Latest News
WA children to talk live to astronauts in space
Posted on 08-02-2012
- Event marks 50th anniversary of Perth being named the City of Light
- Ten children will have the chance to speak with astronauts on the ISS
- Free public event including space-themed activities and presentations
Culture and Arts Minister John Day today announced the winners of a competition to speak live to astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbits the earth.
Read the full ministerial statement here:...
State-of-the-art DNA lab for WA Museum
Posted on 02-02-2012
- Opening of new facility a significant milestone for WA Museum
- $1.6million provided by Rio Tinto Iron Ore in 2010 for development of lab
- Research projects include discovery and characterisation of new species
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day today officially opened a new science and research facility at the Western Australian Museum’s Collection and Research Centre.
Mr Day said the Molecular Systematics Unit was a new state-of-the art laboratory for the identification of Western Australian...
Last chance to see Extraordinary Stories
Posted on 01-02-2012
- Final week of unique Extraordinary Stories exhibition at the WA Museum – Perth
- Start of five year partnership with the British Museum
- Exhibition is free admission
There are now only days remaining to see the world exclusive exhibition Extraordinary Stories from the British Museum at the Western Australian Museum in Perth.
On 5 February 2012 the exhibition will close and objects will be carefully packed and transported back to London, to their permanent home at the British Museum.
Chief...
Western Australia marks 50th Anniversary of Perth as the ‘City of Light’
Posted on 16-01-2012
On February 20, this year, WA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of a very significant event. On that day in 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in the Friendship 7 spacecraft. On this mission, Glenn flew over Perth and the people of Perth turned on their lights to acknowledge his mission. Glenn observed that the city was clearly visible from space and Perth became known worldwide as the ‘City of Light’. This early space exploration mission set the stage for the Gemini and Apollo programs which culminated in NASA landing men...
Creating an extraordinary Western Australian story
Posted on 10-01-2012
Acclaimed Performing Lines WA writer and director Sally Richardson has brought together an extraordinary artwork program to engage Western Australian Museum visitors with professional artists.
Ms Richardson said an interactive artwork will be developed over a two week period, with the final product to be a large three dimensional object that reflects the Western Australian community today.
“The Museum is currently hosting the Extraordinary Stories from the British Museum exhibition which showcases stories about the world’s people, who we are and where we’ve come from...
Join climate change locals to mark the start of International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Posted on 04-01-2012
The Western Australian Museum Geraldton, along with Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) and Pollinators Inc, are holding a public morning tea at the Museum on Tuesday 17 January, 2012 to celebrate the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
From 16 – 18 January 2012 the United Nations will launch International Year of Sustainable Energy for All at the World Future Energy Summit in Dubai.
To mark this occasion and to highlight the issues and opportunities for sustainable energy in the Mid West region, the Museum is hosting a morning tea...
WA Museum – Geraldton celebrates 500,000th visitor
Posted on 04-01-2012
The Western Australian Museum – Geraldton welcomed its 500,000th visitor through its doors this morning, a major milestone since its new building opened to the public in August 2001.
Mr Alexander Kaiser was the 500,000th visitor and along with daughter Nelli, son Eduard and Eduard’s girlfriend Stefanie Kapp they were delighted to be greeted warmly by Museum staff and presented with a certificate and a basket of gifts from the Museum shop.
Western Australian Museum Geraldton Regional Manager, Catherine Belcher said Mr Kaiser is visiting Australia from Hassloch in...
Summer concerts @ the Museum
Posted on 21-12-2011
The Western Australian Museum is pleased and proud to be the venue to host the Perth Festival’s new outdoor summer concert program, Festival Gardens. The newly developed grounds at the WA Museum will host 22 nights of live music, entertainment and relaxation, ideally located in the heart of the Perth Cultural Centre from 10 February – 3 March 2012.
The WA Museum is excited about the opportunity to partner with the Perth Festival to attract new audiences into the Perth Cultural Centre and showcase the Museum grounds as a dynamic venue to present contemporary culture to Western...
Award for Harry Butler
Posted on 14-12-2011
Dr WH (Harry) Butler CME CitWA was awarded the prestigious Lewis G Weeks Gold Medal at the APPEA conference held in Perth in 2011.
As a Fellow of the Western Australian Museum, long time supporter and the name bearer of the WA Museum’s Harry Butler Lecture Series in the Wild West, the Museum is delighted that Dr Butler’s substantial contribution to the environmental management practices of the oil and gas industry has been acknowledged in the rare presentation of this award.
More information about this award:...
Summer holidays celebrated with new species
Posted on 14-12-2011
To celebrate the first day of the summer school holidays the WA Museum’s resident reptile expert will display a live, newly described skink species in the WA Museum’s Discovery Centre, Perth on Thursday 15 December at 9.30am.
With eight new reptile and two frog species described this year 2011 has been a busy time for Dr Paul Doughty and his colleagues.
This year Dr Doughty’s research has focussed on WA’s Pilbara region which is one of the most diverse areas for reptiles in the world.
“WA is a great place to be a reptile and frog enthusiast, as it is incredibly diverse...
Climate Change exhibition opens at WA Museum – Geraldton
Posted on 08-12-2011
Climate Change: Our Future, Our Choice has been unveiled as the new temporary exhibition at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton.
The exhibition was developed by the Australian Museum and Scitech Discovery Centre in consultation with scientists and climate change experts, and has been on display at the Australian Museum in Sydney as well as Scitech in Perth.
Visitors will be taken on a journey with interactive displays and thought provoking statements encouraging people to consider the impacts of human activity on the environment and planet.
Geraldton...
Australia’s Minescapes on display at WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Posted on 08-12-2011
A stunning collection of photographs by internationally acclaimed Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky will be on display at the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder from tomorrow.
Australian Minescapes is a travelling exhibition from the Western Australian Museum and features powerful images of Pilbara and Eastern Goldfields mine sites.
Burtynsky’s photographic depictions of industrial landscapes are in the collections of major museums around the world including the Museum of Modern
Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris and...
WA Museum - Albany on a winning streak
Posted on 23-11-2011
- Highly commended at national Museums Australia awards for The Young Naturalists Club
Public programs developed by WA Museum – Albany demonstrate quality of programs delivered to Great Southern region
The Western Australian Museum – Albany has been acknowledged for the quality of its public programs, receiving two highly commended awards at the Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNAs) last week.
The acknowledgement recognised the public program The Young Naturalists Club, which was launched by Dr Harry Butler during...
Long way to the top for WA Museum website
Posted on 21-11-2011
- National Award for AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels exhibition website
- More than 30,000 people visited the website over three months
- Exhibition itself attracted 78,749 visitors to the WA Museum
- WA Museum also won Museums Australia award for Woodside Kimberley site
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day today congratulated the Western Australian Museum for winning an Australian Web Award for its exhibition website AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels and a Museums Australia Award for its Woodside Kimberley website.
Mr Day said...
Make your event a piece of history this holiday season
Posted on 18-11-2011
Imagine holding your unforgettable event right in the centre of history’s memory chambers – in one of Western Australia’s iconic Museum sites.
The Western Australian Museum has a range of first class venues available for you to stage an absolutely unique Christmas party or corporate event.
At the WA Museum – Perth, the stunning Hackett Hall Foyer with its extraordinary design and towering glass atrium offers the ideal location for a sophisticated evening or cocktail event.
Also available is the recently refurbished Hackett Hall...
CHOGM Spouse/Partner Program Luncheon at the Western Australian Maritime Museum
Posted on 18-11-2011
The Western Australian Maritime Museum played host to a Spouse and Partner Program luncheon, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) events held in Perth in late October.
The luncheon, hosted by Mr Tim Mathieson, partner to Prime Minister Gillard, was held in the WA Maritime Museum Function Centre and Balcony.
Guests were greeted by Western Australian Museum, Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alec Coles, before posing for a group photograph at the aptly named ‘Welcome Walls’.
The Welcome Walls, completed in December 2010, display more than 21,000 inscribed...
Federal Foreign Minister Dinner at WA Museum
Posted on 18-11-2011
The Western Australian Museum – Perth played host to the Foreign Minister’s Dinner as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) events hosted in Perth in late October.
The dinner was held in the newly refurbished Hackett Hall Gallery, recently launched as an exclusive venue hire space.
On 26 October guests were wowed with extravagant themeing, by Natural Art by Rebecca Grace, lighting design and production by OMG Events by Tony Salom and exquisite food by Heyder & Shears Exclusive Catering.With high ceilings and multiple...
