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Top History museums in Sydney, Australia
Top Rated History museums in Sydney
Top Reviewed History museums in Sydney
Reviews
Our family ended our holiday cruise vacation and needed to spend the day occupying ourselves until our nighttime flight home. I found the National Maritime Museum was only about a 10 minute drive from the cruise terminal and we literally spent the entire day here. It is an absolutely terrific museum with beautiful indoor exhibits and displays, accompanied by a stunning array of real vessels—ships, even a submarine, which were all available to board and tour! We homeschool our kids and our travels are an extension of their education and they (11 & 14) both really enjoyed this place, as did all of the adults. A highlight to top off this amazing place are the knowledgeable and friendly volunteer staff that are onsite to teach you and answer questions about the ships and vessels. This is a remarkable and memorable museum—don’t miss it!
Great for the boys (6 and 3yrs). Wait for the submarine was long so we skipped it - too hard to wait in line so long with little kids. But otherwise all good. Buy a ticket online to save the entry queue. We went during the Summer school holidays so water play area was great. So was the Octopus Garden fun darkened area inside - the boys had fun chasing light-show crabs in the game they had set up, and jumping on the mountain of pebble-looking floor cushions. They loved checking out the open ships.
There were enough things to experience for hours. However, it will be more interesting to people who care about the history and development of maritime technology. You are not going to see high-tech stuff from the navy nor the very old systems of Aboriginal people.
Side note: There was a considerable wait time to see the submarine but the time spent in the submarine was very short.
Side note: There was a considerable wait time to see the submarine but the time spent in the submarine was very short.
We had an extraordinary experience there. The day that we visited the museum was a public holiday and we had been waiting 30 min to get to the submarine. It was worthy to wait that long queue. Staff and volunteers are friendly and they were passionate about their job. They knew all the stuff about the vessel that they were representing, if you want to know more just ask the crew.
The outdoor displays of real military marine vessels makes this museum stand out. The ships appear to be in great condition and there is knowledge staff onboard each vessel to offer visitors information and answer questions you may have.
I also liked looking at related marine exhibits inside. While I was there, there was a marine photography display and it had some amazing National Geographic level photos. Just amazing. I only wish I could take a photo as good as they have.
Plan to spend at least one hour here. Note if you are tall or suffer from confined spaces then going into the submarine may not be such a good idea. It is cramped inside and if you are taller than 5 ft 6 then you will likely hit your head on something.
If you like my reviews, photos or videos then climb on board and batten down the like hatch and sail off for a great voyage.
I also liked looking at related marine exhibits inside. While I was there, there was a marine photography display and it had some amazing National Geographic level photos. Just amazing. I only wish I could take a photo as good as they have.
Plan to spend at least one hour here. Note if you are tall or suffer from confined spaces then going into the submarine may not be such a good idea. It is cramped inside and if you are taller than 5 ft 6 then you will likely hit your head on something.
If you like my reviews, photos or videos then climb on board and batten down the like hatch and sail off for a great voyage.
Tiny museum, but very pleasant. Informative video installation about the early years after the landing of European colonizers in Australia.
Caught ferry from Circular Quay. Enjoyed the museum. It was great being able to board a submarine and the other vessels that are moored there. Well done for preserving parts of our history and the volunteers that are working there, are both knowledgeable, and very pleasant.
I visited the Maritime Museum with general admission, which limited me to the free areas, but I must say it was a delightful experience. The museum was not only informative but also a lot of fun. A highlight of our visit was meeting David, the model maker, who was truly excellent. He went out of his way to explain many things to the kids and was friendly throughout. David's engaging explanations kept both kids and adults entertained, making our visit truly enjoyable. We had a great time exploring the museum!
Visiting museum of Sydney for Sydney opera house at 50’s event. Amazing exhibition with a few fun activities for kids. You had an opportunity to listen to an iconic opera while seeing the custom used in the opera or watching part of a theatre while the accessories and clothes are on display. Maestro room was phenomenal for kids and adults.
Museum of Sydney had a really great exhibition about the Sydney Opera House. I liked the Lego Opera House and the other diaramas. It was also free entry. A worthy stop if you are in the nearby Circular Quay.
Free to the public, has a few great films and other historical reference to the city, including the world renowned Opera House. Be sure to watch the 3-5 minute film at the entrance, and leave a small appreciation note or drawing before you leave.
