26 May 2017An ancient culture kept alive through artA new exhibition that brings to life one man’s remarkable journey to share his people’s culture with the world is going on display at the Museum of the Great Southern next weekend. Yidumduma Bill Harney: Bush Professor is a travelling exhibition from Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre and celebrates the life work of Yidumduma Bill Harney. Museum of the Great Southern Regional Manager Rachael Wilsher-Saa said Yidumduma Bill Harney is a Wardaman Elder, whose country lies south-east of present-day Katherine in the Northern Territory.Read more News Sharna Craig
26 May 2017Right Wrongs: ’67 Referendum On 27 May 1967, Australia voted to change its Constitution. The passing of this referendum enabled Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders to be counted in the national census and to be subject to Commonwealth laws, rather than just state laws. 90.77% of Australians voted 'Yes', the largest ever affirmative vote in Australian referendum history. The Right Wrongs: '67 Referendum project is a partnership between the Western Australian Museum, State Library of Western Australia and Department of Aboriginal Affairs. Read more Online Exhibition Emily Carroll
25 May 2017National Sorry Day 2017This year’s National Sorry Day on the 26th May 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the handing down of the Bringing Them Home Report, which was a report of the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their families.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
23 May 2017WA Museum discovery makes Top 10 New Species listA marine worm that looked so much like a delicious fried pastry that it was named after one by a research scientist at the Western Australian Museum, has been named as one of the Top 10 New Species for 2017.Read more News Flora Perrella
23 May 2017Children to plunge into a Voyage to the Deep at the WA Maritime MuseumChildren are invited to release their inner aquanaut and explore the mysteries of the deep in an exciting new adventure-land Voyage to the Deep: Underwater Adventures opening at the WA Maritime Museum on 27 May. WA Museum CEO Alec Coles said the Voyage to the Deep exhibition is on tour from the Australian National Maritime Museum and is based on French author Jules Verne’s 1870 classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Read more News Flora Perrella
23 May 2017The Next Stage of the JourneyYesterday, I was delighted to join Premier Mark McGowan, Culture and Arts Minister David Templeman, members of the WA Museum’s Board of Trustees and Governors of its Foundation at the site of the New Museum for the turning of the first sod. This ceremony is an important event in construction projects and marks the start of significant works at the site. For the New Museum project it signals the demolition of non-heritage elements ahead of major construction works, which will start later this year.Read more News Alec Coles
22 May 2017Curtin University Information Studies Alumni eventThe Curtin University Information Studies Alumni visited the Western Australian Museum Library and Rare Book collection on Thursday 4 May 2017. The event was organised by the Alumni Association so that the Museum’s Rare Book collection could be showcased to members of the Alumni.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
22 May 2017Ground breaking ceremony at New Museum sitePremier Mark McGowan and Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman recently turned the first sod at the site of the New Museum before the dramatic removal of the former foyer. The ceremony marked a significant milestone for the New Museum Project ahead of major construction works, scheduled for late 2017.Read more News New Museum Project
16 May 2017Western Australian Museum wins two MAGNA AwardsThe Western Australian Museum has won two prestigious awards at the Museums and Galleries National Awards 2017 (MAGNA) held in Brisbane last night, for two outstanding exhibitions developed and co-curated by the Museum. The two exhibitions are Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja (Returning to Mokare's Home Country), which won the award for Indigenous Project or Keeping Place (Level 2); and Lustre: Pearling & Australia, which won the award for Temporary or Travelling Exhibition (Level 3).Read more News Flora Perrella
11 May 2017Glad Hansen - VolunteeringWA Finalist for 2017!Glad Hansen is 92 years young. She has been volunteering at the Western Australian Museum in the Aquatic Zoology Department working with molluscs (shells) for over 52 years. Glad has been passionate about marine snails (gastropods) since she started collecting beach shells with her young children. Glad began volunteering in 1965, as that was the year the Shell Club of Western Australia was formed. She went to the first meeting and her late husband happened to sit next to the then Curator of Molluscs, Dr. Barry Wilson, and her husband dobbed her in!Read more Article Western Australian Museum