Goldfields welcomes home 23kg gold nugget
Posted on 17-11-2011
MEDIA STATEMENT - http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/WACabinetMinistersSearch.aspx?ItemId=145739&
Hon. John Day MLA
05/11/11
Minister for Culture and the ArtsCulture and the Arts Minister John Day unveiled a 23.26kg gold nugget which will be on temporary display at the WA Museum’s Kalgoorlie-Boulder site.
Mr Day said it was a return home for the Ausrox Gold Nugget, which was discovered by metal...
Rare species of trapdoor spider discovered in WA
Posted on 15-11-2011
A rare species of trapdoor spider has been found by chance in the backyard of a Grass Valley home in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region.
Dr Mark Harvey, arachnid expert at the Western Australian Museum, said it was fortuitous that the unusual white head of the spider prompted the Grass Valley resident who found it to carefully capture it for identification.
“It was taken to the Department of Environment and Conservation in Northam, and later given to the Museum for identification,” Dr Harvey said.
“I nearly fell over when I saw its white head.
“The male spider...
WA Museum wins Premier’s Award for excellence
Posted on 15-11-2011
- The Western Australian Museum has won the 2011 Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management
- The successful project Exploring the Marine Biodiversity of Northern WA is a partnership between the WA Museum and Woodside Energy Ltd
- The project was also selected as the winner in the Managing Environment category
The Western Australian Museum’s Exploring the Marine Biodiversity of Northern WA project was announced as the winner of the 2011 Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management at the State Reception Centre last...
Dr Harry Butler – ‘Almost’ in the Wild
Posted on 14-11-2011
Join renowned conservationist and naturalist Dr W. H. (Harry) Butler to hear his tales of travels to remote Australia to record his legendary wildlife television series In the Wild.
Dr Butler will be talking about his adventures as part of the Western Australian Museum’s 2011 Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West.
One of the first of its kind, the wildlife documentary In the Wild aired from 1976–1981, continued to play into the 1990s and is now available on DVD. The series has reached an estimated 480 million people in 43 countries....
WA Museum marks HMAS Sydney tragedy
Posted on 09-11-2011
To mark the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney (II), the Western Australian Museum - Geraldton will present two special programs from November 16.
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the museum would present a seminar series with some of the key figures who searched for HMAS Sydney (II) and a memory and story-sharing art project for relatives and friends of the 645 crew lost at sea.
http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx?ItemId=...
Rare glimpses of Kimberley marine life
Posted on 08-11-2011
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- 23 video clips featuring unique marine life of the Kimberley
- The videos are a day by day account of scientists working in the field
- Scientists have collected six species and one genus believed to be new to science
A series of 23 videos clips is providing a rare glimpse of what lies beneath the waters off the remote Kimberley to the north of Cape Leveque, Western Australia.
Tides and Islands: The Kimberley video clips will be released this week on the Western Australian Museum’s website giving the public a first-hand look at the unique marine...
Caught in the Act – sex and the fossil record
Posted on 07-11-2011
Until ground breaking fossil discoveries in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 2008, seeking evidence of fossil sex has been perhaps one of the most difficult endeavours in palaeontology.
Professor Kate Trinajstic, QEII Research Fellow at Curtin University, will speak at the WA Museum – Perth on those fossil discoveries and the sophisticated technologies that give insight into the previously enigmatic sexual behaviour of vertebrate millions of years ago.
Professor Trinajstic said the breakthrough toward evidence of fossil sex began in the Kimberley region where she...
Ark of discovery: Evolution of fauna on the Houtman Abrolhos
Posted on 07-11-2011
For up to 8,000 years the fauna on many of the 170 islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos off Geraldton have evolved in isolation, providing a fascinating laboratory in which to study adaptive patterns in many species.
Dr Ric How, terrestrial vertebrate senior curator at the Western Australian Museum will present a public lecture, Ark of discovery: evolution of fauna on the Houtman Abrolhos, as part of The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West.
Dr How said the long period of isolation from mainland Australia on islands of different sizes and...
Kimberley collector: Father Nicholas Emo
Posted on 26-10-2011
Over its 120 year history the Western Australian Museum has often received donations of collections from members of the public that provide unique insights into the people and places of WA.
Dr Moya Smith, Head of Anthropology and Archaeology at the WA Museum will present a public lecture about a special collection of Aboriginal artefacts donated to the Museum in 1911 by a Spanish missionary who was based in the remote communities of Western Australia’s Kimberley at the turn of the twentieth century.
Father Nicholas Emo was a member of the fledgling Catholic missions in Broome...
Thinker puts kids’ creativity in spotlight
Posted on 26-10-2011
The arts and cultural opportunities available to local children and young people and the positive impact creative learning can have on their development will be explored when the Western Australian Museum – Albany co-hosts a new initiative of the Commissioner for Children and Young People Michelle Scott.
The Commissioner’s 2011 Thinker in Residence: Unlocking Creativity will examine how successfully Western Australia is using creative activity in and out of school to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people and to the wider community.
...
Exhibition extended to meet demand
Posted on 25-10-2011
Strong interest in Unearthed: Mining Stories from the Mid West has resulted in the Western Australian Museum - Geraldton extending the exhibition until Sunday 20 November 2011.
Unearthed: Mining Stories from the Mid West explores the mining history that is key to the region’s past, present and future.
Since opening on 21 May, 2011 the exhibition has helped draw record attendance to the Museum for this time of year.
Museum Regional Manager Catherine Belcher said the exhibition displays a unique range of mining stories from the region that is of great...
Exclusive British Museum collection in Perth
Posted on 24-10-2011
MEDIA STATEMENT - http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx?ItemId=145258&
Hon. John Day MLA
21/10/11
Minister for Culture and the Arts- More than 40 objects from the British Museum and WA Museum
- First exhibition in new five-year partnership between the museums
- Forms part of the Commonwealth Festival Perth program of events
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day today unveiled an exclusive collection of rare...
Aboriginal ochre mining in the Midwest
Posted on 17-10-2011
In the heart of the Weld Range hills in WA’s Midwest lies the Aboriginal site of Wilgie Mia where for thousands of years, extraordinarily bright red ochre has been mined from deep below the surface of the ground.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, University of WA archaeologist Dr Vicky Winton and Wajarri Weld Range Traditional Owner Ansell Egan will talk about their research to trace the transport, trade and use of ochre from Wilgie Mia.
As Mr Egan and Dr Winton will discuss, red ochre has a...
A swag full of lizards and frogs
Posted on 17-10-2011
One of the hottest and driest places on Earth, the deserts of Western Australia are home to one of the world's most diverse range of reptile fauna.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, reptile expert Dr Paul Doughty will give an illustrated presentation of reptile and frog diversity and the new species discovered in and around the Kalgoorlie region.
Dr Doughty said lizards are especially diverse in the arid regions of Western Australia and that there are also some hardy frog species able to survive the...
WA Museum wins web awards
Posted on 14-10-2011
The Western Australian Museum has taken out top honours at the 2011 Australian Web Awards.
The WA Museum won first prize in two categories; Arts and Culture for its AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels exhibition website, and Government for its Pseudoscorpions of the World website.
The two sites were judged against a competition of web development agencies from Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.Chief executive officer of the WA Museum Alec Coles said the WA Museum had done exceptionally well winning an Australian Web...
Clues to the origin of the Solar System
Posted on 05-10-2011
Many of us are familiar with ‘shooting stars’ streaking across the night sky and then fading into the blackness. These celestial fireworks known as meteors, result from the destruction of tiny fragments of natural space debris hurtling through the upper atmosphere.
Some of the larger objects fall to Earth to become meteorites, which can then be recovered and studied in more detail providing clues to the origin and evolution of the Solar System.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, Dr Alex Bevan, head of Earth...
Yachting shaping our State
Posted on 03-10-2011
In a State flanked by stunning coastline, it is no surprise that Western Australia has a rich maritime history of yachting and sailing.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, maritime historian Sally May will reflect upon the development of the State’s yachting and sailing history and the role the WA Museum has in showcasing this history and its heritage.
Ms May said with Perth staging the upcoming International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Championships in December to select sailing competitors for the 2012...
On your bike to the WA Museum - Geraldton
Posted on 20-09-2011
The Western Australian Museum - Geraldton will be transformed into Bike Central these school holidays with loads of two-wheeled fun for children and their families.
Children can join in Two-wheel trivia, and test their knowledge of bicycles. Or they can give their imaginations free wheel as they design their own dream bike on a felt board or click together amazing bike models in Zoobed.
