Free entry, blockbuster funding and new spaces drive record visitation at the Australian Museum

Author(s)

Farley Fitzgerald, Claire Vince
Published

05 August 2022
Read time

2 minutes

5 August, 2022, Sydney: The Australian Museum (AM) hit new visitor records by attracting more than 100,000 visitors across two weeks of the recent 2022 July School Holidays. Families flocked to see the blockbuster Jurassic World by Brickman^® exhibition and the new must-see children’s gallery, Burra.

Forty four percent of the visitors during the school holiday period paid to experience the blockbuster Jurassic World by Brickman^® exhibition that was extended over the July school holidays and made possible through funding from the NSW Government’s Blockbuster initiative.

Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin said it was heartening to see such a positive impact from the recent extension of free entry at the Australian Museum.

“As cost of living pressures rise across the country, the NSW Government is committed to ensuring free or subsidised access to arts and cultural experiences for families to enjoy while delivering an economic dividend to neighbouring businesses,” Mr Franklin said.

“These results are significant and immediate, demonstrating the community’s enthusiastic support for this important cost of living initiative.”

Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO said the record visitation during the July 2022 school holidays can be contributed to a combination of FREE general entry, blockbuster exhibitions, funding and new spaces and amenities at the AM thanks to the support of the NSW Government and private donors of Project Discover, the AM’s major transformation.

“I’m delighted that the NSW Government’s recent budget announcement to extend free general entry at the Australian Museum has seen incredible visitation numbers over the recent July school holidays, figures we typically only see at major sporting events. Thanks to the support of the NSW Government, the transformed AM has maxed out our floor space, even without international tourists,” McKay said.

“In September, the AM will open its new homegrown blockbuster exhibition, Sharks, for the summer season. Following its debut in Sydney, the Sharks exhibition will tour venues around the world, with additional blockbuster funding from the NSW Government, showcasing the wonderful work of the AM exhibitions, science and First Nations team on a global scale,” McKay added.

Next year, Sydney will be one of only ten cities in the world to host the extraordinary Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition at the Australian Museum with support from the Blockbuster funding from the NSW Government.

Learn more about the AM’s future plans: https://australian.museum/about/organisation/future-plans.

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Record crowds for July School holidays
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About the Australian Museum

The Australian Museum (AM) was founded in 1827 and is the nation’s first museum. It is internationally recognised as a natural science and culture institution focused on Australia and the Pacific. The AM’s mission is to ignite wonder, inspire debate and drive change. The AM’s vision is to be a leading voice for the richness of life, the Earth and culture in Australia and the Pacific. The AM commits to transforming the conversation around climate change, the environment and wildlife conservation; to being a strong advocate for First Nations cultures; and to continuing to develop world-leading science, collections, exhibitions and education programs. With 22 million objects and specimens and the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), the AM is not only a dynamic source of reliable scientific information on some of the most pressing environmental and social challenges facing our region, but also an important site of cultural exchange and learning.