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

Jurassic World by Brickman^® Image: -
© UCS LLC and Amblin

Nights at the Museum

Why not visit us after dark?

Open until 9pm every Thursday night

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

From the Sydney Basin to Torres Strait, discover and celebrate the rich cultures of Australia’s Salt Water People, who for tens of thousands of years have lived and flourished on Garrigarang nura – sea country.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily
10am-5pm

Museum news

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

Australian Museum Shop

Discover products inspired by our natural history and cultural collections.

AM Member discount

COVID-19 safety

To help keep our staff, visitors and community safe, the AM has COVID-19 protocols in place including physical distancing, increased cleaning and hygiene practices. Facemasks are encouraged.

COVID-19 protocols

Plan your visit

From dinosaurs to rooftop dining, the transformed Australian Museum has something for everyone and General Admission is now free. Open from 10am to 5pm daily, plan 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 Museum Minis for kids and First Nations cultural programs and tours.

Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays from 28 May
11.30am, 1pm

Terrarium making and First Nations tour promo

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.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 21 February

Museum Minis

Kids can discover even more at the Museum through these free interactive playgroups for 3-5-year-olds. Get up close to objects and specimens and share stories and songs with Museum educators.

Thursday 2 June
6:30pm - 8pm

The Talbot Oration: Inspiring Visions for a Climate Solution

In this free talk, author and social researcher Rebecca Huntley will explore how images can hold the solution to a better climate future.

Permanent exhibition
Open daily
10am-5pm

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.

Every Thursday night
5 – 9pm

Nights at the Museum

Why not visit us after dark? We will be open until 9pm on Thursday nights with live music, a pop-up bar and more.

Collect from the Cloak Room (LG)

Little Adventure Bag

A bundle of take-home activities and tools for little adventurers at the Australian Museum!

Wednesday 8 - Saturday 18 June
5 - 9pm

Vivid Sydney

Celebrate Vivid Sydney at the Australian Museum in June.

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

Sydney Science Trail

The Sydney Science Trail returns this National Science Week with a jam-packed program for schools, community Saturdays and an online trail!

13 – 21 August 2022

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

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 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

Wild Planet

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

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours
Learning journeys

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

How many coral species? We thought we could tell by external appearance but molecular analysis suggests that we’ve been missing a lot.

News from LIRS: 2022 Critical Research Grant awarded

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: 2022 Critical Research Grant awarded.

19 May 2022

International Museum Day 2022: The Power of Museums

Today, Wednesday 18 May 2022, we celebrate International Museum Day.

Wednesday 18 May 2022

Newly described species. Left: Sepioloidea jaelae; Right: Sepioloidea virgilioi.

Deep dark dumplings: Two new bottletail squids from New Zealand

Decades after their discovery, two species of bottletail squid are finally formally described. Jae Santos at the Australian Museum tells us how these species differ from other squids, and the stages in bringing new species to light.

6 May 2022

Dr Frank Köhler, Dr Isabel Hyman and Junn Foon on Lord Howe Island.

Magnificent discoveries on Lord Howe Island

A recent snail survey on Lord Howe Island was punctuated with shouts of excitement, as we found not one, not two, but three rarely seen species.

27 April 2022

Professor Julie Bines, winner of the 2021 Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research

Meet the paediatric gastroenterologist reducing the burden of diarrhoeal disease

In conversation with Professor Julie Bines, winner of the 2021 Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research.

26 April 2022

Future-proofing the koala: How museums can help protect an Australian icon

The most comprehensive genetic assessment of koala populations to date has provided fascinating insights into how the species responded to past climate change, and highlights the critical role of museums in supporting ongoing conservation efforts.

20 April 2022

A Barrier Reef Anemonefish in its host anemone.

News from LIRS: Damselfishes in colour

19 April 2022

Sāmoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa

Moana Toa: Pasifika female leadership series – The Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister of Sāmoa

The Moana Toa series celebrates International Women’s Day by highlighting a selection of Pasifika women leaders and recognising their contribution towards gender equality.

13 April 2022

Conserving Australia’s Mahogany glider

Australian Museum scientist, Dr Stephen Jackson, leads the publication of the recovery plan for the endangered mahogany glider.

5 April 2022

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.

1 April 2022

Bone density in big cats: zoos vs. the wild

A recent study by an international team of scientists has tested the expectation that big cats in the wild exhibit greater skeletal density than their captive counterparts. The results of which affect future comparative studies and rewilding programs!

1 April 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.

Collections
Knowledge
Exhibitions

First Nations

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

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.

Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Extinct animals

Animal factsheets

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

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.

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

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.

Megafauna
Fossil sites in Australia
Geological time scale

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.

Key 2022 Dates
School Science
Frequently Asked Questions

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

Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

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

Ways to join the Foundation
Our supporters

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

Become a Member

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

Membership packages
Museum discounts

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.

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.

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