The Australian Museum Sydney is on the corner of College and William Streets, pretty much in the heart of the CBD, just across the road from Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral. The museum is open 9:30am to 5:00pm every day except Christmas Day.

For over 180 years the Australian Museum has been at the forefront of scientific research, collection and education. Australia’s first public museum was established in Sydney in 1827 with the aim of procuring ‘many rare and curious specimens of Natural History’. In 1829 William Holmes was appointed the first custodian of the fledgling collection which was in the old post office building in Macquarie Place – the institution was formally named the Australian Museum in 1836.

Today the Australian Museum continues its roles in research and education. From a ‘beautiful Collection of Australian curiosities’, the Museum has grown to an internationally recognised collection of over 18 million cultural and scientific objects. The Museum plays a leading role in research, and at its research station at Lizard Island conducts significant research on coral reef ecology. Through exhibitions and other public programs the museum continues to inform and amaze generations of visitors about the unique flora, fauna and cultures of Australia and the Pacific.

Australia is known world-wide for its dangerous animals. For example, 20 of the world’s 25 most venomous snakes are Australian – and we’ve got funnel-webs and redback spiders, box jellyfish, bluebottles, paralysis ticks, crocodiles, stonefish, sharks, bull ants and bees… lots of things to niggle us but are they really that threatening?

The museum is home to an array of dinosaurs, birds, fishes, mammals, frogs and insects as well as photographic, art and cultural exhibitions from international and Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait collections.