In You’re the Winner wear the highly prized yellow, green and polka dot winner’s jersey from the dress up box and take a photo of yourself on the winner dais...
Kimberley collector: Father Nicholas Emo
Posted on 09-09-2011
Over its 120 year history the Western Australian Museum has often received donations of collections from members of the public that provide unique insights into the people and places of WA.
Dr Moya Smith, Head of Anthropology and Archaeology at the WA Museum will present a public lecture about a special collection of Aboriginal artefacts donated to the Museum in 1911 by a Spanish missionary who was based in the remote communities of Western Australia’s Kimberley at the turn of the twentieth century.
Father Nicholas Emo was a member of the fledgling Catholic missions in Broome...
A Hidden Kalgoorlie
Posted on 02-09-2011
Honorary researcher from the Monash University’s Indigenous Centre, Dr Sue Taffe, will speak at the Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder on the move for equal rights by indigenous Australians in the 1960s and the important role that Kalgoorlie played in this.
The lecture, A Hidden Kalgoorlie, is part of the WA Museum’s Harry Butler: In the Wild West lecture series.
Dr Taffe will recount how a collection of photographs taken in Kalgoorlie during the 1960s depicting Aboriginal families inspired her to unearth the hidden stories of Kalgoorlie’s indigenous...
Cosmic gems
Posted on 31-08-2011
Meteorites and related materials have been used for human adornment for millennia. The oldest examples come from the tombs of ancient Egypt, but the practice of making jewellery continues to the present day.
Dr Alex Bevan head of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Western Australian Museum will present his lecture Cosmic Gems on 8 and 9 September 2011, as part of the Museum’s Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West.
Dr Bevan said meteorites and cosmic dust bring to Earth a wide variety of materials with origins ranging from the inner, to the...
Problem of longitude in relation to the discovery of Australia
Posted on 26-08-2011
Four hundred years ago a sailing voyage from Europe to Java, via Madagascar, would take almost 12 months, with an enormous toll on the health of all aboard.
In 1611 Dutch captain Hendrik Brouwer made a calculated venture across the southern Indian Ocean with the Roaring Forties winds before turning north, and in doing so cut the voyage to six months. Brouwer’s journey became known as the Brouwer Route.
Jeremy Green, Head of Department of Maritime Archaeology at the Western Australian Museum will present a public lecture on Problem of longitude in relation to the...
Ark of discovery: Evolution of fauna on the Houtman Abrolhos
Posted on 15-08-2011
For up to 8,000 years the fauna on many of the 170 islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos off Geraldton have evolved in isolation, providing a fascinating laboratory in which to study adaptive patterns in many species.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler: In the Wild West lecture series and National Science Week activities, the Museum’s terrestrial vertebrates senior curator Professor Ric How will present An ark of discovery: evolution of fauna on the Houtman Abrolhos.
Prof. How, said the long period of isolation from mainland...
Desert camera network gives clues to meteorite origins
Posted on 12-08-2011
An independent camera network set up in the Nullarbor desert is making it possible to track and recover observed meteorite falls, as well as identify their origin in the Solar System.
Associate Professor Alex Bevan, head of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences will be talking about the ‘Australian Desert Fireball Network’ during National Science Week as part of the Western Australian Museum’s 2011 Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West.
The All-Sky Desert Fireball Camera Network, established in the Western Australian Nullarbor in 2006, today consists...
WA Museum project provides virtual field trip beneath the prehistoric Nullarbor
Posted on 10-08-2011
In a WA Museum first, people will be able to follow virtually the action of a real scientific field expedition into the many caves beneath the Nullarbor Plain.
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said people will have unprecedented access to website streams of video footage, interviews and blogs allowing them to see a scientific field trip as it happens.
“This is a case of science and technology coming together to tell the story of prehistoric Australia,” Mr Day said.
“The caves beneath the Nullarbor are littered with the fossil bones of Australia’s unique megafauna...
Investigating the Cosmos
Posted on 08-08-2011
In the last century our view of the Universe and our place within it has undergone a revolution every bit as dramatic as Galileo's assertion 400 years prior that the Earth was not the centre of the Solar System.
We live within a normal spiral galaxy that hosts 100 billion stars similar to our own Sun and forms but one of 100 billion galaxies. The last decade has taught us that all these galaxies make up less than five percent of the entire Universe.
As part of National Science Week Dr Alan Duffy, Research Associate at the University of WA’s node of International...
The chemistry of shipwrecks
Posted on 08-08-2011
There are more than a thousand shipwrecks located along the Western Australian coastline, however due to a combination of biological deterioration and the movement of water and sand the majority of WA wrecks are rarely found intact
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, Museum conservation scientist Vicki Richards will discuss the circumstances in which the wrecks can survive in good condition, the chemistry involved in shipwreck deterioration, and how science is used in preserving our underwater cultural heritage....
Ark of discovery: Evolution of fauna on the Houtman Abrolhos
Posted on 02-08-2011
For up to 8,000 years the fauna on many of the 170 islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos off Geraldton have evolved in isolation, providing a fascinating laboratory in which to study adaptive patterns in many species.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler: In the Wild West lecture series and National Science Week activities, the Museum’s terrestrial vertebrates senior curator Professor Ric How will present An ark of discovery: evolution of fauna on the Houtman Abrolhos.
Prof. How, said the long period of...
Creepy crawlies of WA
Posted on 01-08-2011
Western Australia is home to a variety of fascinating and ancient creepy crawlies, such as centipedes, spiders and scorpions. Are they dangerous? When should we be concerned, and when should we be delighted to have them in our neighbourhood?
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler: In the Wild West lecture series, the Museum’s Head of Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Dr Mark Harvey will present a talk on Creepy crawlies at 6.30pm on Tuesday 9 August, 2011.
Dr Harvey said the Western Australian landscape is one of the most...
Shipwrecks and Chemists
Posted on 01-08-2011
How do shipwrecks interact with the marine environment and how can maritime archaeologists uncover how the cargoes and vessels degrade with time?
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West and during National Science Week, Dr Ian MacLeod, an Executive Director of the WA Museum, will explain how chemists and conservators are working to prevent recovered waterlogged and heavily corroded materials from rapidly falling apart.
“Such research is important to provide not only historical information on...
Final days to visit AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels exhibition
Posted on 29-07-2011
There are only a few days to go before the WA Museum’s AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels exhibition closes on 7 August. Visitors are urged to take advantage of this great ‘rock n roll’ exhibition before it leaves Australian shores for overseas.
WA Museum CEO Alec Coles said since the exhibition opened on 16 April it has been a huge success.
“The exhibition has attracted more than 70,000 people to date and we expect a surge of visitors before the doors close on Sunday 7 August,” Mr Coles said.
“What has been great has been the diversity of visitors – this...
Dr Harry Butler – ‘Almost’ in the Wild
Posted on 26-07-2011
Join renowned conservationist and naturalist Dr W. H. (Harry) Butler to hear his tales of travels to remote Australia to record his legendary wildlife television series In the Wild.
Dr Butler will be talking about his adventures as part of the Western Australian Museum’s 2011 Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West.
One of the first of its kind, the wildlife documentary In the Wild aired from 1976–1981, continued to play into the 1990s and is now available on DVD. The series has reached an estimated 480 million people in 43 countries.
“My work...
Blue China: single female migration
Posted on 19-07-2011
Single women, encouraged to migrate to the colonies during the late 1880s to fulfil the shortage of domestic servants, had their freedom restricted and were kept isolated from their fellow colonists.
‘Woman, it has been said, is like blue china, very valuable when sound, but very worthless when damaged or broken’ is a quote showing one such example of this attitude.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Dr Jan Gothard will discuss the fascinating experiences of these women,...
In the pink: The story of diamonds in WA
Posted on 13-07-2011
Since the discovery of the diamond-rich Argyle volcanic pipe in 1979, Western Australia has risen to world prominence as a diamond producer.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Vulcanologist and WA Museum curator of minerals and meteorites Dr Peter Downes will present a fascinating lecture on the formation and mining of diamonds in Western Australia.
Dr Downes’ lecture will explore how WA's diamonds formed deep within the Earth, their explosive volcanic ride to the surface, how they were found,...
Dinosaur Encounters!
Posted on 08-07-2011
Come and see the fearsome and spectacular 4-metre tall T-Rex dinosaur brought to life and thrilling the crowds at the Western Australian Museum – Perth these school holidays!
