Museums of History NSW

19/10/2026

in 1973, Sydney celebrated the opening of its new Opera House at Bennelong Point!

Queen Elizabeth II attended the official opening ceremony, which featured live performances and a fireworks display over Sydney Harbour, kicking off a two-week festival of events across the city.

Happy birthday to the iconic Sydney Opera House 🎈

These photographs from the State Archives Collection capture the historic opening celebrations 📷 : 1. Fireworks on opening night (NRS-21503-2-8-[17-7350]);
2. Opening ceremony (NRS-21689-1-17-21749);
3. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh leaving the ceremony (NRS-21503-2-8-[17-7350]);
4. The ceremony (NRS-21503-2-8-[17-7350])

14/10/2026

This Sunday at Elizabeth Farm 🎶 Experience an amazing heritage property while listening to the expansive soundscapes of Imad Dably and David Rodriguez.

Grab a drink, find a spot of lawn and be mesmerized by Moroccan Gnawa traditional sounds, exploratory guitar and electronics.

Sunday Sessions is a series curated by Music in Exile – a not-for-profit record label and charity supporting musicians with lived experience of migration and displacement.

📍 Elizabeth Farm, Rosehill
📅 Sunday 18 October, 2–5pm
🎟️ Book now in bio

13/10/2026

For the past 12 months, Vaucluse House has been a hub of creative inspiration for four Creative and Cultural Residents 🏡🎨

Come along and discover the works they have created during a year immersed in the unique setting of Vaucluse House, drawing inspiration from its histories, landscapes and stories.

The Residents Display
📍 Vaucluse House
📅 Open until 1 November
Free entry 🔗 Plan your visit

13/10/2026

13 new buildings have officially just joined the line-up for Sydney Open 2026 on 1 November!

From heritage icons to award-winning contemporary architecture, there's so many exciting spaces to explore.

Check out the new additions and secure your tickets now: https://www.sydneyopen.com.au/program/

📷 Deutsche Bank Place, Photo © WBMedia

08/10/2026

Don’t miss Ashkan Shafiei live at Elizabeth Farm this Sunday afternoon 🎶

Shafiei draws on Persian cultural traditions and Iranian music of the 1960s and ’70s to create music shaped by memory, place and cultural exchange.

Arrive early, grab a refreshment and settle into the gardens of Australia’s oldest homestead for an afternoon of music and conversation.

Sunday Sessions is a series curated by Music in Exile – a not-for-profit record label and charity supporting musicians with lived experience of migration and displacement.

Coming up:
— 18 October: Imad Dably & David Rodriguez (Dablyman & GODTET)
— 25 October: Maryam Rahmani (Maryam Rahmani)

📍 Elizabeth Farm, Rosehill
📅 Sunday 11 October, 2–5pm
🎟️ Book now in bio

07/10/2026

What can government records tell us about Australia's best-known novelists, poets and storytellers? 📖

Don't miss this fascinating talk exploring how records from the State Archives Collection can illuminate the lives of literary figures.

Writers in the Records: Literary Lives in the NSW State Archives Collection
📍 State Archives Reading Room
🗓️ Wednesday 21 October, 10am–12pm
🎟️ Book now:

This talk and behind-the scenes tour offers a fascinating journey into the archival traces left by novelists, poets and other literary figures

07/10/2026

On this day 110 years ago, Taronga Zoo Sydney officially opened its doors at Mosman! 🐘🦒🐒

The opening day was a grand affair, with more than 2000 people gathering at the main entrance to watch NSW Premier William Holman officially open the Park.

For 6 pence for adults and 3 pence for children, visitors could explore the vast new zoological park, complete with seal ponds, monkey pits, aviaries and an elephant house.

The opening marked the end of an extraordinary six-month operation that saw hundreds of animals, including a 4-tonne elephant, journey from the old Moore Park Zoo through Sydney's streets, onto ferries and across the harbour to their new home.

Over a century on, Taronga Zoo remains one of Sydney's best-known harbour landmarks.

Read more about the history of the zoo: mhnsw.au/stories/general/history-taronga-zoo/

📷 From the NSW State Archives Collection, Museums of History NSW:
1. Visitors at the entrance gates, Taronga Zoological Park official opening, 7 October 1916, NRS 4481 [7/16382B], ST5936;
2. In the grounds of Taronga Zoo, October 1916, NRS 4481, ST5935;
3. Seal enclosure, Taronga Zoo, September 1916, NRS 4481, ST5910;
4. The elephant house, Taronga Park Zoo, 1916, NRS 4481 [7/16381], ST5937

04/10/2026

🏛️ It's ! To celebrate, we've put together a guide to help you brush up on the language of architecture ahead of Sydney Open on 1 November.

From facades and atriums to cantilevers and adaptive reuse, here are 10 terms you'll likely hear at Sydney Open 2026 and what they mean.

Read the guide here: mhnsw.au/stories/general/ten-architectural-terms-you-might-hear-on-a-sydney-open-tour/

📷 Trades Hall, © Ken Leanfore / James Horan Pty Ltd for MHNSW

02/10/2026

The 2026 Koori Knockout rugby league tournament is this weekend! 🏉

First held in 1971, the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout grew from Sydney’s Aboriginal community and a vision to create greater opportunities for talented Aboriginal footballers to play, compete and come together.

What began as a community-led sporting event has grown into one of the longest-running and most significant First Nations sporting and cultural gatherings in Australia, bringing together generations of families and communities from across NSW.

In honour of the Knockout and its strong community history, we’re sharing photographs by Elaine Syron capturing the women’s and men’s Redfern All Blacks RLFC teams in action circa 1980-95.

These photographs form part of Syron’s broader collection documenting Aboriginal community life, sport and activism in Redfern throughout the 1980s to 1990s.

📷 Museum of Sydney Collection, Museums of History NSW. Photos © Elaine Syron

01/10/2026

💌 It’s ! 💌
 
Today, Mel shares the postcard collection of a young Sydney woman named Vera Bell, whose treasured keepsakes offer a glimpse into the golden age of postcards in the early 20th century.