Art galleries and museums in Newcastle: 12 worth visiting
The newly expanded city gallery, the free museum, the fort's tunnels and the small galleries where local artists sell their work. Opening hours, costs and what's on now.
Most of Newcastle's galleries and museums are free, and the biggest four are within a short walk or a light rail stop of each other. Many close on Mondays or Tuesdays, so check the hours below. For everything else, see things to do in Newcastle.
Newcastle Art Gallery
4.5(502)Google reviews
The city's public gallery on Laman Street, next to Civic Park. It reopened on 28 February 2026 after an expansion that more than doubled its size, and it's now the largest public art gallery in NSW outside Sydney.
The collection holds more than 7,000 works, including Brett Whiteley and Margaret Olley, who painted the harbour. Angela Tiatia: Muse, the first big survey of the Newcastle-based artist, is ticketed and runs until 7 February 2027.
Good to know
- Open
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm
- Cost
- Free general entry; some exhibitions are ticketed
- Where
- 1 Laman Street, Cooks Hill
- Good for
- A rainy day, visitors, the big names
Before and after
- The best cafes in Newcastle: Darby Street is a two-minute walk.
Newcastle Museum
4.5(2,339)Google reviews
The museum in the old Honeysuckle railway workshops by the harbour, with the city's story, its coal and steel history, and Supernova, a hands-on science centre for kids.
It has the most Google reviews of any museum or gallery in the city, and general entry is free.
Good to know
- Open
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and Mondays in NSW school holidays
- Cost
- Free general entry
- Where
- 6 Workshop Way, Newcastle, behind Civic station
- Good for
- Kids, a rainy day
Fort Scratchley
4.6(1,672)Google reviews
The fort on the headland above Newcastle Beach, built in 1882 and now a museum run by volunteers. Its guns were first fired in anger on 8 June 1942, when a Japanese submarine shelled Newcastle.
Walking the site is free. The guided tunnel tours are the reason to go: buy tickets at the fort shop.
Good to know
- Open
- Wednesday to Monday, 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.30pm; closed Tuesdays
- Tunnel tours
- 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.10pm, 1.40pm and 2.30pm; adults $16.50, children 4 to 14 $9.50, family $42
- Where
- Nobbys Road, Newcastle East
- Good for
- History, harbour views, older kids
Before and after
- Newcastle walks: the Nobbys breakwall starts just below.
The Lock-Up
4.6(146)Google reviews
A contemporary art space in the old Newcastle police station on Hunter Street, which held prisoners from 1861 until 1982. Exhibitions fill the gallery and you can walk through the original cells.
Izabela Pluta's Cavitation is on until 31 January 2027.
Good to know
- Open
- Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm; Sunday 10am to 2pm
- Cost
- Free
- Where
- 90 Hunter Street, Newcastle
- Good for
- Contemporary art, the heritage cells
Timeless Textiles
4.8(20)Google reviewsA gallery for fibre art in the same heritage building as The Lock-Up: textiles, weaving and stitch, with a shop and workshops. It calls itself Australia's only commercial fibre art gallery.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon and Tue closed, Wed to Sat 10am to 4pm, Sun 10am to 2pm
- Where
- 90 Hunter Street, Newcastle
- Good for
- Textiles and handmade pieces to buy
Watt Space Gallery
4.8(42)Google reviewsThe University of Newcastle's gallery in the city, showing work by students, graduates and emerging artists.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm, Sat noon to 4pm, Sun closed
- Where
- 20 Auckland Street, Newcastle
- Good for
- New and emerging artists
Straitjacket
4.7(26)Google reviewsAn art space in Broadmeadow run by two artists, Dino Consalvo and Ahn Wells, with curated solo and group shows and the artists they represent.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon to Wed closed, Thu and Fri 11am to 6pm, Sat and Sun 11am to 5pm
- Where
- 222 Denison Street, Broadmeadow
- Good for
- Buying from local artists
Newcastle Art Space
4.8(17)Google reviewsA gallery and studios in Islington where local artists make, show and share their work.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon and Tue closed, Wed to Fri 10am to 2pm, Sat and Sun noon to 4pm
- Where
- 91 Chinchen Street, Islington
- Good for
- Local artists at work
Cooks Hill Galleries
4.5(12)Google reviewsA commercial gallery on Bull Street, selling Australian art since 1975, from colonial painters like Conrad Martens to Brett Whiteley, across four rooms with regular exhibitions.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon and Tue closed, Wed to Sat 10am to 5pm, Sun closed
- Where
- 65 Bull Street, Cooks Hill
- Good for
- Buying or valuing Australian art
Back to Back Galleries
5.0(11)Google reviewsA few doors along Bull Street, the gallery of Newcastle Studio Potters, with handmade local pottery and changing exhibitions.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon to Thu closed, Fri to Sun 11am to 5pm
- Where
- 57 Bull Street, Cooks Hill
- Good for
- Handmade pottery
Mitch Revs Gallery
4.9(93)Google reviewsThe Maryville gallery of Newcastle artist Mitch Revs, with coastal prints, puzzles and gifts, plus framing and printing. It's one of the best-rated galleries in the city on Google.
Good to know
- Open
- Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm, Sat and Sun 9am to 3pm
- Where
- 30 Downie Street, Maryville
- Good for
- Newcastle prints and gifts
Miss Porter's House
4.7(28)Google reviews
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An Edwardian terrace on King Street, built in 1909, where three generations of the Porter family lived until 1997. The National Trust keeps it as they left it: furniture, clothes and stencilled ceilings.
It only opens one afternoon a month, so plan ahead.
Good to know
- Open
- Second Sunday of each month, 1pm to 4pm
- Cost
- Adults $12, concession $10, family $34, under 5 free
- Where
- 434 King Street, Newcastle West
- Good for
- Local history, a small and quiet visit
Run a Newcastle gallery?
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Questions people ask
Is Newcastle Art Gallery free?
Yes, general entry is free. Some special exhibitions are ticketed. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
When did Newcastle Art Gallery reopen?
On 28 February 2026, after an expansion that more than doubled its size.
Is Newcastle Museum free?
Yes, general entry is free. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and on Mondays in NSW school holidays.
How much are the Fort Scratchley tunnel tours?
Adults $16.50, children 4 to 14 $9.50 and families $42. Walking around the fort itself is free.
Where can I buy art in Newcastle?
Cooks Hill Galleries and Back to Back Galleries on Bull Street, Straitjacket in Broadmeadow, Timeless Textiles on Hunter Street and Mitch Revs in Maryville all sell work.
How we made this guide
We read each gallery's and museum's own website on 13 October 2026 for hours, prices and current exhibitions, and its Google listing for the rating and opening hours. Exhibitions and hours change, so check before you go. Nobody paid to be in this guide. If something has changed, tell us.
Sources (11)
- Newcastle Art Gallery: reopening and 2026 program
- Newcastle Museum
- Fort Scratchley: tours and prices
- The Lock-Up: visit
- Timeless Textiles
- Straitjacket
- Cooks Hill Galleries
- Back to Back Galleries (Newcastle Studio Potters)
- Mitch Revs Gallery
- National Trust: Miss Porter's House
- Google Maps listings for each place (read 13 October 2026)