The Museum of Sydney: The Tale of a City

Its no surprise that Sydney is a city with a great deal of history. The city was the first in Australia to be colonised by the British in 1788. Furthermore, there have been ties to the site of Sydney with various Aboriginal communities for many centuries. The Museum of Sydney is a great place to get an overview of this historic city.

The Museum of Sydney occupies the site of the original Government House in the city’s Central Business District. This small museum is often passed over in favour of the larger museums in Sydney (such as the Australian Museum off nearby Hyde Park). I thoroughly enjoyed my recent visit however and left with a new appreciation of a city that I had previously taken for granted.

The Basics:

• Where? Bridge Street & Phillip Street, Sydney NSW 2000
• When? 10am-5pm daily (closed Good Friday and Christmas Day)
• How much? $15 AUD (adult), $12 AUD (student concession)
• How to get here? A short walk from Martin Place or Wynyard train stations in the Central Business District.
• Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/museum-of-sydney

The site of Sydney’s governance

The original Government House was quite literally the seat of power in the early days of the colony of NSW. The building that houses the museum on the same site is not the one that was occupied by the NSW Governor many years prior, but relics from that structure are on display through the museum. In the main lobby of the museum, you’ll find the foundation plate laid by Governor Phillip in 1788, a recreation of the building’s sandstone facade and a stone used to mark the boundaries of Sydney dating back to the 1830s.

The forecourt outside the museum is marked in such a way that the building’s original foundations are outlined on the paving and this is visible from a window on the upper floor of the museum. It was surreal to look out while trying to imagine what Sydney was like over 200 years prior. Inside the museum itself, one of the first exhibits you’ll come across is a scaled model of the original Government House. Its amazing to see how much has changed in such a relatively short period of time. Seeing the house amongst all the modern day skyscrapers and high rise towers outside would definitely make for a startling sight today!

The formative tale of the colony

The Museum of Sydney is quite small (if you were to just walk through the halls and not look at anything, you would easily cover its area within 10 minutes). I was surprised to see just how much of the city’s history was packed into this three storied building. One of my favourite displays was a replica of the First Fleet. The First Fleet was the set of ships that sailed out to Australia, carrying British convicts that would end up becoming the first European settlers in Sydney. Scaled models of all 11 vessels that made this cruise, with information about the arduous journey are on display and provide a greater appreciation of just how difficult a voyage it would have been. Those that made the trip definitely wouldn’t complain about our long haul flights these days!

Sydney takes shape

The first two floors of the museum really look back at Sydney in the early days immediately following colonisation. Meanwhile, the top floor fills in the gaps, tracing the evolution of Sydney from convict colony to the modern metropolis of contemporary times. Of course, exhibits highlighting the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, two of the most iconic structures are on display here, and the museum theatre also shows interesting documentaries on both of these topics. Again, living near Sydney, I often take these two famous features of the skyline for granted, but it really is amazing that someone came up with these unmatched designs that effectively define modern day Sydney, both to travellers and locals alike.

Other interesting features of the city highlighted include Luna Park, and the various visionaries that served as the driving force behind the city taking the form that we see today. Its all tied together in the Panorama Table, a prominent showcase on the upper floor that traces the full timeline of Sydney’s evolution.

Indigenous History of Sydney

It should come as no surprise that Sydney was also the site of the first contact between the traditional owners of the land and the colonising British. The museum houses an excellent exhibit that looks back on the early attempts to build relations between these communities. Entitled Gardinal Place, the exhibit taught me something new, as I was not aware of the significance of Bennelong, the Aboriginal captive that eventually formed a diplomatic relationship with the first Governor of NSW, Arthur Phillip. In addition to chronicling this chapter of Aboriginal history, the exhibit houses various Aboriginal art works. Australia’s Aboriginal heritage is also on display outside through the Edge of Trees installation. This series of sculptures symbolises the first contact between Indigenous groups and the colonists.

The life of the city

Unlike some larger museums, there’s not a huge amount of interactive exhibits in the Museum of Sydney. The Museum instead focuses on simply telling the stories of the city’s past through plaques and other sources of information. I would recommend a visit to the Museum of Sydney to both tourists and locals alike though. My visit definitely enhanced my understanding of the city’s history and I think its a great starting point if you want an insight into how Sydney got to to where it is today. Admission is cheap and it will only take an hour or so to go through everything inside. I think if you add the Museum of Sydney to your itinerary, you’ll have a greater appreciation when exploring some of Sydney’s older neighbourhoods and tourist destinations.