No need to hop on a plane or find your passport! You can now see five iconic cities at Queensland Museum Tropics, Townsville made entirely of LEGO® bricks in Brickman Cities. We’ve pulled together a list of the top five things not to miss on your next visit! 1. Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo The Shibuya Crossing is known to be the busiest crossing in the world. As many as 2,500 people cross the street at the same time. The crossing took 141 hours to build and is made with 23,851 LEGO® bricks. 2. Burj Khalifa, Dubai Ever wanted to see the biggest building in the entire world? Standing next to the oth ..read more

Do you believe in fate? A preordained destiny? A woman living in Mt Morgan in November 1900 believed enough to pay for a palm reading. The well-worn but carefully kept document hints at how its owner valued these six pieces of paper. While her name has been lost to time, her handwritten fortune is held in the Queensland Museum’s collection and from it we can learn a lot about fears and desires at the start of the 20th century.  Many of the themes would not be unusual in a palm reading today; family, wealth, travel, sickness, and mortality but looking more closely we start to see co ..read more

Did you know that in 1900 you could pay to have your palm read by post? Did you know that to do so was illegal? The Queensland Museum collection holds one such illicit fortune from 1901. While the recipient remains a mystery, the writer, a palm reader named Beta, gives us a glimpse into the world of fortune telling in Queensland at the start of a new century. The first page of a hand written palm reading, dated 3 November 1900, by a man known as “Beta”. The first page of a hand written palm reading, dated 3 November 1900, by a man known as “Beta”. The first page of a hand written palm readin ..read more

Written by Dr Liz Bissell, Senior Curator Queensland Stories TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses mental health issues and references suicide. It may not be appropriate for everyone. Please also note that, in discussing historical institutions and processes, this post may contain terms or language that may be considered offensive today. The statistics on mental health and wellbeing in Australia are alarming. One in six Australians is currently experiencing depression or anxiety. A third of First Nations peoples experience high levels of psychological distress, and the migrant population also r ..read more

Big back drops, toothy smiles and bones to boot – there’s more than a few photo opportunities awaiting visitors to Dinosaurs of Patagonia. With just over one month to go until the incredible Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition leaves Queensland Museum for their next destination, now is the time to capture your best memories of these international prehistoric treasures. Here are our picks for snap-worthy scenes in Dinosaurs of Patagonia. Teeth There’s a set of teeth around every corner of the exhibition including giant, real fossilised fangs that were found at the dig site in Patagonia. The Thera ..read more

Written by Dr Liz Bissell, Senior Curator Queensland Stories; and Damien Fegan, Information Officer, Queensland Museum The term synchronicity was coined by Carl Jung – the famous Swiss author, thinker, and psychologist – as “a meaningful coincidence of two or more events where something other than the probability of chance is involved.” Synchronicity as a theme is particularly apt for museum curators because it is our job to connect people with objects and stories, across past and present. Sometimes, these seemingly random interactions can take us by surprise. This was the case when we recentl ..read more

There’s a fascinating story behind the discovery of the world’s biggest dinosaur.   It begins in 2012 with a man and his dog, tracking down a herd of lost sheep on his ranch in the Chebut Province of Patagonia. After searching for many hours, he and his trusty sheepdog finally found the herd, but that wasn’t the only discovery of the day. He also spotted a suspiciously round rock poking out of the ground. As he approached and his dog sniffed curiously around the area, he pondered its usually precise, round shape. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Weeks later, the farmer visite ..read more

Written by Lizzie Muller, Creative Engagement Advisor, Mangal Bungal We have to start showcasing our culture and using our own natural resources from our Country; so that people who don’t have a chance to go back to Country get to see it firsthand in the museum. Tanya Yoren, Dingaal Clan, Director of Walmbaar Aboriginal Corporation and Mangal Bungal Creative Lead Tanya Yoren is lead artist of Mangal Bungal: Clever Hands – three days of creative activities that bring to life stories behind the exhibition Connections across the Coral Sea: A story of movement. The exhibition explores thousands o ..read more

By Rob Shiels, Collection Manager – Transport, Cultures and Histories In 2023, Queensland Rail’s Tilt Train turns 25. Although unlikely to be spoken about alongside the world’s fastest trains like Japan’s famous Shinkansen or France’s TGV services, the Tilt Train holds the record for the fastest train speed ever recorded in Australia at 210km/h (the train’s top speed during regular service is 160km/h). In the early 1990s, Queensland Rail decided that new trains were needed on the Brisbane to Rockhampton route. Although existing trains such as the iconic Sunlander and Spirit of Capricorn servic ..read more

Words and photographs by Karen Kindt, Collection Manager, First Nations Cultures Nothing sounds sweeter than hearing a musical instrument come to life after sitting quietly unplayed for more than 60 years. Recently, we were afforded that experience, when an American zither held in the museum’s Charles & Kati Marson musical instrument collection was profiled in an ABC Radio Brisbane Mornings program, hosted by Rebecca Levingston. Early 20th Century Boston manufactured zither with six missing wire strings. Made by the Zither Manufacturing Company, Boston Massachusetts in the early 20th Centu ..read more