Collections
The Western Australian Museum has over 4.4 million objects and artefacts in our collections. Our collection artefacts range from shipwreck sites to insect specimens, and from pre-solar system aged diamonds to children’s toys from the 19th century.
In this section, we have published a selection of our collections from within all of our research departments. Each collection includes its provenance and why the Museum has decided to perform research in this area, images from the collection, and also a selection of highlights or interesting features.
History department collection
The History department specialises in developing collections reflecting the material life of Western Australians, and presenting the stories of...
- Concentration camp uniform
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Ancient Egyptian collection
As part of the 19th century belief that the Ancient Worlds were a window into the past, and also that a display of ancient objects reflected a...
- Mummified snake
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Worm Section
The Western Australian Museum’s Worm Collection comprises specimens from a wide range of unrelated animals commonly referred to as worms...
- Spirobranchus giganteus
- Photo by Sue Morrison
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Marine Engine, Science and Technology Collection
The Marine Engine, Science and Technology Collection comprises of marine steam machinery, pumps and generators used on ships that...
- Chapman Pub Engine - donated by Ron Farrington, Melville
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Marine Engine, Science and Technology Collection collection
Meteorite Collection
The Meteorite Collection at the Western Australian Museum is recognised internationally as one of the most significant in the southern...
- Bencubbin meteorite
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Mollusc (Malacology) Section
The Western Australian Museum's Mollusc Collection represents molluscs collected from Western Australia, other parts of Australia, and...
- Ischnochiton torri
- Photo by Corey Whisson
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Archaeology collection
The Archaeology Collection from the Anthropology and Archaeology department focuses on Western Australian Aboriginal archaeological...
- Clam shell tools
- Photo by Alice Beale
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Marine History - introduction
This page introduces the Maritime History department which specialises in the research, documentation and collection of the State’s maritime...
- Illustration of an Aboriginal fish trap
- Illustration from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Vertebrate Biogeography
Vertebrate biogeographic survey and monitoring is a project to catalogue and survey the...
- Biogeography of Bold Park
- Photo by Ric How
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Fish (Ichthyology) Section
The Western Australian Museum's Fish Collection comprises 175,000 specimens from 319 different families.
Fish specimens have been...
- Pictilabrus brauni
- Photo by Sue Morrison
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Mammalogy (Mammals) Collection
This collection contains representatives of both aquatic and terrestrial mammals, chiefly from Western Australia, but including specimens from...
- Antarctic Blue Whale Skeleton
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Rock Collection
The Earth and Planetary Sciences department at the Western Australian Museum maintains a small but diverse collection of rocks. The department’s...
- Lamproite (a common source rock for diamonds)
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Maritime History Artworks
The Maritime History Art Collection comprises of paintings, etchings, watercolours and other art works representing maritime scenes and...
- E J Miller Artwork
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Arachnid and Myriapod Collection
This collection contains representatives of arachnids and myriapods, chiefly from Western Australia, but including specimens from other Australian...
- Aname tepperi
- Photo by Mark Harvey
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Care of the WA Museum Collections
The primary role of the Materials Conservation department is to ensure the longevity and perpetuity of the Western Australian Museum collections...
- Storage of 19th century bonnets - collapsed storage container
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Maritime History Boats and Watercraft
The Museum’s Watercraft Collection comprises of around eighty watercraft, ranging from a freezer lid that was used as a life raft to an...
- Australia II (MHK D2/458)
- Photo by Norm Bailey
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Aboriginal cultures collection
The representation of Western Australian Aboriginal cultures has been a significant focus of the Museum since its inception in 1892. The early...
- Bark Bucket
- Photo by Ross Chadwick
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Indigenous cultures and the Ancient World
The Anthropology and Archaeology department Indigenous cultures and the Ancient World collection, formerly known as the ...
- Necklace
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Indigenous cultures and the Ancient World collection
Fossil Collection
The Fossil Collection comprises approximately 1,500,000 specimens and is divided into five main categories: vertebrate body fossils,...
- Reconstructed lower jaw dentition of Cardabiodon ricki
- Photo by Geoff Deacon
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Ornithology (Birds) Collection
The Museum's Ornithology Collection contains eggs, nests, skeletons, taxidermy, alcohol preserved birds and also tissue used for genetic...
- Christmas Island collection
- Photo by Ron Johnstone
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Maritime Shipwrecks
This pages contains historic information and photos from a selection of significant shipwrecks wrecked off the Western Australian coast, including...
- Reconstructing the Batavia
- Photo by Patrick Baker
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Herpetology (Reptiles and Frogs) Collection
The Herpetology collection contains specimens of reptiles and frogs from throughout Australia and South-East Asia but predominantly Western...
- Kimberley Rocket Frog
- Photo by Paul Doughty
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Herpetology (Reptiles and Frogs) Collection collection
Earth and Planetary Sciences - introduction
This page introduces the Earth and Planetary Sciences department. This department study and maintain a wide range of collections related to the...
- Dinosaur Bones
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Earth and Planetary Sciences - introduction collection
Entomology (Insect) Collection
This collection contains representatives of all kinds of insects, chiefly from Western Australia, but including specimens from other Australian...
- Dryandra Moth
- Photo by Terry Houston
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Maritime History Immigration and Migration Collection
The Maritime History department maintains an extensive Immigration Collection that documents maritime immigration into Western Australia...
- Stateships ships maps
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Maritime History Immigration and Migration Collection collection
Subterranean Biology Collection
This collection represents animals and other samples taken from underground voids such as caves, calcretes and gravels. The collection's samples...
- Danielopolina baltanasi
- Photo by Bill Humphreys
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Marine Invertebrates Section
The Western Australian Museum’s Marine Invertebrates Section comprises specimens from many aquatic animals including Cnidaria, ascidians...
- Pentagonaster stibarus
- Photo by Clay Bryce
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Anthropology and Archaeology - introduction
This page introduces the Anthropology and Archaeology department, outlining types of objects, artefacts held, and the research areas the...
- Stone Flakes
- Photo by Alice Beale
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Anthropology and Archaeology - introduction collection
Crawford collection - West Kimberley images 1961-1993
Former staff member Ian Crawford was the Western Australian Museum’s first Curator of Anthropology & Archaeology, appointed in 1961. Between...
- Dugout canoe
- Photo by Ian Crawford
- Image copyright of WA Museum
view the Crawford collection - West Kimberley images 1961-1993 collection
Maritime History Oral Histories
The Maritime History department focuses on Western Australian maritime history within the context of the Indian Ocean. The Maritime History...
- Laurel and Doug D’Antoine with the Museum’s lugger Ancel being restored by Aboriginal youth in 1993; and Doug D’Antoine with a l
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Crustacea Section
The Crustacean Collection of the Western Australian Museum comprises marine, freshwater and terrestrial animals, which total over 103,000...
- Triops australiensis
- Photo by Andrew Hosie
- Image copyright of WA Museum
Mineral Collection
The Earth and Planetary Sciences department at the Western Australian Museum maintains a comprehensive reference collection of minerals from...
- 'Queen Victoria' gold nugget
- Photo from WA Museum
- Image copyright of WA Museum