28 Apr 2015In-situ preservation of shipwrecksConservation scientists and conservators at the Western Australian Museum conduct research to develop new and improved techniques for ensuring the long-term preservation of our underwater cultural heritage sites. This article focuses on the unique conservation methods applied to the James Matthews shipwreck site.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
24 Apr 2015One Hundred Postcards from WWI front lineAn extraordinary collection of postcards sent to a Boulder woman from men serving on the front line of World War One will go on display at the Western Australian Museum – Perth, in time for Anzac Day. More than 100 postcards were sent from six young soldiers serving in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) to home-nurse Eliza ‘Lida’ Jane Downey. WA Museum history curator Stephen Anstey said the postcards were sent from the soldiers while they were training and on active duty overseas.Read more News Sharna Craig
20 Apr 2015A short history of the mineralogy collectionA rich hunting ground for prospectors and collectors, Western Australia has been a prolific source of new minerals and fine mineral specimens. Surprisingly, for one of Australia’s premier mining states, the mineral collection of the Western Australian Museum has had a chequered past. Placed in storage in the mid-1960s and inaccessible to the public for around twenty years, the collection was badly neglected. The history of the collection is a salutary lesson in what can happen to a public asset lacking curatorial responsibility.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
16 Apr 2015Commemorating World War One at the Western Australian Museum – AlbanyAn exhibition honouring the Anzacs who fought to liberate France during World War One will open at the WA Museum – Albany this week. 100 Affiches for a Centenary contains 100 original posters (affiches) which were hand painted from 1914 – 1918. The French war-time posters were used as propaganda to heighten patriotism during the War, and some feature the Anzacs. The rare posters are from French collector Dr Pierre Grézard’s collection. WA Museum – Albany Manager Rachael Wilsher-Saa said the exhibition is a great tribute to the centenary of World War One.Read more News Sharna Craig
9 Apr 2015WA's blockbuster Dinosaur Discovery exhibition now in QueenslandThe Western Australian Museum’s own blockbuster exhibition Dinosaur Discovery: Lost Creatures of the Cretaceous has opened to rave reviews at the Queensland Museum and will be on display there until 5 October, 2015. WA Museum CEO Alec Coles said the exhibition broke all records for the WA Museum attracting more than 173,000 visitors, with strong demand seeing the exhibition extended for an extra three weeks. Mr Coles believes it will be just as popular in Queensland.Read more News Flora Perrella
9 Apr 2015WA photographer snaps two ANZANG awards Threatened Species category winner Social Drinking by Keith Lightbody, Western AustraliaRead more News Flora Perrella
1 Apr 2015A Grey Magpie? Here is a magpie that does not see life in black and white! Let me introduce to you an inhabitant of the Museum’s garden that is quite unusual: a grey magpie…Read more Article Western Australian Museum
25 Mar 2015Meteorite CollectionFor more than a century, Western Australia has been a rich hunting ground for prospectors and collectors, and has proved a prolific source of meteorite finds. This article presents an account of how the Western Australian Museum meteorite collection was born and continues to grow.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
23 Mar 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our stick insect collectionThe Phasmatodea are an order of insects commonly known as stick insects or leaf insects which occur in warmer zones over the world. They are among the best camouflaged creatures in the animal kingdom, mimicking perfectly the leaves, branches and twigs of their surroundings. Their taxonomic classification is quite arduous due to a deficit of reference books in this field of zoology and scientific disputes remain as to their classification.Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle
19 Mar 2015Marking 300 years since the death of William DampierThe Western Australian Museum – Geraldton will host a series of free lectures to mark 300 years since the death of explorer William Dampier. WA Museum Maritime Archaeology curator Dr Michael (Mack) McCarthy will present the first of three lectures, Elusive Phantoms: Finding William Dampier and the Roebuck at 2pm, on Sunday 22 March 2015. He will reveal the adventures of Dampier and describe how Their Majesties’ Ship Roebuck – one of the most famous exploration ships – was found.Read more News Sharna Craig
