Future plans

As part of a $40M Blockbuster Funding agreement created by the NSW Government, the Australian Museum (AM) will be able to host and tour major exhibitions over the next four years.

Blockbuster international exhibitions

The Australian Museum secures Ramses The Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition for Sydney.

Ramses the Great exhibition — Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition poster. Image: Supplied
© NEON/World Heritage Exhibitions

A Blockbuster Funding agreement by the NSW Government will enable the AM to host a new Egyptian touring exhibition, Ramses The Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs, scheduled to open in November 2023.

The exhibition features a collection of more than 180 rare artifacts and will be the largest collection of Ramses II items to ever leave Egypt. This exhibition will also mark the first time in more than 30 years that artifacts connected with the famous pharaoh are touring outside of Egypt.

Visitors will come face-to-face with real artifacts including animal mummies, spectacular royal masks, exquisite amulets, and ornate golden treasures of the tomb.

Ramses The Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will also boast the first-ever virtual walkthrough of Ramses II’s famous temples as well as the first full-length documentary ever produced on Ramses II’s tomb.

The exhibition is created by World Heritage Exhibitions, with the support of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

More new galleries and experiences planned at the Australian Museum

The reopening of the Australian Museum (AM) following stage one of Project Discover in November 2020 marked the first step in the realisation of the AM’s vision for the future.

The $57.5m renovation redeveloped the Museum’s public and exhibition spaces, including adding more than 3000sqm of new public space, repurposed from back-of-house areas. Stage one of Project Discover was made possible by the NSW Government contributing $50.5m and generous philanthropic support from AM private donors.

Since reopening following stage one of Project Discover, the AM has hit new visitor records due to free general entry, blockbuster exhibitions, new spaces and amenities. The transformed AM is filling its current floor space, welcoming over one million visitors by the end of 2022!

The AM is in the process of delivering stage two of Project Discover with the opening a new Minerals Gallery and Burra in 2022, and a new Pasifika Gallery being developed in consultation with community in 2023.