Powerhouse Museum
- Ideal for kids, teens
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Why go
- Whitbread Engine: built by Boulton & Watt in 1785 for a brewery, it is the world's oldest operational rotative steam engine.
- Strasburg Clock Model: a working model of Strasbourg Cathedral's astronomical clock, with twelve apostles appearing five minutes before each hour.
- Frigate Bird II: the museum's largest object, this Catalina flying boat made the first Australia–South America flight and brought 29 soldiers home in 1945.
- Locomotive No. 1: built by Robert Stephenson in 1854, it was the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger train in New South Wales.
Opening hours
Today10:00 – 17:00Show all
Don't miss
- Space exhibition displaysBefore closure, the exhibition included a life-size space-shuttle cockpit model and displays about Australian satellites. The reopening lineup is not established.Space exhibition
- Governor's railway carriageBefore closure, the transport gallery included the Governor of New South Wales's 1880s railway carriage beside a mock-up platform. The reopening lineup is not established.Transport gallery
- Steam powerBefore closure, working engines were regularly demonstrated using steam power. The collection traces steam power from the 1770s to the 1930s; the reopening lineup is not established.Steam exhibition
Know before you go
- The Ultimo museum is temporarily closed for heritage revitalisation. Reopening is planned for 2027.
What's inside
- Before redevelopment, the main building had five levels, three courtyards and a cafeteria. Workshops, a library and storage were in the annexed tram sheds.
- The Wiggles exhibition became a permanent display because it was popular.
With kids
- Before closure, Experimentations had hands-on demonstrations of magnetism, light, electricity, motion and the senses.
- Before closure, EcoLogic used an interactive house and energy simulators to explore environmental impacts and solutions.
Interesting facts4
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A Ceylonese elephant statue carved from graphite survived a five-storey fall.
Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia -
Richard Smith built the Strasburg Clock Model without seeing the original clock in Strasbourg, using a pamphlet describing its functions.
Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia (part 2) -
The original Central railway station destination board moved to the museum during station refurbishment in the 1980s.
Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia (part 2) -
A steam system from the old boiler house drives large, rare steam machines in the collection.
Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Art installation from The Lab at the Powerhouse museum, Sydney NSWJulia Ng
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[4K] 2 Light Rails Pass The Powerhouse MuseumProfessor Locomotive
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Sydney Powerhouse Museum ExhibitsRatz Rattler
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Discover Sydney's Free and Fun Museum! Powerhouse Museum UltimoThe Smithovic Family
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Outside Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo, AustraliaEmotive Scene
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Powerhouse MuseumUnfiltered Charm
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Powerhouse MuseumWalking HP
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Inside Powerhouse Museum SydneyAustralia Walk Tour
History
The museum began with objects from the 1879 exhibition. The former tram power station became the museum’s Ultimo home. Its 1988 opening brought stored objects into public display.
- 1879Australia’s first international exhibition in the Garden Palace led to the museum’s original collection.
- 1882A fire destroyed the Garden Palace before the planned museum could open. Joseph Henry Maiden began rebuilding the collection.
- 1893Before its 1893 move to Harris Street, the museum spent a decade in a tin shed in The Domain. It then became the Technological Museum beside Sydney Technical College.
- 1945It became the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.
- 1979The museum took over a disused Harris Street power station that had powered Sydney’s trams.
Show all
- 1982The museum incorporated Sydney Observatory.
- 1988The museum opened at its current site as the Powerhouse Museum on 10 March. The move allowed hundreds of stored objects to be exhibited for the first time in almost a century.
- 2020The government confirmed a two-site plan, retaining Ultimo while proceeding with a museum in Parramatta.
How to get there
- On footDirections to the closed Ultimo site at 500 Harris Street: from Darling Harbour, follow signs near the Exhibition Centre.
- CarDriving access to the closed Ultimo site at 500 Harris Street is via Harris Street.
Sources: Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia · Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia (part 2) · Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia (part 3) · Sydney/City South - Wikivoyage (see) · Powerhouse Ultimo | Powerhouse · Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia · Powerhouse Museum - Wikipedia · checked 26 Sep 2026
- Phone
- +610292170222
Questions and answers
What is the heaviest exhibit at Powerhouse Museum?
Steam locomotive No. 3830 is the heaviest exhibit. It hauled the first through train of the Spirit of Progress on standard gauge in 1962.
Does Powerhouse Museum’s collection include historic cars?
Yes. The collection includes a 1913 Sheffield-Simplex car.
How old is Powerhouse Museum’s Merz Telescope?
It was made in 1860–1861 and has a 7½-inch aperture.
Who contributed to Powerhouse Museum’s computing collection?
Computer historian Allan G. Bromley donated much of his computing-history collection.
Has Powerhouse Museum hosted film exhibitions?
Yes. A 2011–2012 Harry Potter exhibition featured costumes and sets from eight films, including the golden snitch and broomsticks.
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