SYDNEY, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Australian museum, the oldest one in the country, will reopen this Saturday after a 57.5 million Australian dollar ( about 42.55 million U.S. dollar ) renovation, with free general admission to the public till 30 June 2021.
The 15-month long renovation project, dubbed "Project Discover" has created more than 3000 square meters of extra public space by repurposing back-of-house areas, said Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of the Australian State of New South Wales (NSW), where the museum is located.
"The Australian Museum is the country's oldest museum, so it is only fitting this world class institution has an upgraded home in the heart of Sydney," Berejiklian said.
"We want everyone to have the opportunity to explore the natural wonders of the world, learn about our history and be inspired by our culture."
The major renovation adds education facilities, a new shop, and a second cafe to the museum, allowing the revamped museum to host one major travelling international exhibition or two smaller exhibitions at the same time.
Despite free entry on the reopening day, visitors will be required to register their contact details for COVID-19 tracing purposes as the city continues to record zero locally acquired cases of the virus.