Public listings checked 25/10/2026. Dates use each event’s local time. Check organiser details before travelling.
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Free things to do
80 matching events listed in the next 60 days. Admission prices are shown where supplied.
Step into the whimsical world of beloved author and illustrator Pamela Allen at the State Library of NSW.
With timeless classics like Mr Archimedes' Bath, Mr McGee and Alexander's Outing, Pamela Allen has captured the hearts of readers for more than 40 years.
Her much-loved stories come to life in this playful, interactive exhibition for the whole family. Play in Mr McGee's tree, flip through giant pages of Bertie and the Bear, and make a splash with the animals from Who Sank the Boat? Pop on a favourite character's hat and discover cosy reading nooks and secret hidey-holes along the way.
Allen's deceptively simple stories — full of rhythm, repetition and irresistible illustrations — continue to delight readers young and old, with 31 of her titles still in print today. See how her distinctive visual style evolved through early character sketches, original watercolours, and rarely seen artworks from lesser-known books, drawn from her remarkable archive held in the Library's collection.
Explore five decades of extraordinary photography by one of Australia's most important and influential photojournalists, Lorrie Graham.
Recently acquired by the State Library, Graham's complete photographic archive comprises more than 100,000 images and negatives created between 1975 and 2025. Together, they document her remarkable career and distinctive visual storytelling.
Curated by Graham herself, this major retrospective brings together significant events, remarkable people and everyday moments, alongside intimate interviews in which Graham shares personal reflections on her career and the stories behind her photographs.
A rare glimpse behind the lens of one of Australia's most important photographers.
Mervyn Bishop is one of Australias most important photographers. His extraordinary archive of more than 200,000 images makes a landmark addition to the State Library of NSW's collection.
Mervyn Bishop: Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured, while exploring the private influences that shaped his groundbreaking career.
This intimate exhibition offers a rare glimpse of the man behind the lens and honours the enduring legacy of Australia's first Aboriginal press photographer.
The Library would like to thank Mervyn Bishop and his family for trusting us with their stories.
Please be aware that this exhibition includes names and photographs of people who are now deceased.
In this milestone year, their dynamic program reflects on the evolution of this much-loved Library and its extraordinary collections — revealing stories that will surprise, delight and make you think!
See what two centuries of collecting looks like in the Amaze Gallery.
This major exhibition brings together some of the Library's most valuable and internationally significant objects alongside surprising, lesser-known gems. It reveals the breadth and interconnected nature of the collection, pairing items that speak to one another or deepen our understanding of familiar stories.
Find engaging and interactive digital experiences across the buildings, exploring the history of the Library, the collection, and the people who shaped it.
A self-curated digital timeline, in the galleries, features more than 250 stories, revealing passionate characters, bold architectural visions, remarkable collecting feats and even the occasional brazen crime.
New interpretations of key colonial works in the Paintings Galleries invite you to see familiar subjects through a fresh lens. Newly acquired works foreground First Nations voices, perspectives and experiences. View striking portraits of proud First Nations women Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO and Dr Lynette Riley AO, alongside paintings by First Nations artists Fay Clayton Moseley and Robert Campbell Jr — presented in this space for the first time.
Definitive Dupain is the first major retrospective to explore the complete body of work of Max Dupain (1911–1992), Australia's most famous photographer. Presented alongside a major publication of the same name, the exhibition draws from the State Library of NSW's extraordinary archive of more than 250,000 commercial and personal negatives and prints to present the most comprehensive portrait yet of Dupain and his remarkable 60-year career.
Featuring almost 200 images and original prints personally selected by Dupain for magazine and book publishers, the exhibition reveals the extraordinary breadth of his work. From iconic images such as Sunbaker to studio portraiture, experimental photography, architecture, advertising, fashion, wartime work, nature and intimate personal photographs, Dupain's diverse and creative output helped shape Australia's visual identity in the mid- to late 20th century.
Developed over five years by curator Avryl Whitnall, the exhibition reveals previously unseen works and experimental gems she discovered in the archive.
Alongside the images — arranged chronologically — Dupain's words feature throughout the exhibition, offering a rare insight into the man behind the lens, his creative philosophy and the distinctive way he viewed his craft.
This exhibition explores the Torres Strait pearling industry and centres the lived experiences of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and South Sea Islander seafarers whose stories have historically been overlooked.
