Events

16 March - 14 July

Search and rescue operations take place every minute, every hour, every day, all around the world. From the air to the sea and on land, responsive operations are lifelines to many people in times of need. But what does a rescue scenario really involve? View more exhibition information.

Cost and booking information

Times: Daily 9.30 am - 5 pm daily
Cost: Included in the Big Ticket.

13 April - 3 November

In 2010 a team of explorers comprising of wildlife photographers, filmmakers and scientists embarked on an expedition from the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia. This stunning visual documentation of the expedition captures life above and below the ice, the fauna and flora, glaciers, and the magnificent land and seascapes of this great wilderness. View more exhibition information.

Cost and booking information

Times: Daily 9.30 am - 5 pm daily
Cost: Included in museum entry.

Sundays from 5 May - 16 June (except 19 May) | 11 am - 3 pm

Delve into the amazing Antarctic environment with artmaking, cool science experiments, dress-ups and games. Discover how global warming affects the South Pole's critters. Create your own Antarctic animal snowdome and make a weather-balloon mobile.

Cost and booking information

For ages: 5-12 years
Cost: $8.50 per child, FREE members/Big Ticket. Adults general museum fees apply
Bookings: No bookings required

Sundays from 5 May - 23 June | 11 am - 12 pm & 2 pm - 3 pm

Explore wonderful and curious objects from our education collection in this interactive discovery device in our galleries.

Cost and booking information

For ages: All ages
Cost: Free with museum entry

Tuesdays 7 - 28 May & Saturday 11 May | 10 am - 10.45 am & 11 am - 11.45 am

Mini Mariners welcomes 2-5-year-olds and their parents/carers. Expect lots of fun with games, craft and story time. Our interactive gallery tour is led by a costumed guide and there is free play in our themed space.

Tuesdays in May is Antarctic Animals. Join your character guides as we tap and waddle like a penguin, clap like a seal and jump like a Humpback whale, travelling through the galleries to learn about Antarctic animals in the Elysium Epic exhibition. Enjoy story time, games and songs, make a penguin puppet or a painted seal to take home.

Cost and booking information

Cost: $8.50 per child, first adult $3.50, additional adults $7.00 (includes galleries ticket) Members free.
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or email bookings@anmm.gov.au
Book online:
Tuesday 21 May 10.00 am or 11.00 am
Tuesday 28 May 10.00 am or 11.00 am

24 May - 10 June | Daily after dark

For the first time, the museum will light up as part of the exciting Vivid Sydney program, along with major harbourside attractions in Darling Harbour and around Sydney. Our roof top projection is inspired by the colour, patterns, flavours and sounds of India to complement our exhibition East of India - Forgotten trade with Australia open from 1 June - 18 August.

View full program of events.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Free

Sunday 26 May | 2 pm - 4.30 pm

Uncover the stories behind the beautiful Elysium Epic exhibition, an in-depth scientific and photographic survey of Antarctica and the impact of global warming on Earth's last remote place. Enjoy a special screening of the expedition documentary and hear from Michael Aw, Elysium expedition director and three time winner of NHM /BBC's wildlife photographer of the year. Includes afternoon tea and museum entry.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Adults $45/ members/concessions $40. Includes morning tea and museum entry.
Bookings: Contact WEA by phone +61 2 9264 2781 or the WEA website.

Friday 31 May | 10 am - 2.30 pm

nnual Japanese Midget Sub tour 71st anniversary of the Battle of Sydney Harbour On the winter's night of May 31 1942 three Japanese midget submarines slipped into Sydney Harbour in a bid to destroy allied vessels anchored there.
By dawn all had been destroyed despite a possible "comedy of errors" in doing so. The only allied casualty that night was HMAS Kuttabul which was sunk with naval ratings aboard, killing 21.

Join expert Stephen Carruthers and curator Lindsey Shaw in a cruise of the sites followed by a visit to Garden is to see a recovered midget sub conning tower and lunch prior to returning to the museum.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $65, child $35, General: adult $75, child $35,
Bookings essential: Essential phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online
Meet: at the HMAS vampire ticket booth at 9.30am

1 June - 18 August

The early Australian colonies, at the 'ends of the earth' from Europe, turned to nearby Asia for survival and growth. This exhibition tracks our colonial links with India, the power and monopoly of the English East India Company, and its inevitable decline. It's a tale of ships and shipwrecks, rice and rum, officers and officials, sailors, soldiers and servants - taking us from the old allure of Asia to modern-day ties between India and Australia.

