It was a rainy day in Sydney and so I needed to find something interesting indoors. Well, this was…read morean awesome find. First of all entry is free, which is always welcome. There is so much to see also, I would gladly have paid for entry. There is a large hall that features a lot of original native arts and animals from various regions around the world. Another area features animals from all areas around the globe. Of course a large area dedicated to Australia specific history, from it's people to it's animals including those unfortunately extinct. A whole section for dinosaurs. A children's area and a fabulous gift shop are also housed here. This is so worth a visit, especially on a rainy day.

A great FREE museum in Sydney. You can spend a few hours walking around checking all the different…read moreexhibits. It was fun to see and how museums are over in Australia. A must!

Had this art gallery on my list of must do's when visiting Sydney. For starter's its free to visit!…read moreThey have so many great exhibit's and easy to get here. Located in the middle of the city, within walking distance. You are allowed to take photos here, avoid the flash. Came here to see their amazing European art collection. Claude Monet's Port Goulphar 1887, beautiful color with detailed brushstrokes. One of my favorite paintings. Vincent Van Gogh's hand of a peasant 1884 was great, lot's of people checking this one out. Another must see was Pablo Picasso's reclining women on a couch 1939. You can get lost in his paintings. I made sure to take time to walk through the Australian art section. I enjoyed seeing the paintings on the animal hides and showcasing so much history. Lot's of talented local artists.

Love visiting this place. I walk up through the Botanical Gardens envying nature's beauty then into…read morethe art gallery. This trip was to view the 2018 Archibald Prize. The talent was amazing. I loved the diversity of the work. The building has the beautiful old facade them you are into a modern building.

A free must see history of Sydney. The main level holds a gift shop. The next level displays the…read morefirst fleet stories. The best part is a fascinating documentary about the first governor dealing with the native people whose land the Brits took over. The next floor has special exhibits and a coloring zone with trippy photographi murals displayed. A great thing to do on a rainy day.

Nice brief snapshot of the early history of Europeans colonization of Australia. Plus plenty of…read moredetails about Sydney's biggest pride & joy: Opera House. Both eye opening & sad facts about convicts, first nation's people, etc. Good way to kill an hour or two in a very modern informative space.....and best of all, it's free.

This historic compound with original barracks give visitors insight into the development of Sydney…read more Dating back to the 1800s starting as a penal colony and its future immigrants. it also balances it with perspectives from the aboriginal culture and voices of Irish Immigrants. Since it is an original structure, it can be crowded if you're in the same room with school groups. However, you could always meet me under to one of the other rooms. Free audio guide, which is essential to the experience.

Even if you're not into museums or a history person, I highly recommend checking this museum out…read more Wonderful interactive tour keeps you interested throughout the 3 floors. Gives you a brief understanding of the history of the colonization of Australia. It's a great way to spend a couple of hours, dry from the rain or cool off from the summer heat.

I literally passed by this museum on my way to the botanical gardens several days ago. Noting the…read morelimited hours I slightly rearranged my schedule to make the Tuesday hours work. I was expecting a small museum that would take 30 minutes max to go through. Thankfully I was so wrong. Before even opening the door of the museum I was greeted by one of the docents who was lovely throughout the tour. The entire tour lasted about 70 minutes and was fascinating. She explained the origins of the hospital and detailed history of the nursing staff who truly started the practice of nursing, as directed and sent by Florence Nightingale. While I was vaguely aware of the Nightingale connection I was surprised to find so many items that were either owned by Nightingale or given to the nurses from Florence Nightingale. With all the objects of the museum donated I think they have a truly remarkable collection, including old medical objects, photos of nursing staff, training uniforms, chemist set, to go bag of pharmaceuticals (for visiting rural areas), and medals received for service in the Crimea War. In general, I think it helps to have a medical background in order to understand how great this collection is and to be able to easily compare the collection to current medical practice. That being said, the docents ask prior to the tour if you have any medical knowledge. The only area of the museum that I didn't enjoy was part of the new wing and was two rooms of medical specimens, including the preserved fetus from an abortion. There were many different cancers (breast, ovarian, colorectal) also on display. I think generally people should be warned prior to going into those rooms. $5 Admission per person, cash only Photos are ok, no flash Will be asked to leave larger items (camera bags, backpacks) in the office Very limited hours! Martin Place metro stop

Customs House is a lovely building just across from the wharf. It is a fantastic place for…read moretourists, as it has lots of history about the city, but it had FREE wifi, which is rare in Sydney! They welcome everyone in. You can read the many newspapers they have available, sit in a comfy spot and surf the web, or enjoy the full scale model of the city underneath the glass floor. They have a cafe on the top floor that was too pricey for us to try and friendly staff at the information desk to answer your questions. I recommend that anyone visiting the city check it out.