FILMING OPPORTUNTY WEDNESDAY 13 JULY from 9am
Dinosaur Encounters
This large-scale puppet dinosaur performance creates a truly awesome experience for brave dinosaur fans, brought to you by the creative team from Erth Visual and Physical. Marvel at the wonder of these ancient predators with an animal demonstration of a different kind! A ‘live-animal’ handler will...
Adult programs during the school holiday period at the WA Museum – Albany
Posted on 05-07-2011
The Western Australian Museum – Albany has more than just kids activities this school holiday season. Adults will be treated as well, to stories of pirates, songs of seafarers and tales of steamships and whalers.
In the Wild West Lecture Series
William Dampier “Pirate and Hydrographer”
Adjunct Professor Michael McCarthy, Curator of Maritime ArchaeologyLearn about explorer William Dampier who arrived in New Holland in 1688. His book ‘A New Voyage Round the World’ inspired many literary greats and his treatise on the world’s oceanography...
William Dampier: Pirate and travel writer
Posted on 05-07-2011
William Dampier became famous after his epic pirating travels were published in his book ‘A New Voyage Round the World’. This became an international best seller overnight and influenced many literary greats such as Coleridge (The Ancient Mariner), Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) and Defoe (Robinson Crusoe).
Join Western Australian Museum Maritime Archaeology curator, Dr Michael (Mack) McCarthy as he presents a public talk about the life and times of the pirate and hydrographer as part of The Harry Butler: In the Wild West lecture series.
In the late 1600s,...
Fun in the Parlour!
Posted on 28-06-2011
The Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder will be full of fun activities these school holidays as it uncovers what life would be like living in the early 1900s, sets a puzzle trail to discover and teaches kids how to draw cartoons.
Fun in the Parlour
Children will be able to see what it would be like to have Fun in the Parlour whilst living in a fancy house around 1900. The parlour was the best room in the house and you would have to be on your very best behaviour. We will start off with a very proper morning tea then you might like to start to sew...
The Rottnest deepwater graveyard
Posted on 28-06-2011
Hidden beneath the deep waters off the coast of Rottnest Island is a mysterious graveyard of old unwanted vessels and military vehicles.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Head of the Department of Maritime Archaeology, Jeremy Green will take us on a journey to the watery grave and see how aerial surveys, technical diving and remotely-operated vehicles have been revealing its buried treasures.
The Rottnest deepwater graveyard has been used for the last 75 years to dispose of old unwanted vessels...
Muck into some Mid West mining mayhem!
Posted on 23-06-2011
Muck in to some Mid West mining mayhem this July at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton and enjoy the chance to explore Mid West mining which takes place right here on our doorstep.
Have you been and visited Unearthed: Mining Stories from the Mid West yet? This community exhibition tells the story of mining in our region from ochre to Oakajee and everything in between. Bring your mum and dad, grandparents and friends and see if they have a mining story to share too. Visit the website www.museum.wa.gov.au/unearthed...
Set sail for pirate pursuits these holidays!
Posted on 23-06-2011
Ahoy and avast me hearties! Weigh anchor and set sail for Discovery Cove at the Western Australian Museum – Albany these school holidays as we explore the dark and mysterious world of pirates. Come aboard and adorn yourself in pirate garb as we uncover what it was like to sail the seven seas in search of treasure.
Hoist the Jolly Roger!
Learn the skills of knot tying and compass reading on the pirate ship Eclipse. Find out where on a ship you could raise the yard arm, or see a crow’s-nest. Craft your own pirate booty to take home with our...
Sea creatures and hidden treasures!
Posted on 23-06-2011
Discover the secret worlds under the sea and follow the pirate trail of hidden treasures at the Western Australian Museum’s Fremantle sites these school holidays.
Under the Sea – WA Museum - Maritime
Discover the secret worlds under the sea at the Museum and explore marine creatures and the underwater landscape. Get crafty with sea creature stamps and fabric paint to decorate your Under the Sea beach bag to take home. Make your own Neptune’s Playground collage using coloured art sand and mosaic mini-stones, creating your own underwater world. Play...
Shipwrecks and chemists
Posted on 23-06-2011
How do shipwrecks interact with the marine environment and how can maritime archaeologists uncover how the cargoes and vessels degrade with time?
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Executive Director of Fremantle Museums and Maritime Heritage Dr Ian MacLeod will explain how chemists and conservators are working to prevent recovered waterlogged and heavily corroded materials from rapidly falling apart.
“Such research is important to provide not only historical information on the vessels and...
Dinosaur Encounters!
Posted on 23-06-2011
Come and see the fearsome and spectacular 4-metre tall T-Rex dinosaur brought to life and thrilling the crowds at the Western Australian Museum – Perth these school holidays!
Dinosaur EncountersThis large-scale puppet dinosaur performance creates a truly awesome experience for brave dinosaur fans, brought to you by the creative team from Erth Visual and Physical. Marvel at the wonder of these ancient predators with an animal demonstration of a different kind! A ‘live-animal’ handler will discuss the T-Rex’s behaviour such as foraging for food. You can...
Conservation of rock art in WA
Posted on 16-06-2011
Many factors are contributing to the decay and deterioration of paintings and engraved images found in unique rock art in Western Australia.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Executive Director of Fremantle Museums and Maritime Heritage Dr Ian MacLeod will explain how conservators are working on preserving that rock art.
Western Australia has a vast collection of rock art that depicts elements of indigenous cultural activity for more than 40,000 years. In his lecture Conservation of rock art...
Life of marine reptile and fearsome marsupial predator unveiled in talks by Perth palaeontologist
Posted on 10-06-2011
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Museum palaeontology curator Dr Mikael Siversson will present two fascinating lectures in Albany next week: one on WA Ichthyosaurs – the last of their kind and the other on Thylacoleo – marsupial bolt cutter from hell.
WA Ichthyosaurs – the last of their kind
A single bone from a flipper found in the hills north of Kalbarri represents the last record in Australia of ichthyosaurs, large dolphin-like marine reptiles that swam in our waters some 93 million years...
Extraordinary Stories - just the first chapter
Posted on 09-06-2011
The Western Australian Museum is delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Museum to link the two organizations for the next five years with the first phase to be a unique exhibition here in Perth.
Extraordinary Stories – Commonwealth Objects from the British Museum will open in time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, this October, and will feature some of the British Museum’s most significant collections, including the first ever human-made tools, magnificent buried treasures, a piece from the celebrated...
Perth 2011 Partners WA Museum – Maritime
Posted on 09-06-2011
Fremantle Inner Harbour will play a central part in the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, as home to the course for the Women’s Match Racing competition.
For 14 of the 16 days of the World Championships, there will be racing on the Harbour Course, providing spectators with prime viewing opportunities from the wharf on the Southern side of Victoria Quay.
There will be no better place to enjoy the Women’s Match Racing in terms of hospitality than the Western Australian Museum – Maritime and it is with pleasure that Perth 2011 announces the formalisation of a...
WA: Reaching for the stars
Posted on 08-06-2011
Western Australia has been short listed to host the international Square Kilometre Array project, or SKA, which is set to transform our understanding of the origins and evolution of the universe and explore fundamental questions in contemporary science.
If built in Australia, the SKA will be the largest single endeavour in the nation’s scientific history and will underpin Western Australia’s technological, scientific and educational interests for the next 50 years.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West...
Ghost towns in the shire of Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Posted on 01-06-2011
Kalgoorlie – Boulder is surrounded by some 40 ghost towns. These old gold rush settlements date from as early as 1892 and have all but disappeared, leaving little to mark their passing.
Scott Wilson, President of the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society, will discuss the mindset of people who chose to head to these frontier towns, how the towns were formed, what happened to those who left and to the buildings left behind.
“The news of easy rich pickings lured thousands to make the journey from all parts of Australia and the world to the new and exciting Eastern...
Fossils, Sea Levels and Climate Change
Posted on 31-05-2011
The Western Australian Museum’s Collection Manager of the Simpson Mineral Collection, Dr Geoff Deacon, will present a public lecture on the use of microfossils and macrofossils in understanding climate and sea-level change in WA.
This lecture is particularly topical with climate change currently standing as one of the major issues discussed throughout the World. Consistently news reports maintain that our planet is warming and that sea-levels are rising faster than ever before.
In 2000, Dr Deacon completed a PhD at the University of Western Australia that involved...
WA Museum marine naturalist to talk about the things that sting
Posted on 27-05-2011
Western Australian Museum naturalist Corey Whisson’s job takes him to places along the State’s12,500 kilometre coastline rarely seen by human beings.
Along the way, he has become familiar with the bewildering array of animals that inhabit the State’s complex marine environments, including many with excellent methods of protecting themselves.
