After almost 15 years, the doors of Australia's newest museum, Powerhouse Parramatta, are officially open to the public.
The billion-dollar museum has been described as the largest cultural infrastructure project in Australia since the Sydney Opera House.
About 3,000 objects are on display across 18,000 square metres of exhibition and public space, making it the state's largest museum. On its opening weekend, 25,000 visitors have registered to attend events.
The museum's interim CEO, Abbie Galvin, has said it's wonderful to see the project finally completed.
"It is now a building that is for the community of Western Sydney, the community of New South Wales and of course, Australia," she said. "It is an incredible cultural institution."
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"And it represents innovation. It represents education. And it absolutely represents wonderment."
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Arts Minister John Graham opened the riverfront building on Saturday, saying it would be a magnet for Australians looking to spend time engaging with science and culture for free.
Some of the museum's exhibitions do, however, have an entry fee.
Minns also credited former Coalition premier Mike Baird for beginning the project, telling reporters that his party had been wrongly critical of it when in opposition.
"We were wrong," Minns said. "This is fantastic. This is going to be great for Western Sydney. It’s going to be great for NSW," he said.
The opposition, too, was keen to highlight its contribution.
"Western Sydney has been waiting for its fair share and the Liberals and Nationals have delivered. If Labor had won the election in either 2015 or 2019, Powerhouse Parramatta would not be here today," it said in a joint statement.
The striking building is covered in a lattice made of 1,300 individual pieces of steel and is the first public building in Australia awarded six green stars under the Green Building Council of Australia's new rating system.
It has a 24-hour accessible outdoor space with gardens, amphitheatres, and promenades linking the Parramatta River to Phillip Street.
An opening festival program over three weeks and four weekends will feature 179 different events, the majority of which are free, across First Nations' culture, science and technology, design, music, film and food.
Acclaimed British artist Es Devlin, whose works make up part of the opening exhibitions, has said she thinks the new museum will become a global destination.
"It's the first time that the building gets to sing," she told ABC Radio about the opening. "It's almost like the builders have been crafting this Stradivarius [violin] for seven years, and now is the first time it's given its voice and it meets its public."
"This one is really in a class of its own."
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the opening day of the Powerhouse Parramatta is "packed", with crowds and queues for each of the five opening exhibitions.
Attendees have described the building as "instantly iconic" and said that, despite the long wait and the political battles over it, the new Powerhouse appears to have been worth it.
Powerhouse Parramatta's predecessor, Powerhouse Ultimo, is undergoing a $300 million heritage restoration and rebuild project on its 1988 structure. While it too has been delayed by controversies and budget blowouts, it is anticipated to open in late 2028 or early 2029.
