August 2023

Australian Museum, University of Canberra and University of New South Wales scientists excavating at McGraths Flat.

Citizen scientists help date fossil sites

Date a Fossil allows you to be a palaeontologist from home! Scientists engaged 271 citizen scientists in the Date a Fossil project, and in doing so, uncovered hundreds of microfossils in a unique iron-rich fossil site located in McGraths Flat, central New South Wales, Australia.

8 August 2023

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 Journals & Publications

Object and species identification

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

Identify an animal
Cultural objects
Fossils and minerals

Ask an expert

Animal factsheets

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

Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Extinct animals

Collections
Knowledge
Exhibitions

First Nations

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

What are we doing?
What is climate change?

Climate change

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

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours
Learning journeys

For teachers and students

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

Why we collect
Research areas

Minerals Gallery online publication

Discover the Australian Museum's extraordinary mineral collections and the iconic specimens on display in our new MInerals Gallery.

Natural Sciences

Discover the AM's extensive collections and research areas, including the name-bearing type specimens held at the Museum.

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

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.

Ways to join the Foundation
Our supporters

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

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.

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

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

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

Key 2024 Dates
Award Ceremony
Frequently Asked Questions

Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

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

DigiVol
FrogID App
Australasian Fishes

Andrew Trevor-Jones, citizen scientist for Australasian Fishes

Citizen science projects

Discover our citizen science projects and discover how you can get involved and contribute to the Australian Museum.

Get involved

Awards & Fellowships

The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) offers several different and exciting fellowships to visiting students and researchers.

Postgraduate Awards
Research
Fellowship

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 AM

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 Australian Museum (AM)

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.

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

Expeditions and fieldwork

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

What are we doing?
Achieving climate neutral

Sustainability

As a leading natural history and cultural institution, the Australian Museum (AM) has a responsibility to educate, inspire and act on environmental sustainability.

Strategic plans
Annual reports
Protected loans

Policies and Reports

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

Future plans

The AM has an ambitious vision for the future with new galleries, blockbuster exhibitions and transformations scheduled over the coming years.

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.

General enquiries: +61 2 9320 6000
Media: +61 2 9320 6181

Contact us

Contact information for customer feedback, members team, school and group visits, website feedback, booking venues and functions, touring exhibitions and media contacts.

More information

Australian 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.

Natural Sciences
Cultural collections
Museum Archives