19 Apr 2018New species of fish and unique Kimberley region highlighted in ground-breaking new guideFor the first time, a comprehensive new field guide provides detailed information about the incredible diversity of all known freshwater fishes in the Kimberley, as well as their significance to that remarkable part of the world. The book also includes information about seven new species described by scientists from the University of Melbourne.Read more News Sharna Craig
12 Apr 2018Remarkable images of nature on show at Museum of the Great SouthernThe 2017 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year collection is now on display at the Museum of the Great Southern. It includes a visually striking image of a crowd of spider crabs (Leptomithrax gaimardii) and a predatory Maori octopus (Octopus maorum), which is the overall winner of the annual competition run by the South Australian Museum.Read more News Sharna Craig
5 Apr 2018Stunning new species of sea slugs discoveredA small team of scientists at The University of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum, and the California Academy of Sciences has identified 18 new species of sea slugs, including some only found in WA. Chromodoris nudibranchs or sea slugs occur across the Indo-Pacific and are very brightly coloured, with their colour patterns traditionally used to differentiate between species.Read more News Sharna Craig
23 Mar 2018WA’s pirate history revealed in a new exhibition at the WA Maritime Museum, FremantleWestern Australia’s little-known pirate past comes alive in a new exhibition opening at the WA Maritime Museum tomorrow (24 March). Horrible Histories – Pirates: the exhibition features Australia’s worst pirate, John “Black Jack” Anderson, who terrorised ships off WA’s south coast. “Black Jack Anderson was an American who arrived in WA on a whaling ship in 1826 and lived on Middle Island, off the coast near Esperance,” said WA Museum Chief Executive Officer Alec Coles.Read more News Sharna Craig
7 Mar 2018International team finds new cockle species and puts others on the Australian map for the first timeDecades of extensive biological surveys and taxonomic work have revealed four new cockle species, 16 that were previously not known to exist in Western Australian waters, and 14 others being recorded around Australia for the first time. The research was conducted by an international team of scientists, led by Dutch malacologist Dr Jan Johan ter Poorten, and included Western Australian Museum Curator of Molluscs Dr Lisa Kirkendale and French malacologist Dr Jean-Maurice Poutiers. Dr Kirkendale said the team’s work focused on cockles of WA and northern tropical Australia.Read more News Sharna Craig
6 Mar 2018Traditional shell-stringing exhibition coming to Museum of the GoldfieldsThe Museum of the Goldfields is proud to host a national touring exhibition about shell-stringing; one of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community’s culturally significant and closely guarded traditions. kanalaritja: An Unbroken String from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) features a variety of beautiful, delicate and rare shell necklaces, created by Tasmanian Aboriginal Ancestors in the 1800s, as well as a new wave of modern stringers.Read more News Sharna Craig
6 Mar 2018132 year old message in a bottle found on WA beach The world’s oldest known message in a bottle has been found half-buried at a West Australian beach nearly 132 years after it was tossed overboard in the Indian Ocean, 950km from the coast. Until now, the previous world record for the oldest message in a bottle was 108 years, four months and 18 days between jettison and discovery.Read more News Mara Pritchard
19 Feb 2018New research tracks evolution of bilbies and bandicoots, new species discoveredNew research has provided a breakthrough in the problematic identification of species of bandicoots and bilbies, resulting in the reassessment and subsequent reclassification of one subspecies and the identification of a new, extinct species. Dr Kenny Travouillon, Curator of Mammalogy at the Western Australian Museum and lead researcher in this study said the findings are significant, and open the door to describing further species within this order of marsupial mammals endemic to Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands.Read more News Mara Pritchard
5 Feb 2018Traditional art meets modern technologyAn exhibition celebrating the stories and Law of Anangu culture through intricate carvings and artefacts will go on display at the Museum of Geraldton this weekend. Punuku Tjukurpa is the first touring exhibition of artworks from the Maruku Arts archive based at Mutitjulu, near Uluru in the Northern Territory. Museum of Geraldton Regional Manager Leigh O’Brien said Punuku Tjukurpa, presented by Artback NT, showcases a rich cultural history.Read more News Sharna Craig
1 Feb 2018Capturing the spirit of Western Australia in words The Western Australian Museum is calling for members of the public to share their thoughts about the literary works they think best reflect the spirit and place of Western Australia. WA in Words is a project launched by the WA Museum as part of the 2018 Perth Writers Festival. WA Museum CEO Alec Coles is encouraging people from around the State to get involved.Read more News Sharna Craig
