Australian Museum

School holidays

Discover science and culture through a diverse program of interactive workshops for kids aged 5 to 16 years.

Programs and events

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 exhibitions, 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.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily

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.

Saturday 10 September: 12pm & 2pm
Sunday 11 September: 2pm

Poetry workshop: The power of storytelling

This Indigenous Literacy Day, join celebrated spoken word poet and Gomeroi man Rob Waters for an in-depth, 1.5-hour workshop on writing and performing poetry.

Burleigh Heads
Green Hills
Wetherill Park
Shellharbour

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

Future Now

A pop-up exhibition about sustainability created by the Australian Museum, touring Stockland Retail Town Centres in 2022.

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

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

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

Surviving Australia

Uncover the secrets of Australia’s weird and wonderful wildlife, including our most-curious living species and the giant megafauna from the past, as you explore the variety of fascinating adaptations to life on this island continent.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily

Highlights of exhibits
Accessible audio description

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.

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.

Read our Blog Explore Podcast Visit the Media Centre

NSW Treasurer, the Hon. Matt Kean MP at the Australian Museum Sharks exhibition launch.

Dive into the world of Sharks at the Australian Museum

Discover and explore the cultural and conservation story of these prehistoric and mysterious ocean predators.

23 September 2022

Vale Brian Sherman AM

The Australian Museum honours the legacy of former Australian Museum (AM) Trust President and leading science and arts philanthropist, Brian Sherman AM.

16 September 2022

2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners, Wild Planet Australian Museum.

Celebrating science with the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

The winners of the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were announced last week, celebrating excellence in Australian science.

5 September 2022

Whose hoot? Identity of unknown owl revealed

Excitement stirred when a small unidentified owl was found dead on Lord Howe Island; Australian Museum scientists have now identified the wayward individual.

30 August 2022

New acquisition: A rock that is 2.5 billion years old

A spectacular specimen has been acquired for the AM’s upcoming Minerals exhibition.

29 August 2022

ASSI Recognition Day Video Recording 16 August 2022

Australian South Sea Islander Recognition Week: An interview with Emelda Davis and Dr Sonya Pearce

Last week the Pasifika team were fortunate enough to sit with Sydney City Councillor, Emelda Davis, and Dr Sonya Pearce to hear their stories and celebrate the Australian South Sea Islander story: 175 years ago, to now and well into the future.

25 August 2022

'Three Cultures’ Piece acknowledging Dylan Mooney'ss Torres Strait, Aboriginal & Australian South Sea Island heritage

Australian South Sea Islander Recognition Week: An interview with Dylan Mooney

Alongside the Australian South Sea Islander community, the Australian Museum stand in solidarity with our Pasifika kinfolk in recognising 175 years of the Australian South Sea Island peoples and their stories.

22 August 2022

A pair of Peron’s Tree Frogs (Litoria peronii) attempting to mate beside a suburban pond

Citizen science reveals the breeding seasons of frogs is longer in the city

Human activity is causing frogs to breed earlier and for longer. What does this mean for the future of frogs?

12 August 2022

It’s official – the Australian Museum has more visitors than ever before!

Ever since I became the Australian Museum’s (AM) Director and CEO, I’ve wanted to see the AM full of happy visitors bubbling with life - and it’s brilliant to have some good news to share.

11 August 2022

A First Nations lens on glass in Australia

As a Waanyi descendant, I am proud to be a part of the longest living cultures in Australia and have had the opportunity to highlight a small part of First Nations knowledges and their place in National Science Week 2022.

By Jesse King

Brian Sherman AM presented with Lifetime Achievement Award, August 2022

Philanthropist Brian Sherman AM, honoured with Australian Museum award for contribution to scientific research

The 2022 Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Brian Sherman AM at a ceremony at the Australian Museum on Tuesday night.

4 August 2022

State of the Environment Report

The recent release of the State of Environment (SOE) Report by Australian Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, has highlighted the urgent key issues facing our environment – many of which the Australian Museum (AM) is focussed on.

28 July 2022

2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists

The Australian Museum has announced the 45 finalists shortlisted for 14 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

27 July 2022

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours
Learning journeys

Nights at the Museum 23 June 2022 - Wan Sol Moana (One Ocean) - Pasifika

Youth Reconnection Project 2022

The Australian Museum's Pasifika team have re-trialed the Pacific Youth Reconnection Project to evaluate how we can develop and expand these cultural workshops for Pasifika youth today.

28 July 2022

Video capture of the Octopus Pair at Lizard Island.

News from LIRS: Octopus pair at Lizard Island

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. This month, we feature: Octopus pair at Lizard Island.

26 July 2022

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

For teachers and students

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

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.

Collections
Knowledge
Exhibitions

First Nations

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

Identify an animal
Cultural objects
Fossils and minerals

Object and species identification

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

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

Why we collect
Research areas

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

Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

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

Key 2022 Dates
Award Ceremony
Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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.

Media releases
Photography & filming
Media contact

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.

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.

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

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.

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