Arts & Culture
29 December, 2025
A day at the beach without the sand: Sydney exhibition beckons regional families
Families across the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands and Wollondilly looking for something different to do over the school holidays are being encouraged to make the trip to Sydney
Families across the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands and Wollondilly looking for something different to do over the school holidays are being encouraged to make the trip to Sydney, with the Australian National Maritime Museum opening a new summer attraction designed for all ages.
Australian National Maritime Museum’s centrepiece summer activation, The Beach, has transformed the museum’s Lighthouse Gallery into a playful, immersive space that celebrates Australia’s coastal culture while offering a gentle invitation to reconnect.
Billed as both an exhibition and an all-ages playscape, The Beach brings together art, sound, memory and movement to create what organisers describe as a place of welcome, kindness and shared stories.
“The Beach invites us all to come together – gently – to reconnect with the coastal rituals that shape Australian life with the shoreline’s spirit of welcome, play and shared stories,” museum director and chief executive Daryl Karp said.
The exhibition has taken on added significance following the terror attack in Sydney’s CBD on December 14, with Ms Karp acknowledging the impact such events have had on the broader community.
“After much deliberation we decided to continue, showcasing our beaches as places of connection and belonging,” she said.
“The shoreline has always been a place where we all meet – just open skies and shared sand – it belongs to us all, a place of joy, togetherness and shared fun.”
Inside the gallery, digital projections, a breezy soundscape, interactive rockpools and a towering sand-less castle create a recognisable yet reimagined beach environment, particularly appealing to families escaping inland summer heat.
The exhibition features works by artists including Anne Zahalka, Max Dupain, Lola Ryan, Charles Meere and Ken Done, capturing the rhythms and rituals of beach life that many regional families only experience during occasional coastal visits.
A packed program of events runs alongside the installation, including babies’ hour sessions, family workshops, theatre performances, late-night events, yoga and life drawing. Organisers say the aim is to reflect why Australians are drawn to the beach not just as a destination, but as a shared social space.
There is also space for reflection, with the exhibition acknowledging that beaches have not always felt safe or welcoming for everyone, and inviting visitors to consider inclusion, respect and shared responsibility on the shore.
For readers in Bowral, Goulburn, Picton, Yass and surrounding districts, The Beach offers a timely reason to head to Sydney during the holidays, combining culture, play and reflection in a single outing.
The Beach is part of the museum’s summer program and runs until February 1.
Read More: Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, Wollondilly