COVID-19: Updates

General admission for the Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm. Seven days a week during school holidays.
Newcastle Museum cares about your safety and there are some changes to how you visit according to NSW Government Public Health Orders. Please check their website for further details.
All visitors must wear a mask when visiting the Museum.
Visitors from areas currently under lockdown regulations will not be allowed entry to Newcastle Museum. 
Visitors will be asked to check-in via QR code upon arrival.
Our capacity is limited to one person per four square metres. We are welcoming a maximum of 355 visitors at one time, though some areas may have limited capacity due to floor space.

Visitors must wear a face mask when visiting the Museum and check-in via QR code on arrival.

Following the NSW Public Health Order requirements, there will be a maximum capacity of up to 355 visitors at one time. 

This capacity is less than the allowable 4 square metres of space per person guideline. Counting technology is in place to ensure capacity is measured. We encourage visitors to maintain 1.5m physical distance from other members of the public. 

Newcastle Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5pm. During this time, you can explore the collection and new exhibitions. Visitors will need to scan in at entry points – make sure you bring your phone.

Tues – Sun, 10.00am – 5pm
(and 7 days during NSW School Holidays)

Contact 02 4974 1400 if you have any questions.

Entry is free. Visitors will need to scan-in by a QR code at the entry point for contact tracing purposes. 

The Museum team have developed a COVID-19 safe plan in line with industry standards. The Museum team will monitor the movements, attendance numbers, compliance, and comfort levels of the public over the initial opening weeks and will make adjustments as needed.

The COVID-19 safe plan includes:

• Check-in via QR code to ensure contact details are collected for contact tracing purposes.
• An online booking system, to ensure capacity is not exceeded and contact details are collected for tracing purposes.
• Entry and Exit points will be clearly marked, with markers on the floor to guide patrons through the Museum at comfortable distances from other members of the public.
• Hand sanitiser stations will be in place throughout the Museum and staff have increased cleaning regimes between session times with a focus on high-touch surfaces.

When attending the Museum, we ask all visitors to help to keep each other safe from viruses, please:

• Wear a face mask in all internal areas
• Keep a distance of 1.5m between you and other people
• Clean your hands with soap and water, or hand sanitiser
• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze
• Avoid close contact with anyone with cold and flu-like symptoms
• Stay at home if you are sick or have any flu-like symptoms

Supernova and Mininova galleries remain closed to the public at this stage.

All galleries including Supernova are currently open to visitors.

Mininova remains closed at this time to allow for its redevelopment and reopening late in 2021.

Group tours and school visits have been suspended until further notice.

Fire & Earth, Coal, Link and A Newcastle Story galleries are open. Each visitor will be able to enjoy a 6-minute Steelmaking Simulation Show during their visit.

To keep our visitors safe, we will not have access to interactive spaces, therefore Supernova & Mininova remain closed at this time.

Museum Park is open to the public, however, please continue to use social distancing measures when visiting.

Members of the public are welcome to contact the collections team via phone or email to discuss object donations. At this stage, objects cannot be handed over until restrictions are further eased. In normal operating conditions objects cannot be received by the Museum without prior arrangement with the museum curator or registrar.

Find out more about our Collection Policy.

The Museum will be open on Mondays during NSW School Holidays.
Find out more about our opening hours.

Visitors who reside or work in a hotspot area or who have been in the Greater Sydney region (including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong) are asked to postpone their visit until the current restrictions have been lifted. Check for latest hotspot locations.