Given Sydney's history as the first penal colony and founding city of Australia, its no surprise that it has a lot of history to offer us in the way of museums. Sydney is home to both state-run and privately-owned museums, exploring its colonial past, its Indigenous heritage, along with the couple small ones focused on niche interests. With such a rich culture, paying a visit to any of these museums is far from a waste of time.
The Museum of Sydney was built over and around Australia's first Government House with the intention of preserving the history of the building and Australia's early settlement. This museum is right outside Circular Quay train station and was once home to founding governor Arthur Phillip. The First Fleet models are incredibly interesting here, built on a 1:48 scale, and the Yura Nura: People and Country display provides a much-needed Indigenous perspective on the effect of colonisation in the context of the museum's site being the first Government House. The Justice and Police Museum is a short walk from the Museum of Sydney and is again housed in what were previously colonial-era buildings, this time a police station and court. This museum delves into Sydney's criminal past, including iconic bushrangers and spooky jail rooms.
Heading to Sydney's Town Hall introduces the Australian Museum, the pillar of Sydney's museums entirely. This is the oldest museum in the nation, refurbished in 2020 and claiming a collection of over 20 million pieces. The Neoclassical style of the building is just as interesting as the collections, although not more so—their 200 treasure collections show their most valued items conveniently in one place, where we could spend hours. It's conveniently located directly across from Hyde Park for the picnic of all picnics in Australia's oldest parkland.
The Hyde Park Barracks Museum is a short walk from the Australian Museum and focuses on convict history. The building is an original colonial construction used for convicts in Sydney's early settlement. An audio guide takes you through the museum, where you can see intact convict clothing in an incredibly immersive visit I would make an effort for.
Darlinghurst is a little further out from the CBD but contains two museums that are well worth the commute. The Sydney Jewish Museum is a ten-minute walk from Kings Cross Station, and has been educating their visitors on the Holocaust and its impacts for almost 35 years. 12 000 artefacts can be found here, and Judaism in Australia is explored with a level of detail and sensitivity that profoundly affects you, especially when you're not as aware of its history.
In contrast, the nearby Qtopia museum was just opened in 2024, serving as the largest museum for LGBT history in the world. Events and performances are regularly hosted out of their heritage listed site, the former Darlinghurst Police Station. The exhibit on HIV/AIDS is particularly impactful, although all 18 are eye-opening and informative.