Mr Whisson said that while our marine waters might look spectacular, they are not without their dangers.
“The Western Australian marine environment is one of the most pristine in the world that is enjoyed by more and more people...
Story of fight for Indigenous rights comes to WA Museum Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Posted on 23-05-2011
From Little Things Big Things Grow: Fighting for Indigenous Rights 1920-1970 is a travelling exhibition that opens at Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Saturday 28 May at 5.30pm. The exhibition is developed and presented by the National Museum of Australia and features some of the key moments of Aboriginal activism in Australia.
“From Little Things Big Things Grow: Fighting for Indigenous Rights 1920-1970 tells a story unknown to most Australians – but painfully familiar to a few,” said exhibition curator Jay Arthur.
“It’s the story of the...
Gold and Greed: Kalgoorlie’s famous murders in the Goldfields
Posted on 20-05-2011
WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder and WA Police have teamed up to present a program of three talks about the murder, mystery and intrigue of policing the Goldfields on Sunday 29 May.
Gold and Greed will bring to life Kalgoorlie’s most famous murders, that of Inspectors Pitman and Walsh, as well as tales of Goldfields police and activities of the Gold Stealing Detection Unit.
WA Police Assistant Commissioner Regional WA Michael Burnby will be speaking in detail about the Pitman and Walsh murders of 1926, giving a fresh look at one of the most gruesome crimes of the day.
...
Guano and pearls, steamships and suffragettes
Posted on 17-05-2011
Charles Broadhurst was one of Western Australia’s earliest colourful and controversial entrepreneurs, involved in the State’s early pearling, shipping and pastoral industries.
Western Australian Museum Maritime Archaeology curator and Fremantle Notre Dame University School of Arts and Science adjunct professor, Dr Michael (Mack) McCarthy will give a public talk about the life and times of this influential WA family as part of The Harry Butler: In the Wild West lecture series.
Charles Broadhurst was born in Manchester, England in 1826 into the Tootal, Broadhurst and...
Art meets science on the Kimberley coast
Posted on 16-05-2011
The hidden world of some of the tiniest creatures in the Kimberley will come to life in a captivating collection of macro photography on show at the WA Museum – Maritime, Fremantle, until July 28 2011.
Line of Sight is proudly sponsored Rey Resources Limited and is a compilation of nature photographs by Broome photographer Peter Strain who, throughout his 30 year career in film, television, theatre and music production, has maintained a passion for photography.
“While focusing on the richness of Australia’s Kimberley coastline, I aimed to portray marine creatures as wildlife...
Migration to Western Australia 1829-1972
Posted on 12-05-2011
Public lecture: WA Museum – Albany
More than one third of all Western Australians were born overseas, arriving in Western Australia from 1829 onwards as migrants, child migrants, displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees.
Western Australian Museum Associate Dr Nonja Peters, who arrived from Holland in August 1949, has been involved in the story of migration for many years, reminding us that were those who arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs and a burning need to start over.
As part of the second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In...
WA: Reaching for the stars
Posted on 09-05-2011
Western Australia has been short listed to host the international Square Kilometre Array project, or SKA, which is set to transform our understanding of the origins and evolution of the universe and explore fundamental questions in contemporary science.
If built in Australia, the SKA will be the largest single endeavour in the nation’s scientific history and will underpin Western Australia’s technological, scientific and educational interests for the next 50 years.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of The Harry Butler lecture series: In...
WA: Reaching for the stars
Posted on 31-03-2011
Western Australia has been short listed to host the international Square Kilometre Array project, or SKA, which is set to transform our understanding of the origins and evolution of the universe and explore fundamental questions in contemporary science.
If built in Australia, the SKA will be the largest single endeavour in the nation’s scientific history and will underpin Western Australia’s technological, scientific and educational interests for the next 50 years.
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, WA’...
X|Media|Lab Perth calls for creative projects and ideas with $60,000 worth of grants available
Posted on 15-03-2011
X|Media|Lab is an international thinktank that the WA Museum will be heavily involved in participating and promoting.
X|Media|Lab is calling for submissions from digital and creative industry entrepreneurs to participate in a rare opportunity to workshop their projects with some of the world’s most successful new media experts, as part of the inaugural X|Media|Lab Perth, held from 15-17 April 2011 at the new State Theatre Centre.
With the theme, Storytelling in a Digital Age, X|Media|Lab Perth is also awarding up to three development grants of up to $20,000 to...
Partial day site closures
Posted on 11-03-2011
Before you visit, please note the following!
So that all our staff can take part in important planning meetings and staff development events, some of our sites will be closed for half a day during March and April.The Museum sincerely regrets any inconvenience that the closures may cause.
The opening times for sites will be as follows on the dates specified:
Western Australian Museum - Geraldton
Thursday 24 March, 2011 12:30pm – 4.00pmWestern Australian Museum – Maritime, and the
Western Australian Museum – Shipwreck...
Priceless Dutch shipwreck collection handed to the WA Museum
Posted on 20-02-2011
An agreement signed almost four decades ago between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Australia has resulted in Western Australia receiving a priceless collection of historic artefacts from four 17th and 18th century ships wrecked off the State's coast.
The collection includes more than 1,125 objects from Dutch East India Company ships, including the Batavia, which struck a reef in the Abrolhos in 1629, the Vergulde Draeck which sank 27 years later in 1656, the Zuytdorp which struck the cliffs about 60kms north of the mouth of the Murchison River in 1712...
Female criminals and Australia after WWI
Posted on 16-02-2011
The Western Australian Museum opened two very different exhibitions on Valentine’s Day.
Femme Fatale: The female criminal, offers a rare insight into some of Australia’s wildest women and Shell-shocked: Australia after armistice which looks at the personal impact of war on Australians.
Not for the faint-hearted, Femme Fatale explores criminology, the justice system, religion and myth, popular culture and case studies of some of Australia’s most notorious female criminals.
Exhibition curator Nerida Campbell said women who committed crimes had...
Queen Mary 2 docks in Fremantle
Posted on 14-02-2011
The 151,400-tonne passenger ship Queen Mary 2 sails into Fremantle on Thursday morning 17 February 2011 at approximately 11.30am, and will be departing around 7.00pm that day.
While visiting Fremantle Port, the Western Australian Museum – Maritime will have a prime view and position to see this amazing vessel.
To mark the occasion, the WA Museum cafe will be serving wines and beers, as well as coffee and meals on the wharf and docks throughout the entire day.
Between 11.00am – 5.00pm, please join us at the Museum to see this extraordinary vessel from one of...
New fundraising head for WA Museum
Posted on 03-02-2011
The Western Australian Museum has appointed a new director to head its Foundation.
Ms Jane Harris returns to her home State to take up this key role with WA’s largest cultural institution and brings to the position a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector in leadership, strategic planning, marketing, corporate partnership development and philanthropy.
Ms Harris will lead the WA Museum Foundation as it seeks to encourage public investment in the organisation through corporate partnerships, donations, gifts and bequests.
Most recently, Ms Harris was...
Head of WA Museum receives OBE
Posted on 02-02-2011
Western Australian Museum chief executive officer Alec Coles has been presented with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Coles, who relocated to Western Australia in March last year, was awarded the OBE in recognition for his services to museums - particularly for his work as director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums where he worked on the creation of the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Mr Coles, who has built a reputation for increasing the diversity of...
Dr Harry Butler – The application of science to our lives
Posted on 01-02-2011
Renowned conservationist and naturalist Dr Harry Butler will begin the Western Australian Museum’s 2011 Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West, with his public lecture The application of science to our lives.
Dr Butler’s lecture will be held at the WA Museum – Maritime on Friday 17 February 2011, and looks at how translating science into applied science and technology can change our world today and in the future.
For more than 50 years Dr Butler’s work has aimed at establishing guidelines and practices, particularly when working with industry, to utilise available...
New exhibition to portray the life of Heath Ledger
Posted on 24-01-2011
Culture and Arts Minister John Day has announced a partnership between the Western Australian Museum and the family of Perth-born film and television star Heath Ledger to create a world-class exhibition about his life.
The exhibition is in the early planning stages and the Museum is working closely with Heath Ledger’s father Kim Ledger regarding content.
The exhibition is planned to open in 2012 and the family has already provided iconic objects such as the costume Ledger wore as part of his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight and the Oscar awarded to him for...
New bee species discovered in Forrestdale
Posted on 17-01-2011
A new species of bee has been discovered in the outer suburb of Forrestdale by Western Australian Museum scientists.
