SeeThe Rocks

Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Art museum focusing on work by contemporary Australian artists. Housed in a fabulous 1930s art deco building, former location of the Maritime Services Board and facing onto the western side of Circular Quay and Sydney Cove, the MCA has been dedicated since its opening in 1991 to showcasing great works of modern and contemporary art in all media. One wing is newer, contemporary architecture; the other is a historic building used for port administration until the 1930s. The museum runs some arts education programs for children and disabled people.

Address: 140 George Street
Getting there: between Circular Quay and First Fleet Park
Hours: Tue-Sun 10AM-5PM
Website: mca.com.au (opens in a new tab)

Directions Suggest a nearby place

Listing from Wikivoyage: Sydney/The Rocks, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

Close by

SeeThe Rocks
Cadman's Cottage
The last relic of the small, relatively plain buildings that once ringed Sydney Cove in the early colonial period, this small sandstone cottage was built in 1815-1816. The building has survived largely because of constant government or institutional ownership. Restoration began in 1972 and the building is now used as an information centre by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The Cottage was built by the water side, but with reclamation over the years, the shoreline of Sydney Cove is now 100 metres distant.
Mon-Fri 9:30AM-4:30PM, Sat Sun 10AM-4:30PM, closed Christmas and Good FriFree admission
SeeThe Rocks
Susannah Place
Owned by Sydney Living Museums. Built in 1844, Susannah Place Museum preserves a row of four terrace houses that incorporate a re-created 1915 corner store, providing a rare opportunity to construct patterns of domestic working class life from the mid 1840s to the late 20th century. It is evidence of the rich community that once existed in The Rocks. The modest interiors and rear yards illustrate the restrictions of 19th century inner city life.
Daily 2-5PM (closed Christmas Day and Good Fri) - guided tours onlyAdult $15, child/concession $12, family $38
SeeCity Centre
Circular Quay
pronounced like "key"
The hub of the Sydney Harbour between the bridge and Opera House and is a vibrant, bustling place home to many buskers, the ferry terminal, overseas passenger terminal, as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art. It is one of the main areas of the annual Vivid festival.
SeeThe Rocks
Argyle Cut
Follow Argyle St through this historic sandstone road cutting made between 1843 and 1867, made with the effort of both convict and paid labour. The sights and sounds of the convict labour, still bound in chains and working only with crude tools, horrified the locals and the cutting was abandoned after just three years. A long interlude lasted before the city council eventually linked Millers Point and The Rocks together with the use of paid labour and explosives.