21 Aug 2018A Ticket to Paradise? A Greek girl sent across the world to marry a man she’d never met, an African journalist fleeing for his life, and a stateless baby born in India to Iranian parents. They’re just some of the human stories that feature in A Ticket to Paradise? opening Saturday 1 September at the Museum of Geraldton. The touring exhibition from the National Archives of Australia examines the rich diversity of Australian immigrants and the government’s ambitious plans after World War Two to encourage mass migration.Read more News Hillary Henry
14 Aug 2018Name the Blue WhaleWe’re calling for the people of WA to help us give our whale a name. We were inspired by our colleagues at the Natural History Museum in London, whose stunning blue whale skeleton went on display last year. They named their whale Hope, as a symbol of humanity's power to shape a sustainable future.Read more Article New Museum Project
13 Aug 2018One State, many languages The New Museum will share stories from all over Western Australia, focusing on the many communities and cultures that make up our State. We are encouraging people to share stories in the way they would like them told, and in the language that is important to them.Read more Article New Museum Project
13 Aug 2018Remarkable images of nature on show at WA Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle The 2017 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year collection is now on display at the WA Shipwrecks Museum in Cliff St, Fremantle, until Sunday 26 August. 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 Hillary Henry
13 Aug 2018Build-a-BugAll insects have: three main body parts, three pairs of legs (six all together), skeletons on the outside of their body (exoskeletons), specialised eyes, mouths and legs for their way of life. To communicate these fabulous facts in a fun way we developed a 'Build-a-Bug' activity. It is a fun activity where children and their famillies can mix up the elements of an insect to design their own crazy critter. This will be part of the programs available in the Life gallery.Read more Article New Museum Project
13 Aug 2018Because of Her, We CanStories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and the roles they play in supporting family and community will be featured throughout the New Museum. We are consulting with people from around the State to share stories about women who have influenced the lives of others and championed the rights of Aboriginal people in our State. So when the theme for this year’s NAIDOC Week was announced we were really excited to get involved and hear more about the incredible women of Western Australia. Read more Article New Museum Project
13 Aug 2018Steel Trusses Soar Above Site The steel trusses are in place for the New Museum. Image copyright WA Museum If you haven’t noticed already, the New Museum is BIG! Read more Article New Museum Project
13 Aug 2018Transcribing a Snapshot in TimeThe Museum's Library is celebrating another milestone. Starting in 2005, Anne Gunson is our most senior volunteer. Recently she completed the monumental task of cataloguing and transcribing David Ride’s 42 field notebooks. David Ride was the Director of the Western Australian Museum from 1952-74. His travels throughout WA during his time with the Museum were extensive and his collection of specimens remains remarkable.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
9 Aug 2018Museum researchers identify new populations of one of WA’s rarest and most bizarre animalsA team of researchers led by scientists from the Western Australian Museum has identified two new populations of one of WA’s rarest and most bizarre animals, the blind cave eel. The finds were made in two locations in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. The blind cave eel, Ophisternon candidum, is one of Australia’s least-known fishes and is the longest cave fish in the world, growing up to 40cm long. It is one of only three Australian vertebrates known to be entirely restricted to underground waters such as caves and wells. Read more News Hillary Henry
7 Aug 2018One State, many languages In the New Museum we are sharing stories from around Western Australia and focusing on the many communities and cultures that make up our State. As we interview people, we are encouraging people to share stories in the way they would like them told, and in the language that is important to them. To highlight the importance of language we partnered with the Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI) to develop a video and language resource kit for Languages Week 2018. Both these resources will be used in the New Museum for the Voices gallery.Read more Article New Museum Project
6 Aug 2018Celebrate National Science Week with the WA MuseumMetropolitan Sites The Western Australian Museum is ready to celebrate National Science Week this year with fun, hands-on and educational activities throughout the metropolitan area. There will be something for everyone with fascinating activities ranging from the world of maritime archaeology, virtual realities, marine art, becoming a citizen scientist, and behind-the-scenes tours. WA SHIPWRECKS MUSEUM Cliff Street, Fremantle Read more News Hillary Henry
3 Aug 2018It’s official! FIFO workers formally recognised with WA Museum findA sea slug that inhabits the waters off the north-west coast of Western Australia has officially been named after the State’s fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers. The sea slug—Moridilla fifo—was officially named in a paper published in the latest issue of the Records of the Western Australian Museum written by researchers Dr Leila Carmona and Dr Nerida Wilson.Read more News Hillary Henry
2 Aug 2018Exhibition celebrates Western Australia’s majestic coastlinePhotographs showcasing the beauty of the Western Australian coast will be on display at the Museum of the Great Southern from Monday 6 August. Our WA Coastline features images taken by Western Australian Photographic Federation camera club members. The museum’s Acting Regional Manager, Catherine Salmaggi, said the exhibition showcases images reflecting the diversity of the majestic Western Australian coastline and how we can positively interact with it.Read more News Hillary Henry
20 Jul 2018WA Museum team discovers three new species of sharks that thrived in the age of dinosaursWestern Australian Museum researchers have discovered fossilised teeth from three previously unknown shark species, one of which apparently thrived in WA more than 90 million years ago during an extreme global warming event. The teeth were found in ancient rocks of marine origin, which today are exposed more than 100 metres above sea level in the lower Murchison River area. The finds were made by a WA Museum team led by renowned fossil shark expert Dr Mikael Siversson, the Head of the Museum’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.Read more News Flora Perrella
20 Jul 2018Astrofest exhibition returns to Museum of Geraldton A stunningly beautiful astrophotography exhibition is on display at the Museum of Geraldton from today until 20 August 2018. Since its inception in 2009, Astrofest has become one of the largest science events in Western Australia, and is the only astronomy event of its kind and scale in Australia. The festival is an Astronomy WA event and is coordinated by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. A highlight of the festival is the astrophotography exhibition, which is curated by Dr John Goldsmith of Celestial Visions.Read more News Sharna Craig
6 Jul 2018Because of Her, We Can - NAIDOC 2018 During NAIDOC Week 2018 the country acknowledges the significant roles that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women play in all aspects of Australian society. Here at the Western Australian Museum, we are honouring some of our female Aboriginal employees and the powerful contributions they make to our Museum.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
6 Jul 2018Australia’s best press photographs go on show at FremantleMore than 90 of the best press photographs in Australia will go on show at the WA Maritime Museum tomorrow, Saturday 7 July. The Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism recognise the work of photographers across a range of genres – from news and sport to portraiture and photographic essays. This exhibition features the finalists in the 2017 The Walkley Awards, the highest honour in Australian journalism. These photos will make you re-think the way you see the world around you.Read more News Sharna Craig
6 Jul 2018Wreck at Dongara beach identifiedResearch by the Western Australian Museum into a recently discovered shipwreck at 7 Mile Beach in Dongara points to it being the Margaret Ann. WA Museum Maritime Archaeology Curator Dr Ross Anderson said his work was greatly assisted by leads provided by the local community, after a call out for its help to identify the remains of the motorised wooden cray boat. Chris Akerstrom contacted the Museum with information that the Margaret Ann LFB16, operated by her late husband Mick Akerstrom, sank at its moorings in the early 1960s and was never salvaged.Read more News Sharna Craig
18 Jun 2018User-friendly guide to identifying WA’s unique corals releasedMarine researchers and scientists now have a new guide to help them carry out their work to accurately identify and classify Western Australia’s hard corals. Hard corals, or scleractinian corals, are a diverse group of threatened species that are incredibly important to the growth and productivity of coral reef ecosystems in general.Read more News Flora Perrella