Museum Australia

The Australian Museum in Sydney is the country's oldest museum and is internationally known for its natural history and anthropological research. Its exhibitions showcase a diverse collection ranging from vertebrates and invertebrates to minerals and fossils, as well as the history and culture of Aboriginal Australians. The museum is located in the City of Sydney on College Street, directly across from Hyde Park. Its current sandstone building was designed by architect James Barnet and has housed the collection since 1849. The museum's origins go back to 1827, when it was first established as The Colonial Museum, named for the then Colonial Secretary, Henry Bathurst. In 1836 it was renamed the Australian Museum, the name it still bears today. The idea for it first arose in 1821 through the Philosophical Society of Australasia, before the entomologist Alexander Macleay, the museum's first full-time zoologist, pushed ahead with the creation of a natural history museum in 1826. After several changes of location, the museum was officially opened to the public in 1857.