School holiday fun need not break the bank

The state’s Cultural Institutions and national parks are stepping up to help, with a range of free and low-cost activities that help ease the cost-of-living squeeze while providing cultural learning and entertainment during the winter school break starting Monday 8 July.

From circus skills and carnival fun at the State Library of NSW, to a drop-in workshop to create an art installation honouring our Grandmother Tree at the Australian Museum, and becoming a National Parks ranger for a day, there are range of activities on offer.

School holiday activity highlights include:

• Australian Museum
  • Burra, First Nations Learning Centre – Free guides lead gentle learning activities inspired by First Nations knowledge of our land and fauna.
  • Wansolmoana – join in the fun on 6 July in the AM’s Pasifika Gallery when award winning performers, Tavake, revive traditional dances and music from Tonga. Stay and enjoy the stunning artefacts on display, free, open every day.
  • Honouring Our Grandmother Tree – Running over three special days, join the free drop-in event to help create an art installation honouring our Grandmother Tree – the Sydney red gum. Set up in Hintze Hall, the Grandmother Tree is set to transform as Guringai, Yuin, and Sydney Traditional Owner Amanda Jane Reynolds lead children and families through unique art-making, ancestral teachings, and a daily sacred possum drumming ceremony.
  • Shellwork Art with Aunty Maxine – In this hands-on experience, master the traditional artform of shellwork in this interactive workshop with First Nations artist Aunty Maxine Ryan and spark your creativity to make your own unique piece to take home (child $45).
• Powerhouse
  • Powerhouse Family Day: First Nations Innovations (Powerhouse Castle Hill)– A free day of demonstrations, workshops, tours, drop-in activities and fun for people of all ages, inspired by the Powerhouse collection (13 July).
  • Alchemy Family Tours (Powerhouse Castle Hill) – Join First Nations assistant curator Madeline Poll for a tour of the Powerhouse exhibition Alchemy that explores bush techniques in Indigenous Australian art.
  • Creative Studio: Digital Illustration (Wagga Wagga) – A free three-day workshop designed for students in years 7-12, to learn about character design and development in this artist-led workshop.
• Art Gallery of NSW
  • Kids drop-in workshop: Alphonse Mucha paper headpieces – A free workshop inspired by the art of Alphonse Mucha, where you’ll cut paper then fold, crease, tear and scrunch it to make decorative botanical shapes inspired by Mucha’s artworks, many of which incorporate flowers and other plants.
  • Guided tour for kids: Roving art-making tour in Naala Nura – Join volunteer guides for a roving art-making tour of the Art Gallery of New South Wales collection. Find out more about some of the most intriguing artworks on display through friendly and fun activities, and make some art of your own.
  • Kids drop-in workshop: Keep the fires burning! – Create an artwork that represents a place that is special to you. Recalling your memories of this place, use text, images and repeat patterns to make a landscape image make a sign inspired by the art of Wanapati Yunupiŋu.
• State Library of NSW
  • Carnival Drop-In Centre – Free carnival fun for families in the Learning Centre! Walk down the tunnel to try some sideshow craft and games, dress-up as a tightrope walker or the circus ringmaster then catch a fish for the seals on our interactive floor. It is open every day of the first week of the holidays.
  • Drawing in the Galleries – Arty the Art Cart will be packed to the brim with paper and art materials ready for you to discover things in our paintings you might never have seen before. Suitable for primary school aged children. All materials provided. 
  • Circus Skills Workshop – The circus has come to town! Join the troupe to learn plate twirling, juggling and discover new ways to play with the hula hoop. Circus skills expert, Shiho will be there to train you (child $10).
  • Create a Carnival – Make your own circus-scape with boxes, recycled craft materials, glue, scissors and lots of red-and-white striped paper. You can make characters, animals and even a merry-go-round! You will see paintings and photos from our collection that will inspire you (child $5).
• Museums of History NSW:
  • Story time at the Museum – Coomaditchie Dreaming – A relaxed and fun story time session followed by a craft activity inspired by the Dreaming stories.