WA Museum curator of insects Dr Terry Houston and Museum volunteer Otto Mueller spotted the new species in bushland in December 2010.
An authority on Australian native bees, Dr Houston said he was surprised to discover a moderately large and unusual new species of insect so close to the city.
“Finding a new species of animal is always exciting but finding something like this handsome and extraordinary species of solitary bee so close to a large...
Interview with Museum CEO Alec Coles
Posted on 11-01-2011
The following interview was taken with Alec Coles, CEO of the Western Australian Museum on 22 December 2010.
The interview was taken by City of Perth and will feature on the Northbridge Piazza screen.
Catch a falling star
Posted on 16-12-2010
Scientists are celebrating the discovery of a second meteorite in the Western Australian desert using ‘star gazing’ cameras. The images from the cameras will reveal the space rock’s original orbit in the Solar System.
Meteorites are a geological record of the formation of the Solar System, providing important information about early conditions. Locating where they come from is important, because it enables scientists to link geological information to the correct location in space. However, information about where individual meteorites originated, and how they moved around the Solar...
Opening our eyes to Australia's Natural Heritage
Posted on 10-12-2010
Australians will be able to help researchers protect the amazing array of plants and animals in their local area, thanks to a new online information portal.
The Atlas of Living Australia has been developed to build a better picture of the Australian biosphere. It already holds over 23 million records on the distribution of Australia’s fauna and flora, in addition to maps, images and literature. Members of the public can help to build the database by contributing local photographs and information. Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr encouraged schools, communities and researchers to...
WA Museum – Geraldton takes silver in 2010 Tourism Awards
Posted on 25-11-2010
Staff at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton are celebrating a silver award in the 2010 WA Tourism awards, announced at the Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth on Saturday.
The Museum was an entry in the Tourist Attractions, one of the most heavily contested categories.
WA Museum chief executive officer Alec Coles said he was delighted with the award.
“The WA Museum – Geraldton was up against strong competition from organisations with international standing as tourist attractions in this State, so we are justifiably proud of our team at Geraldton,” he said...
New exhibition a different take on wild women
Posted on 23-11-2010
A new exhibition that took the Goldfields by storm will open at the Western Australian Museum - Geraldton on Saturday, 4 December.
Femme Fatale: The female criminal, which offers a rare insight into some of Australia’s wildest women, attracted about 10,000 visitors while on display at the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Not for the faint-hearted, Femme Fatale explores criminology, the justice system, religion and myth, popular culture and case studies of some of Australia’s most notorious female criminals.
Mug shots for the touring exhibition were...
Perth Palaeontologist wins Prime Minister’s Prize
Posted on 17-11-2010
A Perth palaeontologist will receive one of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science for her work in the preservation of fossilised soft tissue of ancient fish.
Dr Katherine Trinajstic’s work has found muscles and internal organs of ancient fish preserved along with fossilised bones, and has led to a series of discoveries including the oldest known fossilised vertebrates with soft tissue and discovery of the ‘first womb’.
Curtin University’s School of Science Research Fellow, Dr Trinajstic, who is also based at the Western Australian Museum, will be presented with...
Western Australian Museum welcomes Dutch shipwreck collection
Posted on 10-11-2010
The Western Australian Museum is to receive a significant collection of artefacts recovered from four Dutch shipwrecks found off the Western Australian coast.
Until now the collections of the Zuytdorp (1712), Batavia (1629), Vergulde Draeck (1656) and the Zeewyk (1727) have been shared between the Netherlands and the Commonwealth Government as agreed under the Australian and Netherlands Committee on Old Dutch Shipwrecks (ANCODS) established in 1972.
The Government of the Netherlands made a decision in 2009 to gift Australia with its share...
WA Museum – Geraldton 2010 WA Tourism Award finalists
Posted on 04-11-2010
The Western Australian Museum Geraldton is a finalist in the Tourist Attractions category of the 2010 WA Tourism Awards which were announced at events in Perth and Margaret River last week.
The Tourist Attractions category is open to attractions of State importance which market primarily to intrastate and interstate visitors and significantly contribute to the tourism experience within their area.
Regional Manager Catherine Belcher said the Museum’s staff were thrilled to be named as finalists and looked forward to representing Geraldton and the Mid West region when the...
WA Museum links web audience to remote Kimberley field work
Posted on 19-10-2010
From today, the Western Australian Museum’s world-wide online audience will be able to follow the discoveries of its scientists and their colleagues as they work in remote locations such as the Kimberley.
The first footage from a new research project along the Kimberley coast is about to go up on the WA Museum’s website this morning.
The technology also enables ‘in the field’ documentaries to be created about the new research in a matter of hours after any significant research findings.
WA Museum CEO Alec Coles said the project would bring little known aspects of...
WA Museum scientists awarded for guide to State’s sea stingers
Posted on 14-10-2010
Two members of the Western Australian Museum’s scientific staff have received a commendation in this year’s prestigious 2010 Whitley Awards, which recognise outstanding publications dealing with the promotion and conservation of Australasian fauna.
The authors - Marine Invertebrates Emeritus Curator Loisette Marsh, and Curator of Molluscs Shirley Slack-Smith - received the commendation for their new edition of Field Guide to Sea Stingers and other Venomous and Poisonous Marine Invertebrates of Western Australia.
Between them, Ms Marsh and Ms Slack-Smith have given 62...
School holidays announced
Posted on 15-09-2010
The Western Australian Museum has announced a range of exciting school holiday programs at its six public sites. The programs and workshops will be held between 25 September 2010 and 10 October 2010. Please read below for details, or go to www.museum.wa.gov.au/whats-on/school-holidays/ to see all scheduled programs.
Western Australian Museum - Perth
Giant sharks, gardens and tiny beetles at the WA Museum – Perth these school holidays
The Western Australian Museum – Perth will be a...
Record visitors prompt extended opening hours for Pompeii
Posted on 08-09-2010
The Western Australian Museum in Perth will stay open late this weekend to accommodate the unprecedented demand for A Day in Pompeii which closes on September 12, 2010.
The WA Museum in Perth is extending its opening hours to 9.00pm this Friday and Saturday (September 10 and 11, 2010) and 6.00pm on Sunday (September 12, 2010), giving visitors an extended last chance to witness A Day in Pompeii before it draws to a close and heads to its next stop in Singapore.
Visitors after-dark will also have a final opportunity to enjoy an animated moving „lava‟ display...
Bunbury family helps break new record for WA Museum
Posted on 06-09-2010
A Bunbury mother has become the 100,000th visitor to A Day in Pompeii – now officially the WA Museum’s most popular exhibition!
Annie Hutton and her husband Curtis packed their three children into the car and made the trip from Bunbury, specifically to see the exhibition and take in some city shopping.
“My six year old daughter, Ella and I came up a couple of weeks ago to see A Day in Pompeii and loved it so much we wanted to bring the rest of the family back,” said Annie, who was delighted to hear she had helped the Museum reach the milestone. “It was...
'Volcano erupts' in the Perth Cultural Centre
Posted on 25-08-2010
The Day in Pompeii experience starts early for evening visitors to the WA Museum – they will now be crossing a sea of ‘bubbling lava’ thanks to cinematic technology and the same techniques used in animated video games like Shrek.
A unique animated display on the Museum steps will set the Perth Cultural Centre ablaze with ‘lava’, providing a new dimension to the extraordinary exhibition. Commencing this Friday (27 August 2010), the projections will appear daily from 4.00pm to 7.30pm and from 4.00pm to 9.30pm on Fridays.
...
August 24 anniversary of Mt Vesuvius eruption
Posted on 23-08-2010
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD and buried the ancient Roman town of Pompeii and its neighbour Herculaneum, killing about 2,000 people.
The blockbuster exhibition A Day in Pompeii at the Western Australian Museum - Perth provides a vivid account of this event and WA Museum chief executive officer Alec Coles said that people booking tickets to see the exhibition tomorrow would be given a free ticket for every one purchased.
“The exhibition has drawn more than 80,000 visitors since it opened in May, and the numbers of people coming...
West Australians offered special rate for rare exhibition duo
Posted on 13-08-2010
In the last two weeks of August a joint ticket deal is being offered for the Western Australian Museum’s A Day in Pompeii and the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s upcoming exhibition event, Peggy Guggenheim: A Collection in Venice.
Joint tickets for the two exhibitions are on sale at a special discounted rate of $30.00 and can be purchased through BOCS Ticketing or at the A Day in Pompeii ticketing desk at the WA Museum.
The special offer is only available from August 16 to August 29 to provide exhibition-goers with a $10.00 saving in the last...