Cost and booking information

Times: Daily 9.30 am - 5 pm daily

Tuesdays 4-25 June, and Saturday 15 June| 10 am or 11 am

Cost and booking information

For ages: 2-5 years + carers
When: Tuesdays during school term
Time: 10 am - 10.45 am and 11 am - 11.45 am
Cost: $8.50 per child, first adult $3.50, additional adults $7.00 (includes galleries ticket) Members free.
Bookings essential: Please click on the session time you would like to book for below
Book online:
Tuesday 4 June 10 am or 11 am
Tuesday 11 June 10 am or 11 am
Saturday 15 June 10 am or 11 am
Tuesday 18 June 10 am or 11 am
Tuesday 25 June 10 am or 11 am

Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or email bookings@anmm.gov.au

Sunday 16 June | 2 - 5 pm

Liz Williamson, renowned textile artist and head of Design at UNSW COFA, discusses her Woven in Asia series, the influence of Indian artisan textiles on her work and the legacies of the colonial cloth trade on contemporary textile practice. Join a workshop in Bandhani (Indian tie dye) using plant and indigo dyes to make your own beautiful resist dye-patterned scarves. .

Cost and booking information

Date: Sunday 16 June
Time: 2- 5 pm
Cost: $40 (Members/Concessions $35) Includes entry to East of India, all workshop materials and afternoon tea
Bookings essential: : Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or book online

Friday 21 June| 11 am - 2 pm

Join curators Nigel Erskine and Michelle Linder for a tour of the exhibition followed by a delicious themed Indian lunch with guests Kumar and Suba Mahadean, authors of the new cookbook/biography, Food, Family and Tradition. These skilled restaurateurs behind the "hatted "restaurants Abhi's and Akhi's present traditional and modern Indian recipes alongside their personal story of their arranged marriage, international adventures, immigration to Australia, and finally their success in creating one of the best loved Indian restaurants in Australia. Chef Kumar has featured on Master Chef Australia twice.
Book sales and signing at the conclusion of the event.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $45 Guests $55. Early bird booking of $40 until end of May. Includes two course lunch and tour of the exhibition. In the Exhibition and Terrace room.
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Sunday 23 June| 10 am - 3 pm

Celebrate Indian culture in a day of family fun inspired by our East of India exhibition. Enjoy spectacular performances, storytelling, henna tattoo painting and garland making. Make your own Indian- inspired block- printed calico bags or painted tiles in Kids on Deck.

Cost and booking information

For ages: All ages
When: 10 am - 3 pm | Sunday 23 June
Cost: Included in museum entry

Saturday 29 June | 9.30 am - 1.30 pm

Every year, humpback and southern right whales travel thousands of kilometres as they migrate from the Antarctic to warmer northern waters to breed. Around 3000 whales migrate past Sydney harbour. Join in the excitement witnessing these majestic creatures in their natural environment with detailed commentary.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $70 Member family $150 Guests $75 Guest family $180
Price includes a barbeque lunch that will be served on our return to the harbour.
*Family ticket includes 2 adults and 2 children
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644, email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.
Meet: The Vampire Pontoon.

Sunday 30 June - Sunday 14 July | 10am-4 pm daily

From shipwrecks to spices and saris, take a journey into the fascinating history of the British East India Company. Use block printing to create your own exquisite fabric designs, paint Indian- inspired tile tea coasters, or make mehndi (henna) designs. Learn about trading goods through dress-ups and interactive games.

Cost and booking information

For ages: 5-12 years
When:Cost: $8.50 per child, FREE members/Big Ticket. Adults general museum fees apply
Bookings: No bookings required
Opening times: Daily during school holidays. Hourly sessions 10 am - 4 pm.

Sunday 30 June - Sunday 14 July | 11 am - 12 pm & 2 pm - 3 pm

What does a butter pad, diving boots and mylar film have in common? Join one of our hands on interactive trolley tours to find out.

Cost and booking information

For ages: All ages
Date: Daily during school holidays Sunday 30 June - Sunday 14 July
Time: Hourly sessions 11 am - 12 pm & 2 pm - 3 pm
Cost: Free with museum entry

Sunday 7 July | 1pm - 3pm

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2013 is We Value the Vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963. The ANMM will display a selection of bark paintings from the museum's Saltwater Collection. These important bark paintings document the spiritual and legal basis of the Yolngu people's ownership of saltwater country in north-east Arnhem Land.

Join Curator Stephen Gapps for a special Naidoc Week tour of the museum's Saltwater Collection of bark paintings then join a Cruise of Sydney Harbour aboard MV Mari Nawi with your hosts and guide from the Tribal Warrior Association as you discover aspects of Sea Country culture. Learn the Aboriginal names of significant Sydney landmarks and take a walking tour of NPWS Clark Island.

