Museum of Contemporary Art - Art Deco on the Quay

Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on Sydney Harbour: Rocks to Opera House, a free self-guided tour.

The stern sandstone-colored building in front of you looks like it was built to run a port, and it was. This was the headquarters of the Maritime Services Board, designed in a stripped classical, Art Deco style by William Henry Withers. Work began in the late 1930s, stopped during the Second World War, and the offices finally opened in 1952. From these windows, officials kept watch over the busy harbour.

Since 1991 the building has been the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the country's leading museum devoted to living artists. The collection now holds more than 4,500 works, with a strong focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. In 2012 a modern wing was added, its stacked white and dark boxes a deliberate contrast to the old facade.

Even if you don't go in, the lawn out front is a good place to sit and watch the ferries.

Getting here: Walk west along the waterfront toward the Harbour Bridge; the big Art Deco building facing the water is the museum.

Did you know?: The museum grew from the will of expatriate artist John Power, who in 1943 left money and works to the University of Sydney to bring the latest art to Australians.

Photo op: Step back toward the water and frame the full Art Deco facade, with a cruise ship's bow often looming in the frame from the terminal next door.

More on Wikipedia: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Museum of Contemporary Art - Art Deco on the Quay

Stops on this tour