11 May 2017Nyoongar stories brought to lifeWestern Australian Museum visitors will be taken on a wild adventure by contemporary Aboriginal theatre performances when Boodjar Kaatijin tours regional Western Australia. The shows, written by Ian Wilkes and performed by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, incorporate storytelling, puppetry and glow in the dark elements to tell traditional legends about how the land was created. Western Australian Museum CEO Alec Coles said the Museum has had a co-production partnership with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company since 2012.Read more News Sharna Craig
9 May 2017Homeward Bound to AntarcticaIn February 2018 a group of 80 women, chosen from around the world, will set sail for Antarctica to share their knowledge, leadership skills and vision for addressing gender equity in science, and tackling critical environmental conservation issues including climate change.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
8 May 2017I Am Heath Ledger documentary prelude to October exhibitionThe extraordinary I Am Heath Ledger documentary premieres in Perth on 9 May at Luna Palace Cinema in Leederville, preluding the much anticipated exhibition about the life of the internationally renowned Perth-born star, Heath Ledger: A Life in Pictures. The world premiere of the documentary was held at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last month, drawing worldwide acclaim and attention.Read more News Flora Perrella
28 Apr 2017WAM CEO a finalist in Western Australian of the Year AwardsWA Museum CEO, Alec Coles OBE has been announced as a finalist for the Western Australian of the Year 2017 Arts & Culture Award. As CEO of the WA Museum since 2010, Alec is committed to delivering a vibrant, excellent museum service that is owned, valued and used by all Western Australians and admired by the world. He is responsible for overseeing the ground-breaking scientific and cultural research of the Museum, as well as its extensive public program, exhibition and events calendar across seven dedicated sites.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
28 Apr 2017Patrick BakerPatrick Baker’s work can be found throughout Western Australian Museum publications, exhibitions, websites, and archives. His 48 years as a specialist photographer and his participation in over 70 marine expeditions has enormously contributed to the field of maritime archaeology.Read more Article Emily Carroll
25 Apr 2017Roscoe's BugleThe Gallipoli campaign is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by Australian soldiers during World War One. This battle helped to forge a national identity. Approximately 1023 Western Australians were killed during, or as a result of, the battle that began with the beach landing on Turkish shores on the 25 April 1915, and ended with the final evacuation on the 20 December 1915.Read more Article Emily Carroll
24 Apr 2017New clingfish discovery shows value of museum collectionsA new genus and species of clingfish has been discovered on the shelves of the Western Australian Museum’s Harry Butler Research Centre. Western Australian Museum Curator of Fishes Dr Glenn Moore discovered the new clingfish with fellow researcher Dr Kevin Conway from Texas A&M University. “We came across two specimens of clingfish that had similar characteristics, yet unmistakably different from the other 160 known clingfishes,” Dr Moore said.Read more News Flora Perrella
16 Apr 2017From the Collections: Easter PostcardH1995.266 - POSTCARD, Easter Day This card is one of a collection of 37 Christmas, Easter, birthday and tourist postcards, most of them addressed to Miss Olive Jones between 1911 and 1920. The cards are part of the History Collection at the Western Australian Museum. The card appears to read, Dear Friend Just a line to say I am at Bunbury and feeling well and I hope this finds you all well. I will be coming home on Monday, with love and best wishes from your friend Mrs Jessie St xxxx Read more Article Emily Carroll
15 Apr 2017The BilbyMacrotis lagotis This grey to cream furred marsupial has a long, pointed nose, large ears, and a half black, half white tail. A male of the species can weigh up to 2.5 kilograms. As a nocturnal animal, the Bilby spends the night foraging for insects, seeds, bulbs, fruit, and fungi. During the day, a bilby will retreat to a burrow that may be up to three metres long, often constructed beneath a shrub, termite mound or spinifex tussock.Read more Article Western Australian Museum
13 Apr 2017Balancing the equationIt is April and so it must be time for the FameLab semi-finals – and it was, again, last night! A packed crowd (literally, there was a significant waiting list for tickets) at the WA Maritime Museum gathered to watch nine exceptional young scientists give insights into their important and in many cases ground-breaking research.Read more Article Alec Coles