7 Dec 2017Expressions of Interest: WA Museum Advisory Committee - Museum of the Great SouthernExpressions of Interest are sought from residents of the Great Southern Region to join the Advisory Committee for the Museum of the Great Southern. The primary role of the Advisory Committee is to link the Museum with the community it serves. This is a “two-way” liaison: representing the community to the Museum, and acting as an advocate for the Museum in the community.Read more News Western Australian Museum
29 Nov 2017Securing the foundations The New Museum building is starting to take shape and the first concrete slab expected to be poured in early 2018. In preparation for this work, Multiplex and its subcontractors are drilling pilings to support and stabilise the new building. Read more News Erika Jellis
23 Nov 2017Batavia's mysteries unfold with discovery of mass grave An international team of archaeologists, including scientists from The University of Western Australia and the Western Australian Museum, has discovered a new communal grave in the Abrolhos Islands, the result of deaths after a shipwreck of the Dutch East India company ship Batavia.Read more News Mara Pritchard
13 Nov 2017Exhibition highlights build-up of plastic pollution on beaches and in oceans A thought-provoking exhibition about the build-up of small scale plastic rubbish on Western Australia’s beaches and the wider issue of waste on the world’s oceans opens at the Museum of Geraldton this week. On the Beach by artist Tim Pearn, documents a year in which Pearn collected more than 1,600 pieces of washed-up plastic while on his regular walks along just one beach in the State’s south.Read more News Flora Perrella
10 Nov 2017Help save our frogs with your mobile phoneKids, mums and dads, amateur scientists and community groups are being asked to pick up their mobile phones and head into their backyards and beyond to help save Australia’s native frogs. The Western Australian Museum is partnering with the Australian Museum and other museums around the country as part of FrogID – a major citizen science project which explores where frogs are at risk and how to conserve them and our waterways. Frogs are one of the most threatened groups of animals on Earth.Read more News Sharna Craig
8 Nov 2017Exhibition tells of historic relations between the ANZAC and Belgium during World War OneAn exhibition that tells shared stories about the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, or ANZAC, and Belgium during World War One is now open at the Museum of the Great Southern. The Great War in Broad Outlines pays tribute to the sacrifice of the ANZAC, and is a reminder that Belgium is forever grateful and continues to honour the fallen. Museum of the Great Southern Regional Manager Rachael Wilsher-Saa said the exhibition depicts defining moments and memorable battles of World War One.Read more News Sharna Craig
8 Nov 2017Traditional art meets modern technologyAn exhibition celebrating the stories and Law of Anangu culture through intricate carvings and artefacts will go on display at the Museum of the Goldfields next weekend. Punuku Tjukurpa is the first touring exhibition of artworks from the Maruku Arts archive based at Mutitjulu, near Uluru in the Northern Territory. Museum of the Goldfields Regional Manager Zoe Scott said Punuku Tjukurpa, presented by Artback NT, showcases a rich sacred history.Read more News Sharna Craig
7 Nov 2017Research noting impact of climate change on native species graces cover of prestigious science journalResearch which notes the impact of climate change on the evolution of Australia’s native bilbies and bandicoots has featured on the cover of the prestigious Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The article was authored by the Western Australian Museum’s Mammals Curator Dr Kenny Travouillon. “Climate change has been a very important factor in the evolution of bilbies and bandicoots, placing a selective pressure for survival in a harsh, arid environment,” Dr Travouillon said.Read more News Sharna Craig
2 Nov 2017Expression of Interest: WA Museum Aboriginal Advisory Committee The WA Museum is seeking expressions of interest from Western Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples to join its Aboriginal Advisory Committee. The Committee’s role is to advise the WA Museum on issues relating to:Read more News Western Australian Museum
26 Oct 2017Working together in the Kimberley WA Museum Curators Michelle Broun and Stephen Kinnane and Community Engagement Officer Barbara Paulson attended last month’s Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) Festival at the invitation of KALACC’s Board of Directors. The trip followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the WA Museum and KALACC. The MOU outlines a commitment for the two organisations to work together to engage with Aboriginal peoples from the Kimberley and identify ways local stories could be shared in the New Museum.Read more News Erika Jellis