  • Art of Place: Poetry workshop for kids with Lucy Norton – Discover the power of words and unleash your creativity in this poetry workshop where you are invited to consider and write about your own interpretation of ‘the art of place’. Led by Lucy Norton, this workshop for kids will explore the nature, uses and practice of poetry through poetic language, forms and conventions (tickets $15).
  • Cast in Cast Out Memory Shield Kids Workshop – Join Dennis Golding for a special creative workshop where participants will be guided in making a memory shield that draws inspiration from the strength of First Nations cultures and connection to Country and the shield as an object of resistance, resilience, and empowerment (tickets $20).
• Sydney Opera House:
  • Magic Garden – Join award-winning children’s band, The Vegetable Plot, for a journey into the magic garden of human imagination (tickets from $25).
  • The River That Ran Uphill – Sydney premiere of the courageous, brave, and timely production, highlighting climate change and its impacts on South Pacific communities. (tickets from $35).
  • A Forest In The City – An immersive production where children are invited to join two dancers onstage and step inside a magical green city and help to create an exciting new world where insects appear, the seasons change and the city gets bigger, busier and more complex (tickets from $35).
• NSW National Parks – Sydney-based
  • Junior ranger – Children will be appointed ‘junior rangers’ to observe wildlife through binoculars and learn how to read maps in the Royal National Park (child $15, accompanying adult free + park entry).
  • Bare Island Fort guided tour - Cross a 130-year-old wooden bridge in La Perouse and enter a fort built in the 1880s to protect Botany Bay (adult $15, child $10, family $45).
  • Cycling Lady Carrington Drive – A historic cycling track offers birdwatching, picnic areas and history in the Royal National Park (free with park entry).
  • Barrenjoey Lighthouse tour – Climb the winding stairs inside Barrenjoey Lighthouse and enjoy views of the Pacific from the top (adult $10, child $5).
• NSW National Parks – Regional NSW
  • Leaping lizards (Blue Mountains) – Join a ranger at Blackheath on a tour to spot lizards, learn where they sleep and what they eat, and how to protect them in your backyard (child $20, accompanying adult free).
  • Dorrigo kids’ nature play (near Coffs Harbour) – A rainforest tour in Dorrigo National Park with nature games and hands-on activities (child $10, accompanying adult free + park entry).
  • Walk on the wild side at the Warrumbungles (Central West) – A guided tour that teaches the skills of birdwatching and where to look for evidence of animal tracks (adult $18, child $10, family $50 + park entry).
  • Trial Bay Gaol (North Coast) – Find out what life behind bars was like and learn about the gaol’s mysterious towers, impenetrable walls and cells (adult $20, child $10, family $50).
  • Mountain Maid gold mine tour (Hunter) – Step back in time and pan for gold on this tour of Mountain Maid gold mine in Copeland Tops State Conservation Area (adult $15, child $10, family $40).
• Taronga Zoo Sydney
  • Taronga’s Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Centre (ARC) – Jump slither and crawl into this brand-new experience where big and little kids alike can eye to eye with 42 species of reptiles and amphibians all whilst learning about how to become climate heroes. This indoor experience is free with your Zoo Entry or with your Zoo Friends Membership.
  • Crawly Critters Alive Live Show - Crawl into the wild world of amazing critters at Taronga Zoo's electrifying new show: Crawly Critters ALIVE! Discover the secrets of the spiders, marvel at the camouflaging prowess of phasmids, and shudder (in a good way!) at the armoured defence of scorpions. Running twice daily at 11.45 am and 2.30 pm throughout the school holidays (free with entry or Zoo Friends Membership).

For more information on specific school holiday programs, visit each institution’s website.

Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said:

“The NSW Government’s top priority is helping people with cost-of-living pressures and it’s no secret that parents of school children have some of the biggest challenges – especially during the holidays.

“There is a range of free and low-cost programs available ready to be explored and we hope this can be of assistance to parents.”

Minister for the Arts John Graham said:

“We know that children who participate in creative and cultural activities are more likely to do well at school, make strong connections and thrive later in life, and it is critical that these opportunities are affordable and accessible to all.”

“These free and low-cost activities and events will make a welcome difference in providing entertainment, learning and fun, and there really is something for everyone.”