The Australian Museum has occupied the current site since it opened to the public in 1857. The extended and enlarged complex of sandstone buildings now provide its principal exhibition, administrative and research accommodation.

The Museum has a number of top class standing exhibitions as well as ever changing special exhibitions and events. The standing exhibition includes Indigenous Australian, which is a tribute to the multicultural nature of Indigenous Australia; Skeletons: Framework for Survival, an exhibition of skeletons from mammal, fish, birds, reptiles and insects; Birds, Australian birds in all their varieties of colour, shape and size; Insects, displays of the life cycles of thousands of insects; the Mineral Collections, an awesome collection of more than 850 mineral specimens; More Than Dinosaurs, a display of dinosaurs and Australia's ancient mega fauna; and Biodiversity: Life Supporting Life, explores the rich variety of life in Australia.