WA Museum pays tribute to maritime enthusiast
Posted on 05-08-2010
Geraldton historian Max Cramer was one of the driving forces behind the push for a suitable museum in which to house the relics from early shipwrecks off the Mid West coast.
WA Museum – Geraldton advisory committee chair Malcolm Smith said Mr Cramer had been keenly interested in maritime history, particularly the history surrounding the Dutch East India Company wrecks in the Geraldton and Abrolhos areas.
“Max chaired the Board of the former Geraldton Maritime Museum and was at the helm when it went from being a municipal museum to a formal branch of the Western Australian...
WA Museum’s new website
Posted on 03-08-2010
The Western Australian Museum’s new website is now live, giving its world wide audience an vibrant insight into one of Australia’s premier centres of cultural and scientific excellence.
WA Museum chief executive officer Alec Coles said that 13 years ago the Museum had been among the first of the nation’s cultural institutions to develop a website and the new version was a quantum leap in terms of technology and access.“It revolutionises the way the Museum uses online technologies, including visitor access to online services,” Mr Coles said.
“The Museum is a complex and...
Historic Samson House to come under National Trust umbrella
Posted on 02-08-2010
The Western Australian Museum and the National Trust of Australia (WA) have successfully negotiated the transfer of the historic home of Fremantle’s longest serving Mayor, Sir Frederick Samson.
WA Museum Chief Executive Officer Alec Coles said he was delighted that Samson House was now in the care of the Trust.
“There are many benefits for Sir Frederick’s former home by placing it with the National Trust of Australia (WA) whose core business is the conservation and interpretation of historic properties,” Mr Coles said.
The Trust will hold the property on the same terms...
WA Museum CEO awarded in Queen's Birthday honours
Posted on 12-06-2010
The Western Australian Museum’s new chief executive officer Alec Coles has been awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Mr Coles was recognised for his services to museums and in particular his seven and a half years as director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.
As director he was responsible for the £26m (AUD$45m) development of the Great North Museum which included the redevelopment of a major museum site, its extension and the installation of new displays throughout.
The redevelopment...
Earthquake rattled collections assessed by conservation experts
Posted on 27-04-2010
Conservation staff from the Western Australian Museum will be in Kalgoorlie-Boulder this Thursday, April 29 to provide advice to local heritage organisations on collections that were damaged in last week’s earthquake.
Ulli Broeze-Hoernemann and Richard Garcia will be running a free seminar looking at the range and type of damage sustained by collections in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area.
The seminar will also include advice for conservation treatments for damaged objects and repacking and storing artefacts that may have been moved during the tremors.
Ms Broeze-Hoernemann...
WA Museum special opening to honour our heroes Victoria Cross medals from Gallipoli on display
Posted on 12-04-2010
The Western Australian Museum – Perth will open specially this ANZAC Day, Sunday 25 April, from 1.00pm to 5.00pm and on the ANZAC Day public holiday, Monday 26 April from 9.30am – 5.00pm, so that people can visit the exhibition This company of brave men; the Gallipoli VCs.
Chief Executive Officer of the WA Museum Alec Coles said it was important for the Museum to be open on ANZAC Day so visitors attending the parade and services could also visit the Museum to see first hand the extraordinary stories associated with the nine Gallipoli Victoria Cross medals.
“...
A Day in Pompeii to erupt in Western Australia
Posted on 18-03-2010
Western Australians will have a unique opportunity to experience one of the world's most fascinating cities in a new exhibition at the Western Australian Museum – Perth.
Tourism Minister Liz Constable and Culture and the Arts Minister John Day today announced today announced that the Museum would host the highly successful exhibition A Day in Pompeii from May 21 to September 12, 2010.
The exhibition was developed by the Soprintendenza Speciale per I Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei and Museum Victoria and will be brought to...
Victoria Cross medals from Gallipoli go on show
Posted on 15-03-2010
Media are invited to attend a preview of the special touring exhibition This company of brave men; the Gallipoli VCs, at the Western Australian Museum – Perth this Friday 19 March 2010, at 10.30am.
The Gallipoli VCs is presented by the Australian War Memorial and made possible through the generous support of Mr Kerry Stokes AC and Seven Network Limited.
The exhibition features the medals of Corporal Alexander Burton, Corporal William Dunstan, Private John Hamilton, Lance Corporal Albert Jacka, Lance Corporal Leonard Keysor, Captain Alfred Shout, Lieutenant...
Sea Week at the WA Museum – Geraldton
Posted on 25-02-2010
It’s there every day and very much a part of life in Geraldton. But what do we really know about the Indian Ocean and its incredible biodiversity?
To celebrate International Year of Biodiversity and Sea Week, the WA Museum – Geraldton will be diving into a program of activities aimed at putting the spotlight on the unique marine environment of the Mid West.
Sea Week will kick off on March 2, with the launch of Mini Muses and the adventures of Wendy the Whiting.
This new program at the Museum is guaranteed fun for children aged five years and under, and...
Clever camouflage helps bearded fish avoid detection
Posted on 19-02-2010
Fish curators Sue Morrison from the Western Australian Museum and Jeff Johnson from the Queensland Museum have identified a new species of fish as a result of the recent field work they undertook in the far north Kimberley.
The team of scientists, led by the WA Museum and partnered by Woodside, travelled to Adele Island and Montgomery Reef to collect and document the marine flora and fauna of the area.
Over both locations they found a total of nine specimens of the previously unidentified Bearded Velvetfish.
This species had not been found before due to the...
Spiders. Friends or Foe?
Posted on 11-02-2010
To mark the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, Dr Mark Harvey Senior Curator and Head of Department of Terrestrial Zoology at the Western Australian Museum will present a public lecture on how to determine whether a spider is a friend or foe.
Dr Harvey’s lecture on Spectacular spider stories: a guide to our eight-legged friends will provide a light-hearted and insightful approach on arachnids and their important role in maintaining a healthy environment.
“Spiders have been with us for millions of years and occur in all terrestrial environments from the sea...
The rise of super predatory sharks
Posted on 11-02-2010
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s International Year of Biodiversity lecture series, Museum curator of palaeontology Dr Mikael Siversson will present a fascinating public lecture on the rise and subsequent decline in diversity of super predatory lamniform sharks.
Specialising in fossil sharks and rays, Dr Siversson has also co-authored several publications on extinct marine reptiles and dinosaurs and is considered by his peers as a leading authority on Cretaceous lamniform sharks (an order of shark from the latter part of the Age of Dinosaurs).
His lecture...
Western Australian Museum welcomes new CEO
Posted on 16-12-2009
The Western Australian Museum Board of Trustees and staff have welcomed the announcement of a new director for the Museum.
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day today announced the successful candidate as Mr Alec Coles, Director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums in the United Kingdom.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the WA Museum Tim Ungar said the Museum looked forward to welcoming Mr Coles to Western Australia.
“Mr Coles’ experience with museum development, major exhibitions and public engagement strategies will significantly benefit the Museum....
Eleven new species named in honour of Charles Darwin
Posted on 23-11-2009
Scientists from the Western Australian Museum have led a team of Australian researchers in naming 11 new species after the founder of the theory of natural selection, Charles Darwin.
To mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of the Species and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Darwin, the WA Museum has published a special edition of the Records of the Western Australian Museum which includes 16 newly named species from Australia, 11 of which are named darwini.
Co-editor and lead scientist of the volume Professor Mark...
Equilibrium, WA Museum and Nick Cave website dominate the Australian Web Awards
Posted on 10-11-2009
erth web development company, Equilibrium, in partnership with the Western Australian Museum scooped the pool at the Australian Web Awards on Friday night winning four major awards for ‘Nick Cave – the exhibition’, including Fast Hit Most Outstanding website.
The site stood out from more than 200 national entries winning the awards for Best Government website, Best Not for Profit website, Best Arts and Events website and Most Outstanding website in Australia.
Commissioned by the WA Museum, the website was designed to showcase the popular exhibition developed...
Australian museums collaborate to uncover the mysteries of Kimberley coast marine life
Posted on 12-10-2009
A new project led by the Western Australian Museum and partnered by Woodside Energy, is set to extensively add to our understanding of the marine biodiversity of Australia’s remote north-west.
The Marine Life of North Western Australia Project has a high likelihood of discovering species in the region for the first time and is a collaborative work involving the WA Museum along with four other Australian museums in a three-year research program.
The project will collect data on the worms, molluscs, crustaceans, fish, corals, soft corals, echinoderms and...
