Australia’s oldest museum offers late night entertainment

The Australian Museum in Sydney, the country's oldest which reopened its doors to the public last November, is now offering late night entertainment, giving visitors an opportunity to wander through new spaces and exhibitions in the evenings.

Located in downtown Sydney, the Australian Museum boasts of a history of over 190 years. After 15 months of renovation, the museum reopened on November 28, 2020, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

The summer evening program will feature extended hours every Thursday from January to March 2021.

"There is something magical about the museum at night, and we're thrilled to be able to extend our hours on Thursday evenings to provide a fun and vibrant space for people to connect and come together which is now more important than ever," Director and CEO of Australian Museum Kim McKay said.

"Visitors can pop in after work or after dinner on summer evenings and enjoy a 'Night at the Museum', wandering through our exhibitions, encountering special talks, enjoying live music and even late-night shopping in our new museum store," McKay added.

From stunning pictures taken by 2020 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year about the country's terrific natural beauties, to an exploration of the museum's most precious collections, visitors could enjoy a couple of exhibitions, workshops and events in different parts of the museum.

"With free general entry and extended hours on Thursday evenings, anyone can discover and enjoy all that Australia's first, and recently revamped museum has to offer. There is something for everyone to enjoy at the transformed museum," Minister for the Arts of the state of New South Wales (NSW) Don Harwin said.

Among all the exhibitions, the one about the whole family of a tyrannosaurus is most popular for children during the current school holiday.

Visitors can come face-to-face with a life-sized tyrannosaurus and observe a colossal collection of skeletons, skulls and fossil eggs.

The interactive exhibition features virtual reality, touch screens, immersive projections and AI.

Facing the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the largely reduced visitor flow in downtown, the NSW state government also hoped the summer evening program could promote Sydney's night-time economy and contribute to the revitalization of the Central Business District.

"With its central location opposite Hyde Park, the Australian Museum is a key attraction for residents and visitors to our city, and offering extended evening hours at our premier cultural institutions is an important step in supporting our creative economy to be back up and running," NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said.