Cost and Booking information
Cost: Free with museum entry.
When: Sunday 7 July 1pm - 3pm
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644, email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Tuesday 9 July | 10 am - 1pm or 2 - 5 pm

Be inspired by Ansel Adams' famous black and white landscape photography in an adventurous photography workshop around Pyrmont and the museum. Go on a photo chase across the site. Build skills in using digital SLR cameras and learn photo-editing techniques. This course is held in partnership with Spitting Image Photography. Suitable for all levels of experience.

Cost and booking information

For ages: 8 - 14
Time: 10 am-1 pm or 2 pm-5 pm
Cost: $50 ($40 Members), includes entry.
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or email bookings@anmm.gov.au
Book online:10.00am - 1pm or 2.00 - 5.00pm

Wednesday 10 - Thursday 11 July | 10 am - 3pm

Do you want to be the star of your very own film clip?
Create your own rocking music video inspired by Bollywood. Learn dance moves, acting to camera, storyboarding, styling, filming and editing techniques with professional directors and music video choreographers. Enjoy a special premiere screening of your work on the big screen at the museum for friends and family to see.

Cost and booking information

For ages: 8 - 14
Time: 10 am-3 pm
Cost: $220 ($200 Members, Earlybird special ( until 21 June) $185, $175 members.
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or email bookings@anmm.gov.au or book online

Thursday 11 July | 10 am - 12 pm

Avast me hearties, attention all scallywags and sea dogs - we're on the lookout for recruits for Pirate School! Join in all the swashbuckling fun and come aboard to join our motley crew of buccaneers - if you dare - aboard the PS Black Swan. Weigh anchor, hoist the mizzen, splice the main brace, scrub the decks, learn pirate-speak and sing pirate songs... maybe we'll even find doubloons!

Come in your best pirate gear and don't forget to wear an eye patch. Pirate food and drinks provided... booty if we're lucky!

Cost and Booking information

Cost: Members $50 Member families $120 Guests $60 Guest families $150. Includes refreshments
*Family ticket includes 2 adults and 2 children
Bookings essential: Book by 12 April 2012. Phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.
Meet: All participants should arrive 30 minutes prior to the event at the Vampire Pontoon.

Sunday 14 July | 2pm - 4pm

The museum's exhibition East of India - forgotten trade with Australia tells the story of the discovery of a seaway to India, the evolution of the East India Company and its trading activities and colonial Australia's close interaction with India. But what of the stories about creating the exhibition? Join curator Dr. Nigel Erskine as he brings to life the research and effort which went into the development of this stunning exhibition. Join him as he dives into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef in search of shipwrecks; travels to Powys Castle in Wales to view objects from Robert Clive's collection and walks through the 18th century European cemetery in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $15 Guests $20
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Tuesdays 16 - 30 July

For ages: 2-5
When: Tuesdays during school term
Time: 10 am - 10.45 am and 11 am - 11.45 am
Cost: $8.50 per child, first adult $3.50, additional adults $7.00 (includes galleries ticket) Members free.
Bookings essential: Please click on the session time you would like to book for below
Book online:
Tuesday 16 July 10 am or 11 am
Tuesday 23 July 10 am or 11 am
Tuesday 30 July 10 am or 11 am

Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or email bookings@anmm.gov.au

Sunday 21 July | 2pm - 5pm

Join us for an afternoon of Indian film with film maker Anupam Sharma creator of, among other things, the Australian Film Festival in India. He has extensive experience working on Bollywood productions and his knowledge of the Indian Australian communities is reflected in his insightful and colourful films, in particular his documentary for the East Of India exhibition and his latest Bollywood production filmed in Australia.
View a Bollywood epic and join in a discussion of what makes a successful Bollywood film.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $10 Guests $15
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Sunday 28 July | 3 pm - 5 pm

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $20 Guests $25. Includes refreshments
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Tuesdays 6 - 27 August & Saturday 10 August | 10 am or 11 am

Come and join the rollicking fun of Mini Mariners! Explore the galleries, and sing and dance in interactive tours with costumed guides. Enjoy creative free play in our activity area with craft, games, books, dress-ups and story time to finish.

Tuesdays in August is Pirates Ahoy! Let's Let's follow the treasure map around the museum to find the secret treasure cave. Then you can decorate your own pirate hat, parrot puppet or treasure chest to take home.