The original Boxing Kangaroo flag heads home
Posted on 05-10-2009
After 26 years on American soil the original Boxing Kangaroo flag, made famous by Australia II when it won the historic 1983 America’s Cup, today returned home to Fremantle.
Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships Event Director John Longley and Perth 2011 Board Member Skip Lissiman, two of the original crew members from Australia II, presented the famous Boxing Kangaroo flag to the Western Australian Museum.
The flag was recently discovered hanging in O’Brien’s Bar in Newport, Rhode Island, by Australia II Project Manager and Winch...
Duncan Merrilees 1922 to 2009
Posted on 25-09-2009
Duncan Merrilees was born in 1922 and spent his childhood years in Sydney. He graduated from the University of Sydney in 1942 with a degree in chemistry. Like many chemists in Australia during WWII, his services were put to use in industry and he was transferred to Tasmania were he worked at a paper mill. At this time he had already developed a fascination for geology and in particular the chemistry and physics of igneous rocks. After the war Duncan pursued a career as science teacher as a means of supporting himself and his wife. For medical reasons, his appointment as teacher...
Desert cameras detect space fireball
Posted on 18-09-2009
Researchers from the Western Australian Museum, the Imperial College in London and Ondrejov Observatory in the Czech Republic have identified a unique meteorite and its orbit in the Solar System.
The meteorite was tracked through a network of cameras as it fell to Earth in July 2007. The cameras take a single time-lapse picture every night to record any fireballs in the sky.
The Desert Fireball Network Project of All-Sky Cameras is set up in the Nullarbor Plain to monitor incoming meteors and track any possible meteorites to the ground so scientists can recover them.
...
Museum exhibition to celebrate people who shaped Kalgoorlie
Posted on 04-08-2009
The Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie Boulder is marking the 20th anniversary of its new museum building with the opening of an exhibition about iconic people who have helped make the Goldfields what it is today.
In Kalgoorlie today to launch the exhibition Diggers, dealers and doers – 20 people who made Kalgoorlie great, Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the exhibition featured 20 stories of individuals who had lived, worked and changed Kalgoorlie over the past 116 years.
“The people profiled in this exhibition include major historic figures, infamous...
Mr Ken Colbung, Fellow of the Western Australian Museum
Posted on 28-07-2009
Mr Ken Colbung, MBE, JP, AM has been appointed as a Fellow of the Western Australian Museum. Mr Tim Unger, Chair of the Board of Trustees expressed the Board’s pleasure at this appointment that acknowledges Mr Colbung’s long-standing commitment to Aboriginal heritage values, and the assistance he has provided to the Western Australian Museum. Mr Colbung is a foundation member of the WA Museum Aboriginal Advisory Committee and for over 30 years he has guided the Museum in its representations of Aboriginal issues to the Western Australian public.
Edward Burtynsky's Minescapes available now
Posted on 24-07-2009
Australian Minescapes features a series of compelling and tactile large scale photographs of Australian mine sites taken from the air. From this perspective – through the eye of a master photographer – what some see as scars upon the landscape become extraordinary images of beauty and sensuality.
This sumptuous, large format, casebound book also features a series of accessible and insightful essays on Burtynsky’s work, on photography and Australian landscape and art. These writers and critics include Ric Spencer, Michael Mitchell, Helen Ennis and Alasdair Foster.
Publication...
Fremantle History Museum Closure
Posted on 21-07-2009
On July 31, 2009, the Fremantle History Museum closed and the objects and artefacts on display moved to the WA Museum's Welshpool collections and research centre for assessment and curatorial conservation work.
Following this work, the objects relevant to the Fremantle region will be relocated for exhibition in the WA Museum’s two other sites in the area, WA Museum Shipwrecks and WA Museum – Maritime.
All pages on this website related to the Fremantle History Museum have been archived and a new subsite focusing on Fremantle and immigration history will be launched in...
Changes to opening hours at the Western Australian Museum
Posted on 14-07-2009
As of Wednesday August 5, 2009 the Western Australian Museum will begin operating on a six-day week with all seven public sites.
As with all the State's government agencies, the Museum faces a difficult financial climate, including tight public sector fiscal policies as well as pressure on its private funding partners.
In consultation with the Government and the WA Museum Board of Trustees, the Western Australian Museum will close on Wednesdays in an effort to reduce operational expenditure and allow the Museums to open on weekends and public holidays, days of high...
Explore the past with National Archaeology Week at the WA Museum
Posted on 12-05-2009
The WA Museum – Maritime, the WA Museum – Shipwreck Galleries and the WA Museum - Albany are offering an exciting selection of archaeological events for budding adventurers to celebrate National Archaeology Week from the 17th – 23rd May.
Join WA Museum Curator of Maritime Archaeology Ross Anderson at the WA Museum – Maritime, as he takes you into coastal waters to delve into the mysteries of the HSK Kormoran and its fateful battle with the HMAS Sydney in 1941. He will look into the discovery and identification of the pistol from the HSK Kormoran...
Children launch their own exhibition at the WA Museum – Albany
Posted on 10-05-2009
The WA Museum – Albany is launching a new exhibition on 8 August, featuring themes and objects selected and created entirely by young people.
xHIBIT aLBANY is the culmination of a joint project between the Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Western Australian Museum and Millennium Kids aimed at giving young people the opportunity to have a say about how they think museums should present exhibitions.
More than a hundred children and young people from the Great Southern region were asked to create a museum exhibition around an idea, issue, story or object that...
Two New Frogs Discovered in WA
Posted on 10-05-2009
Two new species of frogs have been discovered in Western Australia and announced this week by the Western Australian Museum.
The discovery of the frogs from the high rainfall zone of the northwest Kimberley were formally described this week in the Records of the Western Australian Museum and Zootaxa.
The first species is called the Tiny Toadlet (Uperoleia micra) and is just over 2 cm long. It was discovered near the Prince Regent River when it was first heard calling near the field expedition base camp at Bachsten Creek. The new species is extremely...
ericaamerica styles up to Nick Cave at the WA Museum
Posted on 07-05-2009
Music and fashion will collide in an explosion of contemporary design this month as international fashion label ericaamerica launches an innovative new exhibition at the Western Australian Museum – Perth.
To celebrate the opening of Nick Cave - the exhibition, on tour from the Arts Centre, Melbourne, the WA Museum invited WA based style visionaries ericaamerica to curate a contemporary exhibition inspired by Nick Cave.
A Cave of Wonders: ericaamerica interpret the songs of Nick Cave is a creative fusion of fashion, art and music, motivated by lyrics...
Marine Bioresources Library launches at WA Museum to aid medical research
Posted on 04-03-2009
The Western Australian Museum today launched WA’s first Marine Bioresources Library, providing assistance to biodiscovery researchers in their research into cures for cancer and other diseases.
The WA Marine Bioresources Library (WAMBL) will be one of only three in Australia, with the other two based in Queensland.
The WAMBL is a library of frozen samples taken from sponges and other marine species and will be curated professionally by WA Museum experts. Extracts will be available for use by State, national and international organisations to provide new research...
Abundance of new species discovered and named in Western Australia
Posted on 04-03-2009
Western Australia has proven itself a hotbed of biodiversity with scientists from the Western Australian Museum recently describing 19 newly discovered species.
A fascinating underground crustacean without eyes and a spider hunting wasp are among those named.
The scientists have devoted all new species names to Carolus Linnaeus, the founder of modern taxonomy.
Last year marked the 250th anniversary of the famous Swede’s publication on animals of the world in which he developed the two-part naming system – genus and species – which is still used today. Taxonomy...
Media Statement - New Museum
Posted on 02-02-2009
Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Western Australian Museum Mr Tim Ungar has welcomed the State Government’s announcement to fund a new museum.
“The Western Australian Museum has a long and proud history within the Cultural Centre and we look forward to the opportunity to develop a flagship State Museum,” Mr Ungar said.
Since officially opening in 1891 the WA Museum has made major contributions to the collection, conservation and research of the State’s heritage.
“The Museum looks forward to the ability to showcase the excellent work of our science and...
Nick Cave – the exhibition at the WA Museum - Perth
Posted on 07-01-2009
Australian musician, songwriter and author Nick Cave is now the subject of his own exhibition which will be hosted by the Western Australian Museum – Perth from May - July 2009.
The exhibition was created and designed by the Arts Centre in Melbourne and is touring nationally in 2009.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the WA Museum Diana Jones said the exhibition was an exciting opportunity to once again bring a contemporary music exhibition to the people of Western Australia.
“After the success of our WA music exhibition Spin in 2004 we were again...