From the late 19th to early 20th century, the Torres Strait was the global centre of the mother‑of‑pearl industry, supplying shell used in buttons, instruments, and luxury goods worldwide.
Through portraits, oral histories, and research led by Kuku Yalanji woman Nerelle Nicol, the exhibition honours the remaining Elders who worked on pearling luggers and preserves their stories for future generations.
See nature in a whole new light in The 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year, a South Australian Museum exhibition. For over two decades, this beloved annual exhibition has celebrated the natural world around us, showcasing spectacular flora, fauna and landscapes found throughout Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea.
From the mysterious ocean floor to majestic mountain tops and fiery outback panoramas, this bioregion is home to wildlife and environments unlike any other. Be inspired by this amazing collection of 100 photographs that showcase the unique natural heritage of this region, stretching back more than 80 million years.
The incredible works on display provoke a deeper connection with the natural world, offering an intimate insight into the delicate diversity of the environment and a reckoning with the changing climate that threatens its irreplaceable beauty.
The 2026 judging panel consists of Jake Wilton, Mieke Boynton and Ross Gudgeon.
This year marks 125 years since the establishment of the Commonwealth Naval Forces that later became the Royal Australian Navy. To celebrate this significant anniversary the Museum will open a new exhibition exploring how the Navy has grown alongside Australia—from colonial defence to a modern maritime force.
Presented as a temporary display in the Navy Gallery, the exhibition brings together portrait photography, significant objects from the national collection, a graphic timeline and a major First Nations artwork. Together, they tell stories of service, courage, innovation and care at sea and on shore.
At its heart are the people of the Navy—past and present—whose experiences reveal a force shaped by war and peace, humanitarian response and cultural change. Central to the exhibition is Spirit of Sea Rights by Djambawa Marawili AM, acknowledging more than 60,000 years of First Nations maritime stewardship and a shared responsibility for Australia's oceans.
Written and illustrated by Sam Wallman.
Artist and wharfie Sam Wallman's provides a fresh, first-hand take on contemporary dock life.
In the mid-20th century, a group of worker-artists created the Wharfies Mural, on display in the museum.
They captured the industrial and political struggles of their time.
Today, the wharves are dominated by smart machines rather than muscular men. But has everything changed so radically?
Explore the contemporary docks through Sam Wallman's lens as he picks up the thread laid down by the Wharfies Mural.
His work bridges the past and present, social commentary and storytelling.
Torres Strait artist Brian Robinson uses painting, printmaking, sculpture and design to encompass the region's mythology, cosmology and spirituality. Robinson, who grew up on Waiben (Thursday Island), incorporates contemporary icons taken from video games and Hollywood movies to reflect on Islander history, humour and love of fishing.
Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide) is a multi-disciplinary exhibition spanning printmaking, sculpture, video and graphic design, it is a complex tapestry woven from traditional knowledge, historical narratives, and a keen engagement with the contemporary globalised world.
A journey through the landscapes and stories of iconic Australian artist Sidney Nolan.
Experience the astounding creativity and poetic power of Sidney Nolan's art in this in-depth survey of the artist's formative years in Australia. From indelible visions of the outlaw Ned Kelly to epic portrayals of Central Australia, Nolan redefined perceptions of place and nation in Australia's cultural imagination.
Including his famous series of paintings on bushranger Ned Kelly (1946–47), the exhibition brings together over 150 major works produced before Nolan relocated to the United Kingdom in 1953 – years in which he forged a reputation as one of this country's most distinctive modernist artists.
Nolan: Origins examines the artist's engagement with the places he painted as he evolved his singular, enigmatic visual language, including St Kilda, Wimmera, K'gari (also known as Fraser Island), Central Australia and the landscapes of Ned Kelly's story in north-eastern Victoria.
The exhibition also tells of how Nolan interrogated the idea of 'Australia', invoking a sense of place through myths, histories, people and creatures imbued with his own personal inner meanings.
Bundle with an Australian Art Stories Tour or lunch at Crafted by Matt Moran or MOD Dining for the most immersive experience at Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Ready to get your little ones into the movie-going groove? The Art Gallery of New South Wales has created the perfect "low-stress" cinema experience that you will enjoy too.
Whether it's their very first film or a regular fun fortnightly outing in your schedule, these sessions are designed with families in mind.
