Despite not being the capital of Australia, there are plenty of museums and galleries in the city.

Begin your journey at the Australian Museum or the Art Gallery of New South Wales to get a broad perspective but also make time to follow niche interests from the history of Judaism in Australia to the studio museum of the celebrated Australian artist.

These are the best museums in the state of Australia.

View of a long hallway with sculptures on either side. A woman is looking at a sculpture on one side of the hallway.
The Art Gallery of NSW shows permanent collections in addition to the exhibitions it rotates throughout the year © Oliver Strewe / Getty Images

Art Gallery of New South Wales: best for Australian and international art 

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is located on the east side of the Domain parklands and resembles the great galleries of Europe. Thousands of works from all over the world are in the museum's permanent collection. There are also excellent works by the indigenous people of the area.

A new building is being added to the north of the museum. Major international exhibitions that tour the world will be held in the space.

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Australian Museum: best for pre-colonial history

The Australian Museum covers natural history and sciences and hosts talks and events for people of all ages. The Horniman in London and New York's Natural History Museum are both museums that hold artifacts from Australia's First Nations peoples.

Scientists, athletes and artists are some of the people who shaped Australia. It is a short walk from the city center.

Two women stand on a dock in front of a an old wooden ship outside the Australian National Maritime Museum
Guests can hop aboard a submarine or ship in the harbor outside the Australian National Maritime Museum © Hu Jingchen / Xinhua / Getty Ima

Australian National Maritime Museum: best for naval buffs 

Even if you don't think ships, cartography, navigation and ocean exploration are of interest to you, this museum is still worth a visit. There is a Cold War-era submarine, a patrol boat and a tall ship outside the museum.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is one of the exhibitions that the museum has. Don't expect a quick visit if you're traveling with kids, there are lots of hands-on activities.

Powerhouse Ultimo: best for design aficionados

The site of the original Powerhouse Museum is now known as the Powerhouse Ultimo and is located in a former tram station. There is a short walk from Central Station to it.

The museum shows everything from steam trains to Boy George dolls. A significant government investment has enabled the museum to expand to new premises and upgrade its storage facilities.

Hyde Park Barracks Museum: best for innovative storytelling

The women's immigration depot, asylum, law courts and government offices used to be housed in the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. The site is an innovative museum that brings Australia's colonial story to life through charismatic audio guideTelling is an innovative museum that brings Australia's colonial story to life through charismatic audio guide storyTelling is an innovative museum that brings Australia's colonial story to life through charismatic audio guide story

The upstairs hammock room, where some 50,000 people passed through, is one of the highlights of the tour.

The front steps of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), which is a modern structure with large windows. A woman walks past.
The Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits works by living artists with the hope of making art more accessible to everyone © Justin Paget / Getty Images

Museum of Contemporary Art: best for a stunning location 

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the heart of Circular Quay and is dedicated to celebrating the work of living artists. Their collection includes paintings, photography, sculpture, and moving images.

Making contemporary art accessible to all is one of the museum's key missions. There is a strong devotion to featuring works by the indigenous people. Art and cocktails can be found at the Friday lates. Musical performances, workshops and more can be found on the last Friday of the month.

Sydney Jewish Museum: best for 20th-century history 

Holocaust survivors fled to every corner of the world after the war ended. Australia was a primary center for Jewish communities. The history of Judaism in Australia goes back to the first Europeans who arrived on the First Fleet and tells the story of the Holocaust. Their mission is to challenge the perception of morality, social justice, democracy and human rights by teaching visitors about the past.

An exterior shot of Susannah Place's main entrance of a small brown building make of wood and brick
Not far from the Rocks Discovery Museum, Susannah Place is made up of four small houses that tell the narratives of the working class families who lived there in the 19th and 20th centuries © Anne Czichos / Getty Images

The Rocks Discovery Museum: best for stepping back in time

There won't be a kid in Australia who hasn't visited this museum at some point in their life. Europeans nicknamed the area "The Rocks" because it was the site of the first colonial settlement in Australia.

The museum gives a sense of place with the history of the dockyard and colorful characters brought to life. Slum housing of the past can be seen by guided tour only.

Brett Whiteley Studio: best for a behind-the-scenes peak

The studio museum of the Australian artist Whiteley can be found in Surry Hills. He lived in this former warehouse until he died a few years later.

You can look at his work in the studio. His work can be seen on loan from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which manages the site.

Chau Chak Wing Museum: best for modern architecture 

After 160 years, the Nicholson Museum closed and moved its collection to the Chau Chak Wing Museum. The first Frank Gehry designed building in Australia is the home of the new museum. The name was given by an Australian- Chinese philanthropist.

The museum features Indigenous cultural objects, 19th- and 20th-century Australian, European and Asian art and natural history. There is a mummy room with a 2500-year-old Egyptian mummified cat.