We are delighted to welcome Leanne Woods as our new Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisor. Leanne is a proud Whadjuk and Wongi woman with connections to the Ballardong people. She brings extensive experience in education, strategy, and partnerships, along with a strong rapport with the local Aboriginal community. Previously, Leanne worked at Water Corporation as the Lead – Cultural Educator. In this role, she led Noongar Language Workshops, gave talks for staff, and co-hosted the National Reconciliation Week breakfast. Before her tenure at Water Corporation, Leanne served as the ..read more

The Western Australian Museum is celebrating three 2024 Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice Awards for museums in Fremantle and Kalgoorlie. Reviews from Trip Advisor travellers have placed the Museum of the Goldfields, WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum in the top ten per cent of attractions worldwide in 2024. WA Museum CEO Alec Coles said: “Our sincere thanks go to all the visitors and supporters who gave such positive feedback,” Mr Coles said. “This is the second year in a row that WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum have received this accolade and a welcome addition to see the ..read more

When late-night eatery Bernies opened in 1939, it quickly became a popular Perth nightspot.   Owner Bernard Hardwick began by serving ‘finger meals’, including crayfish rolls, from caravans parked along Mounts Bay Road. Later, he built a more permanent structure where the Mount Hospital now stands.   US servicemen are credited with introducing the hamburger to Bernies during WWII. Over 56 years, Bernies attracted people from all walks of life and became the place for late-night social activity, sometimes resulting in complaints from neighbours about rowdy patrons.   Pam after w ..read more

Every now and again palaeontologists come across a fossil so weird it takes decades of detective work to finally understand its relationship to other organisms. The 275-million-year-old Helicoprion is one of these enigmas. The first glimpses of this shark-like animal came from the Gascoyne Region in Western Australia; a partial tooth whorl with 14 preserved teeth. The fossil was subsequently shipped to England and examined by esteemed palaeontologist Henry Woodward. In 1886 he officially named it Edestus davisii, after its discoverer, Mr Davis. Thirteen years later, Russian geologist Alexander ..read more

The Museum of the Great Southern welcomes Western Australian interdisciplinary artist Tineke Van der Eeckens and her Tributaries exhibition. The exhibition, which opens to the public on Saturday, 5 July, includes jewellery, small fine metal sculptures, and objects formed by corrosion casting, a process by which resin is injected into animal organs and other biological systems to form moulds of internal spaces. These objects are placed in dialogue with photographic images and poetry documenting the thrum of life and death of fragile environmental arterial systems, connecting root, river, skelet ..read more

As our Australian Olympians prepare to head to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, we are celebrating our own gold medal!  Renowned Western Australian sportsman and Olympic gold medallist John Winter was one of only two Australians to win a gold medal at the 1948 London Olympic Games.   Thanks to the generosity of his family, this Olympic medal is now on display at WA Museum Boola Bardip for all visitors to see up close.  John Winter, born in Subiaco, began his journey to greatness as a teenager at Scotch College, showing promise in high jump. At the age of 15, he cleared 1 ..read more

Blue skies, big crowds, smiling faces and people from diverse places thronged together at the WA Day 2024 celebrations on the June 3 2024 at the Museum of Geraldton, Museum of the Great Southern, Museum of the Goldfields and Gwoonwardu Mia. WA Museum's regional team brought together regional celebrations that reflected their communities and saw over 12,000 people attend. From the thong throwing competition in Albany, paper planes and rappers in Geraldton, high rope bravery in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to Aboriginal dance and arts in Carnarvon there was vibrancy and a focus on local artists and acts t ..read more

A brand-new free exhibition that explores Australia’s role in the space race is set to touch down at the Museum of the Great Southern this Saturday 8 June 2024. A touring exhibition from the National Archives of Australia, Out of This World: Australia in the space age looks at exciting times, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Visitors will experience the nation’s enthusiastic response to space exploration, from cutting-edge scientific research to space-inspired design, television and much more. From mid-century fashion and unidentified flying objects to early satellites and the Moon landing, the 20 ..read more

Derived from the language groups of the five artists featured, the word ‘Lurrtjurni’ shared across all, evokes a sense of togetherness and connection to the present. This collabortaive exhibition between Bush Blossom Gallery and Museum of the Goldfields stems from a desire to create togtherness in our community.  Togetherness refers to the artist and their works and the community surrounding them – arts workers, patrons, and appreciators. It refers to the people, the ideas, and the artistic and cultural identities they can share and celebrate together. Inspired by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder a ..read more

A collaborative research project between scientists from the WA Museum and University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) into marine bivalves is taking centre stage this World Ocean Day.     The research project, led by WA Museum and UCB marine scientists, focusses on the evolution and adaptations of marine bivalves in the Gathaagudu/Shark Bay World Heritage area.   Home to a significant number of marine bivalve populations, the world heritage site spans more than two million hectares across WA’s coast, making it the perfect natural research laboratory.  During ..read more