20 Jan 2015New app puts the WA Museum in your pocket The Western Australian Museum’s incredible collections and valuable research are now more accessible than ever with the release of a new app that effectively puts the Museum in your pocket. The new app – Reveal WAM – streams WA Museum content direct to your smartphone or tablet, and was released this morning. Reveal WAM packages articles, blogs, videos and web features into a simple mobile app. Digital Services Manager Morgan Strong said the Museum aims to reach the public in as many ways as possible.Read more News Sharna Craig
19 Jan 2015The spider that weaves goldOften mistaken for a dangerous creature, the Australian golden orb-weaving spider is in fact harmless to humans. They have a dark-brown carapace (the “head”), a cream coloured abdomen, and yellow banded legs. Males are very small, and are often difficult to locate in the web of the female. They occur all over Australia, building large webs with yellow silk which shine like gold in sunlight. Read more Article Western Australian Museum
19 Jan 2015Historic shipwreck hunt bound for Christmas IslandHalf a century after making a major shipwreck discovery that would lead to a lifelong passion for maritime archaeology, Graeme Henderson is setting out once more to find a Fortuyn. On 19 January, Graeme and a team of Australian shipwreck archaeologists plan to leave Perth bound for Australia’s Indian Ocean territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands on a quest they’re calling ‘Closing in on the Fortuyn’.Read more News Sharna Craig
12 Jan 2015Would you like to help plan our New Museum?Forty West Australians are being asked to join the team planning the State’s New Museum. A number of community panels are being established to provide input and feedback into the content and proposed design of the Museum that will open in 2020. Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said a people-first approach was being adopted to create a landmark museum building and unique visitor experience. You can read the Minister's full statement here. Read more News Western Australian Museum
30 Dec 2014World’s smallest goanna lizard species discovered in the Kimberley regionThe WA Museum is pleased to announce the discovery of a new species of goanna lizard from the Kimberley region. The name of the new species is the ‘Dampier Peninsula Goanna’, so-called as this species is only known from the peninsula north of Broome and Derby, in the western Kimberley region of Western Australia. The scientific name is Varanus sparnus.Read more News Sharna Craig
24 Dec 2014New management for Brig Amity replicaThe Western Australian Museum – Albany is proud to announce it has taken over visitor management for the Brig Amity replica after an extensive refurbishment program by the City of Albany. Rachel Wilsher-Saa, WA Museum – Albany Regional Manager said since opening in 1976, the replica of the Brig Amity has been an integral part of the Albany landscape.Read more News Sharna Craig
19 Dec 2014Holiday Closure at the MuseumThe holiday season is fast approaching and, as usual, the Museum’s metropolitan and regional sites will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. Read more News Western Australian Museum
18 Dec 2014Historic Australian photographs now onlineA collection of photographs documenting Australian life at the turn of the 20th century is now available on the Western Australian Museum’s website. Five thousand images taken by Goldfields photographers John Joseph Dwyer and Thomas Faulkner Mackay have been digitised and are accessible to the public. The collection documents everyday life on the Goldfields: from the development of the mining industry, to landscapes, to the personal lives of locals through portraits.Read more News Danny Murphy
15 Dec 2014A new species of deep-sea bone worm turns a reproductive strategy on its headA study published today in Current Biology reveals a new species of marine bone-eating worm whose mating system defies what scientists thought they knew about this already bizarre creature. Unlike previously discovered species, these males are the same size as females. When Osedax worms were first discovered 12 years ago, only females were found, feasting on bones deep in the ocean. The males were all dwarfs, permanently attached to females’ tubes in groups like harems.Read more News Sharna Craig
9 Dec 2014Muslim women’s style on display at WA Museum – GeraldtonAn exhibition showcasing Muslim women’s contemporary fashion will open at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton 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, including three Geraldton women.Read more News Sharna Craig
