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Arts and culture Sydney

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History of Sydney

The Rocks art gallery

Must do

The Rocks person moving through art gallery

Highlights

Uncover more about Sydney’s history, cultural and artistic past at one of excellent the small museums located around the city. For pioneering colonial history, visit Elizabeth Farm and Old Government House learn about the city’s railway heritage at Trainworks in Thirlmere or make your way to The Rocks Discovery Museum.

Sydney heritage and history

Before the arrival of Europeans, New South Wales had been inhabited for many thousands of years by Aboriginal people. Aboriginal Australia comprises up to 300 Aboriginal nation-states, speaking more than 250 languages and many more dialects. As hunter-gatherers, Aboriginal people developed a profound relationship with the land they inhabited, and a unique knowledge of its plants and animals.  By the time the British arrived in Sydney in January 1788, there were more than 1500 Aboriginal people belonging to many clans living in the area from Botany Bay to Broken Bay and as far west as Parramatta.

Europeans settled after Sydney was chosen as a penal colony for prisoners shipped out from the overflowing jails of England. Two decades later, Governor Lachlan Macquarie charted a new course for New South Wales, the first state of Australia, as a society of free men and women. At about the same time, it was discovered that the broad plains of New South Wales were eminently suitable for the production of fine merino wool, and the country’s economic future was assured.


Over the past half century, Sydney’s character has been transformed from a predominantly Anglo-Irish population to one of the world’s most ethnically diverse cities with more than 180 nationalities calling Sydney home. Find out more about Sydney's history and heritage at the State Library of New South Wales in Macquarie Street in the city centre.

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Don't miss these arts,culture and heritage experiences in Sydney

  • Capitol Theatre Auditorium Capitol Theatre Sydney City, Sydney, City Centre

    Don't just go for the show, visit the Capitol Theatre for a great and total night out! Arrive early and savour a relaxing drink with friends befor...

    www.capitoltheatre.com.au
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  • Cockatoo Island 1 Cockatoo Island Sydney City, Sydney, Sydney Harbour

    Recently added to the World-Heritage-list, Cockatoo Island is Sydney's largest island, accessible by ferry from Circular Quay. Unique remnants of the ...

    www.cockatooisland.gov.au
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  • Museum of Sydney - Photograph © Paolo Busato, courtesy Historic Houses Trust Museum of Sydney Sydney City, Sydney, City Centre

    A modern museum built on the historic site of the first Government House, built for Governor Phillip in 1788. The Museum of Sydney takes you on a jour...

    www.hht.net.au/museums/mu
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  • Sydney Dance Company Sydney Dance Company Sydney City, Sydney, City Centre

    The contrast between the heritage wharf buildings and the modern choreography of the Sydney Dance Company is extraordinary and surprisingly compatible...

    www.sydneydancecompany.co
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  • The Rocks The Rocks Sydney City, Sydney, The Rocks

    Framed by the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, The Rocks is where Sydney began.Traditionally the home of the Indigenous Cadigal pe...

    www.therocks.com
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  • Opera House 1 Sydney Opera House Sydney City, Sydney, City Centre

    Experience Sydney Opera House - one of the world's most creative and busiest performing arts centres and greatest triumphs of modern architecture. Spe...

    www.sydneyoperahouse.com
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  • Main Building Trainworks Sydney West, Sydney, Thirlmere

    Trainworks is located in Thirlmere, just over an hour from Sydney. It is the home of Australia's newest and biggest rail experience.Trainworks has the...

    www.trainworks.com.au
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  • Ritz Theatre Ritz Theatre Inner Sydney, Sydney, Surrounds

    See all the latest movies in the opulent surrounds of the Ritz Theatre. The Ritz Cinema is steeped in rich history and tradition. Built in 1937 and no...

    www.ritzcinema.com.au
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  • Old Government House Parramatta Old Government House Parramatta Sydney West, Sydney, Parramatta

    Standing in 200 acres of parkland overlooking historic Parramatta, Old Government House is Australia's oldest public building. For seven decades, it ...

    www.nationaltrust.com.au/
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  • Sydney Sydney Conservatorium of Music Sydney City, Sydney, City Centre

    The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is Australia's premier tertiary music institution and plays a pivotal role in the Australian musical landscape and ...

    sydney.edu.au/music
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