Thoroughly enjoyed the Sydney history, with great facilities to help us, tourists, understand and appreciate the experience. Audio recording and videos are also available, and artefacts are well-preserved. The staff are really really nice too!
A great place to spend a day with the family, or by yourself.
It is jam packed with information and in fun ways it has been presented.
I've been a few times, with years between my visits, and I always learn amazing facts.
The staff are always ready to help and explain, and share their own interpretation.
The location couldn't be better, easy to get there and move around the exhibits.
There is a Cafe with lots of tasty treats.
Something for everyone.
The entry price is a bargain for what you receive.
It is jam packed with information and in fun ways it has been presented.
I've been a few times, with years between my visits, and I always learn amazing facts.
The staff are always ready to help and explain, and share their own interpretation.
The location couldn't be better, easy to get there and move around the exhibits.
There is a Cafe with lots of tasty treats.
Something for everyone.
The entry price is a bargain for what you receive.
This is the most see museum, which is close to the Sydney Harbor. There is no cost for the entrance, the building itself off three-story, and you can see a wide range of displays. Nice bathrooms, but only on the ground floors. There are several theaters where you can watch about how, the harbor was built all the city itself was designed 🏛️ The Museum of Sydney is a captivating journey through the city's rich history and culture! With interactive exhibits and fascinating artifacts, it offers an immersive experience for all ages. Exploring the museum with family and friends is a great way to spend a day, as it provides valuable insights into Sydney's past and present. Don't miss this cultural gem on your next visit to the city! 🏙️🗺️ #MuseumOfSydney #HistoryAndCulture #MustVisit
This museum has three floors. The exhibition was mostly about the First Fleet and the history of the Sydney Opera House. Free entry for everyone.
A small local history museum of Sydney. It keeps parts of the first governor’s house to tell how Sydney cove established. And tell tell the story about the aboriginal people first time contact with Europeans. There’s a special exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sydney Opera House. Remarkable!
Really nice city
Fantastic guide to show us around fantastic experience
Not worth a visit.
Historical building yes, but a museum it is not.
Don't miss coffee shop and store! A sense of history pervades.
This review relates to an Sydney Living Museums event. We've been to a few now and recently went on the History Pub Tour around The Rocks (Sat 18th June). To be frank this was woeful. We were expecting a hell of a lot more for the price hit at $60 a ticket. The advertisement is extremely misleading! A number of issues. The mic/portable amp weren't checked prior to the tour. The lead and input needed to be cleaned, the lead much shorter (it was metres in length) and the amp crackled loudly and was inaudible for most of it as it either wasn't working through connection, was turned too low to hear anything or the presenter was talking too far from the mic to hear anything. Charles is reasonably knowledgeable but we did around 6 pubs and information on some was actually quite little which begs the question of why not include more pubs/locations? They could quite easily include a dozen+ pubs for this in the area. There wasn't even a handout detailing a street map, locations of pubs and brief info! It was all over in around an hour. Walking time equated for well over more than half of the time! We also thought we'd be going inside potentially all of the pubs available to see something of interest and/or be shown something but this only occurred at the last pub which obviously was the most interesting....not sure if they've asked others and been refused by the pubs but that would of made for a better experience and something they could clearly organise esp for the price. As would the inclusion of a beverage at the locations where it could be done. This clearly hasn't had the planning it should have had to make it better and a more engaging event. Some other Living Museums events have been good but this is just seriously pathetic. They have seriously misled and ripped off customers! Problems/issues: poorly planned, very few actual pubs for a 'pub tour', way over priced and you pay $60 to walk for half an hour! Strongly recommend NOT doing this!!! Formal complaint lodged for full refund if that gives you an idea!
Nice museum. Worth a look. They have aboriginal totem poles and the first settler ships model display and documents. Also, they have a cool wall display of items from around the world.
This is the front office of Sydney Living Museums and the site of what was once the burgeoning colonies first Grog shop.... Hospital. And then the mint, where coins were made until 1920 something and lastly but not leastly as offices for the proletariat - erm.. New South Wales government. There's a cafe upstairs where you can while away the time having a long lunch while everyone else works. A keen reminder of days gone by, with immaculate exhibitions of coinage. There's an underused research facility in here too - the Caroline Simpson library. Staff here are friendly - although having a research area exposed to the SLM workplace is somewhat distracting. Come here to see what's been said and written, drawn and photographed of the many Sydney suburbs and their stories. No WiFi.