4 Dec 2014Santa visits WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-BoulderSanta will pay a special visit to the Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder during its Open Day this week. Children will have the opportunity to have their photograph taken with Santa, as well as participate in free activities on St Barbara’s Day, Saturday 6 December. WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder Manager Zoe Scott said there will be Christmas card making, hula hoop decorating, face-painting and poppy making activities on the day.Read more News Sharna Craig
26 Nov 2014Kimberley marine research findings and challengesThe Western Australian Museum has concluded its sixth and final expedition of an award-winning research project into the Kimberley’s unique marine life. Aquatic Zoology Senior Project Officer Clay Bryce will present Kimberley Marine Life Secrets Revealed at the WA Maritime Museum this Wednesday 26 November as part of the Western Australian Museum’s In the Wild West lecture series.Read more News Sharna Craig
26 Nov 2014Da Vinci Machines at WA Museum – AlbanyExperience Leonardo da Vinci’s genius first-hand when da Vinci Machines opens at the Western Australian Museum – Albany this Saturday 29 November. 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.Read more News Sharna Craig
26 Nov 2014Contractors invited to submit interest to design, construct New MuseumMinister for Culture and the Arts John Day today invited local and international teams to submit expressions of interest to design and construct the New Museum for Western Australia in the Perth Cultural Centre. You can read the Minister’s full statement here.Read more News Western Australian Museum
13 Nov 2014Hidden Treasures exhibition extended at the WA MuseumThe Western Australian Museum is delighted to announce it is extending its season of the stunning exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul until 18 January 2015. This beautiful exhibition of treasures once thought lost to the world contains more than 200 rare and beautiful objects dating back to the Bronze Age, from a place that was once at the crossroads of the world’s great civilisations.Read more News Sharna Craig
11 Nov 2014Building a web of knowledge about Weld RangeAn update of research findings from the Weld Range in Wajarri Yamatji country will be presented at a public lecture next week at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton. Weld Range, near Cue in the Murchison region, is highly significant for the Wajarri Yamatji Traditional Owners. It is home to the nationally heritage listed Wilgie Mia Aboriginal Ochre Mine, mined by Aboriginal people for thousands of years.Read more News Sharna Craig
10 Nov 2014The Goldfields commemorates Remembrance Day Learn about the role young men from the Goldfields played in World War One tomorrow when military historian Graham McKenzie-Smith presents Goldfields Tunnellers and Sappers in World War One as part of the Western Australian Museum’s In the Wild West lecture series. The Remembrance Day presentation details how many miners from the Goldfields joined the Tunnelling Companies of the Australian Imperial Force during World War One.Read more News Sharna Craig
7 Nov 2014Last Gentlemen of War: a story of decency, honour and humourThe Western Australian Maritime Museum today opened its doors to a compelling exhibition on the Battle of the Cocos, Australia’s successful first naval engagement in World War One which took place 100 years ago this weekend, on 9 November, 1914.Read more News Western Australian Museum
15 Oct 2014Explore the rich history of Mid West mining onlineThe Western Australian Museum – Geraldton this week launched two interactive online activities allowing primary-aged students to explore the rich history of Mid West mining in a novel and fun way. The two activities were developed thanks to a Your Community Heritage grant awarded to the WA Museum in 2012 from the Australian Government. In the Miner to Magnate quiz children answer a series of questions on a range of different Mid West minerals from guano to gold, learning fun facts through entertaining infographics.Read more News Jane Rosevear
3 Oct 2014Da Vinci Machines exhibition extendedThe Western Australian Museum – Geraldton today announced a three week extension to its internationally acclaimed Da Vinci Machines exhibition, until Sunday 9 November. Since the exhibition opened in July more than 8,000 people have explored and interacted with this amazing exhibition. Regional Manager of the WA Museum – Geraldton Leigh O’Brien said the exhibition had been extremely popular, with many visitors astounded at the breadth of Leonardo da Vinci’s extraordinary talent.Read more News Jane Rosevear