Too cool! You get to walk on Sydney! The Customs House is another gem I recommend. I walked in with…read morea friend only to use the free WiFi, but he knew where he was taking me. The model of the city is beautiful, intricate, and a work of art and science. There are luxurious couches on the side, too. There's a library and a café as well, but we didn't explore. The ground level was enough for me!

Circular Quay is a bustling, iconic waterfront precinct located on Sydney Cove between the Sydney…read moreOpera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It serves as a major transport hub--offering ferry, train, and light rail services--and is a primary tourist destination for dining, culture, and harbor views. A cruise ship terminal is also here. During our recent several days visiting Sydney, Gayle and I caught a Tram here (twice), took the Ferry to Manly (and back), and took Ferry in from Watson Bay. It was also the jumping off point to our tour of the Opera House and the Rocks. The other cool thing we did was reading the brass plaques recognizing 60 important characters of Australian literature featured in the Sydney writers walk.

What a fun, memorable area of Sydney. Full of tourism, localism and picturesque spots and views,…read moreit's an area not to be missed. Take a boat ride around the harbor or simply scroll along the water. Enjoy local dining and even watch cruise ships come in and out of the harbor. Personally, at sunset is the best time of day. You can enjoy the views as the sun is going down and get incredible pictures during sunset. The Sydney opera house can be viewed from all angles and you can learn about the history of Sydney and its amazing and unique history during a ride around the harbor.

While visiting Sydney my friend wanted to come to this museum. Initially we found the hours online…read moreto be 7 days a week; however, when we arrived they are only open on weekends (Sat & Sun). It was interesting to see that it was the old jailhouse along with the cells from inmates. It seemed like it was lacking information or just didn't have enough information to satisfy any historian. On the plus side, it was free admission as it appears all Sydney museums are gratis. Employees were very friendly as well.

The museum is on the smaller side, and there isn't a days full of things to see or do, but for the…read moreprice of admission, what there is there to see, and the location to other things in the area, it's a great place to go for 2-3 hours on a weekend. There are three different tours/activities that are lead by the staff and I would highly recommend taking the time out to do that to really get the full experience. One of them (my favorite) is an overview of facilities/history with a few famous crime stories tossed in. The guide will give you a history lesson of the station and court house and walk you through most of the areas of the museum, such as the cells, court house, and booking area and explain the significants of some of the artifacts that are on display. Another thing they do is put on a reenactment of a court case and use guests to fill the roles needed. As another reviewer pointed out, it probably not the best place for younger children. Some of the photos was really graphic. I was actually surprised at it. You would think they would post a warning before walking into a room with photos on the wall/slideshow playing of murders and dead bodies. If you've been there before, and knew your way around, you could navigate around those if you were with young children, or someone uncomfortable with seeing graphic material. There is a room full of old weapons in glass cases, which was interesting to see. Some of the old stories of how they preserved evidence really puts into perspective how far we have come with science and technology and collecting/preserving evidence. The one real quirky thing about the place is the sideshow that is playing with old photos. Some great historical photos, but several of them they have no idea why the photo was taken, who is in the photo, or even where exactly it was taken. The narrator is literally saying things like " no idea who this is", "photo of a man on a corner seems to be looking down the street", "group standing outside a store; something must have happened here", "no idea why this person was photographed". Just bizarre. It's not like they were amazing photos that needed to be displayed. Just random unknown photos. Overall great time. Worth the price of admission. History buff or just a law enforcement/justice fan you will enjoy your time here.

Rating for the gallery, not the art (which I did like):…read more Came here for Art Month After Hours and the space is really great. Large, pillars, different rooms, huge walls for big pieces.

Looking for a worthwhile arts experience? Artspace is a great place to start. Each year they show a…read morediverse group of mid-career and emerging artists in their beautiful gallery spaces in the historic Gunnery Building in Woolloomooloo.