Welcome to Museums of History NSW
We're thrilled to announce that we are now Museums of History NSW.
We've brought together the historic houses, museums and collections previously in the care of Sydney Living Museums with the vast archives and records in the NSW State Archives Collection, and are changing the way our past is understood and our future will be experienced.
Our work is guided by our founding legislation, the Museums of History NSW Act 2022. It defines our underlying purpose to collect, manage and preserve the state archives and our historical sites and collections, and to increase and promote knowledge, enjoyment and appreciation of the stories that shape the social, historical, political and cultural identity of NSW.
What does this mean?
- Access to items in the State Archives Collection and the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection will continue to be provided in the same way.
- The online catalogues, guides and indexes will continue to be available. They will move to the new website (mhnsw.au) and there will be redirects in place on the old website addresses to help you find your way.
- Your State Archives Reader’s Ticket will remain current and you will retain the same number. At your next visit to the State Archives Reading Room we will replace your physical ticket with a new one.
See here for more FAQs.
Image: The Mint. Photo © Douglas Riley for Sydney Living Museums. NSW State Archives. Photo © NSW State Archives
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Christmas hours
Changes to Collections access opening hours over the holiday period are below.
State Archives Reading Room
CLOSED
Saturday 24 December 2022-
Monday 2 January 2023
OPEN 9am-4pm
Tuesday 3 January 2023-
Friday 6 January 2023
(note the change of closing time)
OPEN 10am-4pm
Saturday 7 January 2023
Normal opening hours will resume Tuesday 10 January 2023.
Please remember the Reading Room is closed on Mondays.
Caroline Simpson Library
CLOSED
Saturday 24 December 2022-
Monday 16 January 2023
OPEN
Normal opening hours will resume Tuesday 17 January 2023.
Tuesday-Friday, 1am-4pm
Closed Mondays, weekends and public holidays.
Image: [Colourised edit] NRS-4481-3-[7/15887]-M3139, 'Christmas Bells and Wattle'.
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Meroogal Collection
Our Collections Care Team and Volunteers have been busy barcoding and stocktaking the collection associated with Meroogal.
Meroogal is a property located on the South Coast that has been loved and maintained by four generations of women. The collection consists of Books and ornaments, furniture, photographs, diaries and journals, clippings recipes ad receipts.
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New Federation guide (pt 2)
Part two of our Federation Guide highlights the role of New South Wales in making the nation of Australia, along with key relevant records from the State Archives Collection for the period 1880-1900.
Image: NRS-4481-3-[7/16283A]-St1543 Swearing in ceremony in Centennial Park
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Stories from the Archives
Bushrangers are Australian legends. Ned Kelly, Ben Hall, ‘Captain Thunderbolt’ and their bushranging brethren are famous. They’re remembered as folk heroes and celebrated for their bravery and their ridicule of inept and corrupt authorities. But not all Australian bushrangers were white men. And not all were seen in this glowing light in their own time.
In Boundary Crossers, historian Meg Foster accessed the State Archives Collection (among other resources) to reveal the stories of bushrangers who didn’t fit the mould. African-American man Black Douglas, who was seen as the ‘terror’ of the Victorian goldfields, Sam Poo, known as Australia’s only Chinese bushranger, Aboriginal man Jimmy Governor, who was renowned as a mass murderer, and Captain Thunderbolt’s partner, Aboriginal woman Mary Ann Bugg, whose extraordinary exploits extended well beyond her time as ‘the Captain’s Lady’.
All lived remarkable lives that were far more significant, rich and complex than history books have led us to believe.
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Our online presence
We’re delighted to launch our new website giving you access to our vast collections, interesting reads and more. You can find out where you can visit us and what’s on, and explore our collections, including millions of items and endless stories.
Discover the collections MHNSW is home to.
Explore the First Nations Hub, a dedicated space for First Nations community, cultures and history.
And browse stories relating to the houses, museums, and collections of MHNSW.
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The Weaving Room
The Weaving Room celebrates the history and diversity of First Nations weaving traditions in NSW.
Community weaving groups from around the state will share their cultural and creative traditions, knowledge and experiences while in residence at the Museum of Sydney. Hear from Elders and experts about their traditional weaving practices, create your own piece to take home and make a special connection to First Nations culture.
The Weaving Room
3 December 2022-19 February 2023
Museum of Sydney
Image: Ngiyampaa and Guringai multidisciplinary artist and curator Tarni Eastwood weaving a spiral out of dried raffia. Photo © Joshua Morris for Museums of History NSW
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Viewing at Caroline Simpson Library
We recently hosted a viewing of some of the treasures of the Caroline Simpson Library on Thursday 10 November.
Matthew Stephens and Mel Flyte, staff members from Caroline Simpson Library, spoke about the wonderful range of items from the Collection. The treasures on display highlighted this breadth – albums from two Sydney families the Jamiesons and the Wingates; Anglo-Indian material including an album of portraits of the princes and people of India, and an early 19th century work box; and material about Rose Freycinet’s circumnavigation of the world with her husband and her removal from the official records.
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Upcoming webinar
Until the early twentieth century a journey to NSW involved a sea voyage.
Travellers boarding a ship often faced the perils of fire, disease and shipwreck, and the Australian coast is littered with the remnants of many ships that failed to safely reach their destination.
In this webinar we focus on State Archives Collection records of shipwreck and discover some of the stories they can tell.
Shipwrecks and Coastal Records mini-webinar
Friday 9 December 2022
10:30pm-11:30am
Register for more of our webinars!
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