Sydney, Nov 27 (IANS): The Australian Museum in Sydney, which is the oldest one in the country, will reopen on Saturday after a A$57.5 million renovation, with free general admission to the public till June 30, 2021.

The 15-month long renovation project, dubbed "Project Discover" has created more than 3,000 square metres of extra public space by repurposing back-of-house areas, Xinhua news agency quoted nEW south Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian as saying at a briefing on Friday.

"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," she added.

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.