18 Mar 2015Collecting in the Dark ZoneBeneath our feet lies a hotspot of subterranean biodiversity. The Terrestrial Zoology Department perform research on the ecology, biology and taxonomy of Australian subterranean organisms. Over the last few decades, a substantial number of new species discovered by the research team has contributed to increase our knowledge of the State’s biodiversity. However, this underground fauna lives in hidden habitats, often inaccessible for sampling. Which methods do scientists employ to collect this fauna in the field?Read more Article Western Australian Museum
16 Mar 2015WA Museum coral expert helps date ancient tombsWestern Australian Museum researcher Dr Zoe Richards has identified coral used in three sacred pyramid tombs on a prehistoric Micronesian island to date their construction to the 14th Century, more than 300 years earlier than was previously thought. Dr Richards and an international team of scientists investigated the ages of corals used in the construction of sacred tombs that interred royalty on the Pacific Island of Kosrae. Read more News Sharna Craig
16 Mar 2015Marking 300 years since the death of William DampierThe Western Australian Museum – Albany will host a series of lectures this week to mark 300 years since the death of explorer William Dampier.Read more News Sharna Craig
16 Mar 2015Remarkable travels of migratory birdsSome migratory birds are able to travel thousands kilometres. In this audio our curator of Birds, Ron Johnstone, explains how scientists were able to study birds that migrate from Indonesia to Australia, and often further. Read more Article Western Australian Museum
13 Mar 2015The Last Gentlemen of War extendedWestern Australian Museum CEO Alec Coles today announced that due to strong demand the Museum’s The Last Gentlemen of War exhibition will remain open for a further two weeks, now extended until Sunday, 10 May. Mr Coles said the exhibition, produced by the WA Museum, tells the compelling story on the Battle of Cocos, Australia’s successful first naval engagement in World War One which took place more than 100 years ago on 9 November, 1914. “While this story is relatively unknown, it is one which has brought great national pride to both countries,” Mr Coles said.Read more News Sharna Craig
12 Mar 2015Da Vinci Machines at WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-BoulderExperience Leonardo da Vinci’s genius first-hand when da Vinci Machines opens at the Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Saturday 14 March. This exciting exhibition features 60 of his visionary inventions in the areas of flying machines, nautical innovations, and machines of war, alongside 15 beautifully crafted replicas of famous da Vinci artworks. WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder Regional Manager Zoe Scott said the exhibition is unlike anything the Goldfields community has experienced. Read more News Sharna Craig
11 Mar 2015Muslim women’s style on display in the Great SouthernAn exhibition showcasing Muslim women’s contemporary fashion will open at the Western Australian Museum – Albany and the Katanning Art Gallery this week. Faith, fashion, fusion: Muslim women’s style in Australia focuses on an emerging modest fashion market and the work of Australian Muslim designers and entrepreneurs. A group of well-respected Australian Muslim women also share their experiences of faith and fashion.Read more News Sharna Craig
10 Mar 2015New Aboriginal art movement showcased at Western Australian Museum - GeraldtonAn exhibition of unique works from an Aboriginal art movement emerging from the Western Desert will open this week at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton. Warakurna: All the Stories Got into our Minds and Eyes features paintings and sculptures which were produced at Warakurna, a community at the foot of the Rawlinson Ranges in Western Australia, 300 kilometres west of Uluru (Ayers Rock), and will be on display from 13 March.Read more News Sharna Craig
9 Mar 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our crustacean collectionLobsters, crayfish, rock lobsters, slipper lobsters, blind lobsters… The Crustacean group hosts many species which are very similar in shape. However, they do not all live in the same environments and some of them have very divergent ecologies. This photo gallery shows several species that could be easily mistaken. Would you be able to recognise each crustacean?Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle
4 Mar 2015The story of diamonds in Western AustraliaPink and yellow treasures from the deep Precious, brilliant and hard – diamonds have fascinated us since time immemorial. Over time scientific investigation has revealed their origins, even if some mysteries remain…Read more Article Western Australian Museum