Macleay Museum

Built in 1887, the Macleay Museum has a huge natural history collection of the Macleay Family. It is one so the leading museums in Sydney and was names in honor of the William Sharp Macleay of the Macleay family. The Macleay Museum is dedicated to the centuries of commitment to scientific knowledge and museums of the Macleay family. There is an interesting history associated with the development of the Macleay Museum. Today the Macleay Museum generates a lot of interest among many visitors and research scholars. Every year numerous tourists are seen visiting the Macleay Museum.

It started with Alexander Macleay’s collection of insects which was assembled in the late 18th century as the Macleay Collection. During that time it was one of the largest insect collections in the world owned privately. Later on the collection was added to by Alexander’s son William Sharp Macleay who was a leading naturalist in 19th century. The collection was further expanded by William Sharp’s cousin, William John Macleay to include all branches of Natural History. Under the conditions of William Sharp´s will, the collection was donated to the University of Sydney. Presently the Macleay Museum has a collection of over half a million insect specimens.

Till date the Macleay Museum retains the charm of a nineteenth century museum though it also tackles modern issues. The collection at the Macleay Museum consists of insects, Ethnography, natural history, scientific instruments and historic photographs and scientific instruments. Another feature of the Macleay Museum is the George Masters Exhibition Space which is devoted to organizing temporary exhibitions. The Macleay Museum is among the many tourist attractions of Sydney which is opened to visitors from 10am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday and is closed on public holidays.

In addition to the Macleay Museum, there are a number of other museums in Sydney which showcases various aspects of the city’s past and contemporary life. The other leading museum of Sydney includes Sydney Jewish Museum, Sydney Museum, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Tramway Museum, Australian National Maritime Museum and more. So if you wish to get a feel of the history, traditions and customs of Australia, you can visit the wide range of museums.