Things that can kill you Down Under
If you visit only one thing in Sydney it should be the amazing Australian Museum, definitely one of the nicest, most manageable museums. It is located in an old building, so it feels like you are in some XIX natural museum, observing newly discovered species for the first time. There are several must-see sections: the geological history of earth, skeleton room, and things that may kill you in Australia are a few.
The history of Earth depicts different species that inhabited it throughout its history and clearly shows how short human presence is on our planet. Unfortunately, given the long history of the planet and its inhabitants, and what we are doing to the environment, it seems inevitable that we will eventually become extinct, like many before us.
In addition to the already seen skeletons of dinosaurs, whales, etc, this room also contains skeletons of many other, every day creatures, like cats, dogs, birds, horse, etc. It's really interesting to see. Don't miss riding this bicycle- when you ride it, it activates the bike behind you with a human skeleton on it, making it look like the skeleton is doing all the work. Fascinating, as it clearly shows how human bodies work.
The section about things that can kill you in water and on land is also fascinating. Bill Bryson in his book "In a Sunburned Country" sums it up pretty well: "Australia has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world's ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures - the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish - are the most lethal of their type in the world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you. ... If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. It's a tough place.”
If you have time, visit the lovely collection of minerals and rocks which can be found in Australia. You can also visit the section on birds, showing all the amazing ones you can see in Australia- we even saw some eagles in the Outback and they are impressive creatures.
After the museum, if you like history, you can stop the nearby Memorial for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers who died in the Great War (World War I). Australia had a very high casualty rate (65% or 60,000 soldiers) - 23,000 Australians killed in the war have no known grave. We were in Australia in April 2015 around the Gallipoli centennial, so it made the World War I memorials and exhibits even more special.