What's New

  • A remotely operated vehicle being used to take photo and video images of the wreck of HMAS Sydney II. Image courtesy Curtin University and the WA Museum

    30 Oct 2019

    Stunning underwater images throw light on Australia’s worst naval disaster

    For more than 66 years the wrecks of two ships destroyed in what is still Australia’s worst ever naval disaster sat silently on the ocean floor, their location a mystery.

    HMAS Sydney II and the German raider HSK Kormoran both sank after a short, fierce battle in November 1941. 81 men from Kormoran died. All 645 men on Sydney were lost.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • Sor Kobir 1, Andrew Passi - Mer (Murray Island), Meriam Mer language group, Gabi Titui Cultural Centre

    22 Oct 2019

    Striking mask exhibition opens at Museum of Geraldton

    An exhibition of 12 striking masks and related cultural materials celebrating the rich and continuing tradition of mask making in Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait) opens this Saturday, 26 October, at the Museum of Geraldton.

    On display for the first time in Western Australia, Evolution: Torres Strait Masks explores the long-standing importance of ceremonial masks in Torres Strait culture, and how they influence contemporary art forms.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • Calyptorete falkorae

    2 Oct 2019

    Exciting marine discovery in deep sea canyon off Perth

    A biodiversity expedition to the Perth Canyon Marine Park – described by international experts as one of Australia’s subsea treasures – has discovered five new species of deep sea glass sponges, exciting scientists about the prospect of further exploration and future discoveries.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • Caption: Museum of the Goldfields

    26 Sep 2019

    Expression of Interest: Museum of the Goldfields Advisory Committee

    The WA Museum is seeking expressions of interest from residents of the Goldfields region to join the Advisory Committee of the Museum of the Goldfields.

    The primary role of the Advisory Committee is to link the Museum with the community it serves. This is “two-way” liaison: representing the community to the Museum and acting as an advocate for the Museum in the community.

    The Advisory Committee meets 2 - 4 times per year to consider general business and being a member is a non-remunerated position.

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    News
    Katherine Jeffries

  • 18 Sep 2019

    Night Sky: Proposals Sought from Nyoongar Artists

    Image copyright Trevor Dobson

    The WA Museum is seeking proposals from Nyoongar artists for a commissioned artwork about the night sky.

    The original artwork is for display in the New Museum for WA, which opens in late 2020 in the Perth Cultural Centre.

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    Article
    Erika Jellis

  • 12 Sep 2019

    New purple-loving barnacle discovered off WA coast

    A new species of barnacle, Membranobalanus porphyrophilus, has been named and described after being discovered living on reefs off Rottnest Island.

    The striking purple-coloured barnacle was first identified in Western Australia and was later found in the South Australian Museum collection, having been collected in waters around Kangaroo Island.

    Western Australian Museum Curator of Aquatic Zoology, Mr Andrew Hosie, said the barnacle was discovered during fieldwork by the Museum’s Aquatic Zoology Department.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • Healthy corals in the intertidal zone at Montelivet Island

    26 Aug 2019

    Central Kimberley reef communities survive global coral bleaching

    Remote reef communities in the central inshore Kimberley survived the 2016 global bleaching event, giving hope to Western Australian marine scientists looking to find ways to combat the effects of climate change.

    A recent publication confirms the breakthrough discovery by a team of Western Australian Museum scientists. The researchers examined the composition and health of marine organisms at 13 coral reef sites in the Bonaparte Archipelago – a largely inaccessible area of the inshore central Kimberley.

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    News
    Hillary Henry

  • ‘The Fighting Dragons’ by Brendan Mitchell. Winner of Best astrophoto.

    1 Aug 2019

    Celebrate astronomy with the Museum of Geraldton

    An out-of-this-world exhibition featuring stunning images of star trails, night-scapes, and the solar system will be on display at the Museum of Geraldton from 2 August.

    The 2019 Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition, supported by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, celebrates the best of Western Australian astro-photographers who have recorded stunning astronomical landscape images in locations throughout Western Australia and beyond.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • Overall winner of the 2018 Australian Geographic Photographer of the Year competition- ‘Hide and Seek’ by Tracey Jennings.

    25 Jul 2019

    Captivating images of the natural world on show at the Museum of the Great Southern

    The 2018 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year collection will go on display at the Museum of the Great Southern on Thursday 1 August.

    The stunning exhibition, produced by the South Australian Museum, celebrates the beauty of the natural world through photographs by professional, emerging and amateur photographers who have shown impeccable timing, artistry and technique to capture our extraordinary world. As ever, there is an extremely impressive junior section.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • 3 Jul 2019

    Planet Shark: Predator or Prey

    From this Saturday the WA Maritime Museum is shining a light into the world of some of the most misunderstood animals on Earth, sharks.

    Western Australian Museum CEO Alec Coles said the Museum’s latest exhibition Planet Shark: Predator or Prey, developed by Grande Exhibitions with assistance from experts in sharks, aquariums, and ocean cinematography, travelled through Europe and the US with a determined focus on creating a greater understanding of these incredible animals.

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    News
    Flora Perrella

  • 28 Jun 2019

    WA Museum celebrates strong relationship with the Netherlands

    The Ambassador to Australia of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Her Excellency Mrs Marion Derckx, has taken a hard hat tour of WA’s New Museum site in the Perth Cultural Centre to see first-hand where some of the stories of our significant shared cultural heritage will be on display.

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    News
    Hillary Henry

  • World Oceans Day

    6 Jun 2019

    World Oceans Day

    The Western Australian Museum’s Aquatic Zoology department boasts a wide collection of specimens ranging from tiny crustaceans to large shark skeletons. These specimens are either wet specimens preserved in alcohol or dry specimens stored in glass jars.

    Diving head first during fieldwork expeditions, we have a dedicated team of researchers who are responsible for building and contributing to these collections and the stories behind the specimens.

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    Article

  • Barnacle Lepas anserifera

    6 Jun 2019

    Barnacles: The Forgotten Species

    Imagine spending most of your life standing on your head and eating with your feet. Sounds impossible? Well, that’s exactly how barnacles spend most of their lives.

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    Article

  • Micro-molluscs

    6 Jun 2019

    Never Underestimate The Power Of Molluscs

    Ranging from snails to clams to octopus, Molluscs are the second largest group of marine invertebrates (animals without a backbone). Dr Lisa Kirkendale, Curator of Molluscs in the Western Australian Museum describes these invertebrates as 4 groups:

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    Article

  • Goniobranchus leopardus

    6 Jun 2019

    Nudibranchs, The Rock Stars Of Our Oceans

    Brightly coloured and slow-moving, these creatures are pretty easy to identify and hard to forget once you’ve seen them. Nudibranchs are mesmerizing sea slugs that gracefully slither across our oceans.

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    Article

  • Underwater diver Dr Jane Formont

    6 Jun 2019

    Ocean Cleaners Under Threat

    When you think of sponges, the first thing that comes to mind would probably be the cleaning sponge in your kitchen. Believe it or not, those cleaning sponges used to come from the ocean. Divers walked along ocean floors plucking sponges off the sea bottom.

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    Article

  • The crew of a pearl lugger, Broome, c. 1900–20

    29 May 2019

    Dive into the gritty story of the pearling industry and its people

    Lustre: Pearling & Australia, an exhibition showcasing the unique and important role that pearls and pearling have played in our nation’s history, returns to Western Australia for its premier regional tour opening at the Museum of the Goldfields this Saturday 25 May 2019.

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    News
    Hillary Henry

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