Cost and booking information

For ages: 2 - 5 years
Cost: $8.50 per child, first adult $3.50, additional adults $7 (includes galleries ticket) Members free.
Bookings essential: Booked playgroups welcomed.
Phone +61 2 9298 3655 or book online:

Tuesday 6 August 10.00am or 11.00am
Saturday 10 August 10.00am or 11.00am
Tuesday 13 August 10.00am or 11.00am
Tuesday 20 August 10.00am or 11.00am
Tuesday 27 August 10.00am or 11.00am

Wednesday 7 August  | 10 am - 1 pm

Unpack the forgotten history and legacies of the East India Company's trade with colonial Sydney - from the significance of Lascars, the company's Asiatic crew, to the rise of the Indian tea trade - with guest speakers Ian Simpson and Heather Bentley. Take a guided tour through our new exhibition East of India: Forgotten trade with Australia, led by curators Nigel Erskine and Michelle Linder.  Enjoy tea tastings and a British Raj-inspired menu of high-tea treats.

Cost and booking information

Date: Wednesday 7 August
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: $45 (Members/Concessions $40)Includes museum entry and morning tea.
Bookings essential: : Phone +61 2 9264  2781 or book online at WEA Sydney  www.weasydney.com.au

Thursday 8 August | 10 am - 2 pm

Enjoy this popular behind the scenes guided tour of Garden Is heritage precinct with representatives of the Naval Historical Society of Australia. We will tour the secure area of Garden Is including the Chapel, the top of the captain Cook Dock and the Kuttabul Memorial.

At the conclusion of the tour we will adjourn to the Salt Horse café for lunch prior to returning to Circular Quay. Level of fitness required.

Cost and booking information

Date: Thursday 8 August
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
Cost: Members $30 Guests $35. Includes guided tour and light lunch at the Salt Horse Cafe
Bookings: Phone +61 2 9298 3646, email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.
Meeting point: Meet at Circular Quay, Wharf 4 to catch the 10.15 am ferry to Watson's Bay.

Sunday 11 August | 4.00pm - 5.30pm

Join a curator led tour of these remarkable images followed by a musical tour of the exhibition by Conservatorium post graduate students, Banks Duo as they interpret selected images with classical guitar and banjo.

Cost and booking information
Cost: Members $40 Guests $45. Coral Sea Wines and refreshments served afterwards.
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644 or email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Thursday 15 August | 1.00pm to 3.45pm

Enjoy a fun and engaging guided walking tour, savour a delicious buffet lunch and relax on a picturesque cruise as you learn about icons of Sydney harbour.

Step ashore for a personal guided tour of Goat Is. which contains some of Australia's most important and intact convict-built buildings. Visit the amazing early 1800s gun powder magazine, soldiers barracks and Sydney's oldest Water Police Station. View one of Sydney's oldest, working shipyards. Buffet lunch and complimentary wine and champagne will be served in a tranquil island setting overlooking the Harbour Bridge.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $60 Guests $65. Includes afternoon tea on board.
Booking essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644, email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.
Meet: South Pontoon at 12.45 for a 1pm departure

Sunday 18 August | 4pm - 6 pm

This is an opportunity to discuss with friends, a variety of maritime related novels with a variety of hosts/speakers in a relaxed atmosphere in the Members' Lounge.
Stedman's 2013 Indie award winning debut novel, chosen by Australian independent booksellers for the best Australian writing of 2012 will be our first meeting hosted by curator Stephen Gapps.

Set just after WW1 on a remote Australian lighthouse island this is the story of right and wrong and how sometimes they look the same.

Join us for a discussion over wine and cheese in the Members lounge.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Members $5 Guests $10. Includes refreshments, coffee, wine and cheese.
Bookings essential: Phone +61 2 9298 3644, email members@anmm.gov.au or book online.

Sunday 18 August | 11 am - 3 pm

Celebrate International Lighthouse Weekend at the museum! Activities include Storytelling sessions, family friendly tours, film screenings and Kids on Deck creative crafts inspired by the Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse and our lightship Carpentaria.

Cost and booking information

For ages: All ages
When: 11 am - 3 pm | Sunday 18 August
Cost: Included in museum entry

Wednesday 28 August | 11 am - 12.30 pm

Join us for an insight to the work and interests of our Museum curators. Mariea Fisher is Manager of Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions and has been with the museum for 25 years.

Learn about Mariea's day to day activities as she shares with us just what goes on behind the scenes to bring us exhibitions such as Vikings.

Share some of Mariea's favourite shows from home and abroad.

Cost and booking information

Cost: Free for members. Guests $5
Bookings essential: Phone + 61 2 9298 3655, email: members@anmm.gov.au or book online.