Best Museums in Sydney: Art, History & Science

Sydney's museums and galleries offer an outstanding window into Australian history, Indigenous culture, and Pacific art that's simply not available anywhere else in the world. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is the state's principal art institution — strong Australian colonial and contemporary collections alongside significant Indigenous Australian and Pacific art. The Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) on Circular Quay holds Australia's largest dedicated contemporary art collection in a spectacular harbour-front building with a rooftop terrace that doubles as an event space. The Australian Museum on College Street is Australia's oldest museum — natural history, Indigenous Australian, and Pacific Island collections that span 200 years of scientific collecting. The Powerhouse Museum (now relocated to Parramatta) covers science, technology, design, and social history with an emphasis on Australian innovation. The Museum of Sydney occupies the site of the first Government House, with archaeological remains visible through glass floors. Hyde Park Barracks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, tells the story of convict transportation and early colonial settlement.