Back Museu Australiano AN المتحف الأسترالي Arabic Avstraliya Muzeyi Azerbaijani Australian Museum Danish Australian Museum German Museo Australiano Spanish موزه استرالیا Persian Australian Museum French Ավստրալիական թանգարան Armenian Museum Australia ID
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 The William Street exterior and Crystal Hall entry to the Australian Museum in 2016 | |
  Location within Sydney central business district | |
Former name |
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|---|---|
| Established | 1827 |
| Location | 1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia (Map) |
| Coordinates | 33°52′27″S 151°12′48″E / 33.8743°S 151.2134°E |
| Type | Natural history and anthropology |
| Director | Kim McKay AO |
| Public transit access |
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| Website | australian |
Building details | |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | |
| Construction started | 1846 |
| Completed | 1857 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Sydney sandstone |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) |
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| Architecture firm | New South Wales Colonial Architect |
| Website | |
| australian | |
| Official name | Australian Museum |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 805 |
| Type | Other – Education |
| Category | Education |
The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural history museum in Australia and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the world, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology.
It was first conceived and developed along the contemporary European model of an encyclopedic warehouse of cultural and natural history, and features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology and anthropology. The scientific stature of the museum was established under the curatorship of scientist Gerard Krefft in the 1860s.
Apart from permanent displays in its galleries, permanent and temporary exhibitions, the museum also undertakes research and is involved in community programs. Since 1973 it has operated the Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef, studying the ecology of coral reefs and the effects of climate change. The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), established in 2013, is the central hub for its researchers in Sydney. As of 2024[update] the CEO and executive director is Kim McKay AO, who was the first woman to be appointed to the position in 2014.