Queensland Museum
Encyclopedia
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The museum currently operates four separate campuses; at South Brisbane
South Brisbane, Queensland
South Brisbane is an inner city suburb of Brisbane, Australia located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, directly connected to the central business district by the Kurilpa, Victoria and Goodwill bridges....
, Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
, Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
and Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
.
The museum is funded by the State Government of Queensland.
History
Charles Coxen
Charles Coxen was an Australian naturalist and politician. He was a brother-in-law of John Gould who had married his sister Elizabeth....
, and had several temporary homes in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The temporary homes included: The Old Windmill (1862–1869), Parliament House
Parliament House, Brisbane
Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street...
(1869–1873) and the General Post Office
General Post Office, Brisbane
The General Post Office in Brisbane, Australia, also known as the GPO, is an Australia Post building located between Queen Street and Elizabeth Street.-History:The GPO was opened on 28 September 1872...
(1873–1879). The first professional curator was Karl Theodor Staiger
Karl Theodor Staiger
Karl Theodor Staiger was a German chemical analyst, naturalist and museum curator.Karl Theodor Staiger worked as a chemist for the Queensland Government 1873-80 and worked with Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay...
.
The Queensland Government
Government of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
built a home for the Museum in William Street (later called the John Oxley State Library
State Library of Queensland
The State Library of Queensland is a large public library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988...
), with Queensland Museum moving there in 1879. The museum occupied the William Street location for 20 years.
In 1899, the Queensland Museum moved into the Exhibition Hall (now called the Old Museum
Old Museum Building, Brisbane
The Old Museum Building is a performance venue in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Australia.-History:The Old Museum was originally called the Exhibition Building and Concert Hall. It was built in 1891 for the Queensland National Agricultural and Industrial Association after Brisbane's first exhibition...
), on Gregory Terrace in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
suburb of Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills, Queensland
Bowen Hills is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located 3 km northeast of the Brisbane CBD. It was named after a Governor of Queensland, Sir George Ferguson Bowen.-History:...
, remaining there for 86 years.
In 1986, the Queensland Museum moved to the Queensland Cultural Centre
Queensland Cultural Centre
The Queensland Cultural Centre is a multi-venue centre located at South Bank, Brisbane, capital city of Queensland. It consists of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre , the Queensland Museum, the State Library of Queensland , the Queensland Art Gallery and the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art...
at South Bank
South Bank, Queensland
South Bank is a cultural, educational and recreational precinct in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The precinct is located in the suburb of South Brisbane, on the southern bank of the Brisbane River.-South Bank Parklands:...
, where the museum is adjacent to the Queensland Art Gallery
Queensland Art Gallery
The Queensland Art Gallery is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre, and is located nearest to Brisbane River at South Bank...
.
Museum Network
Queensland Museum South BankQueensland Museum South Bank and the Sciencentre are closed for renovations and plan to reopen after Christmas 2011 in time for the 150th anniversary celebrations in January 2012.
Queensland Museum South Bank is located at the heart of Brisbane’s cultural precinct alongside the State Library of Queensland, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
The largest and oldest campus of the Queensland Museum network, Queensland Museum South Bank aims to connect visitors to Queensland, its people and their stories of the past, present and future.
Popular exhibitions include ENERGEX Playasaurus Place, Inquiry Centre and Dandiiri Maiwar.
Sciencentre
The Sciencentre, a project of the Queensland Museum, was relocated from the former Government Printing Office building on George Street
George Street, Brisbane
George Street is a main street located in the Brisbane CBD in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. A major thoroughfare, George Street connects to the Queensland University of Technology as well as the state Botanical Gardens, to the commercial centre of Brisbane, Queen Street and Queen Street Mall.The...
to a South Bank
South Bank, Queensland
South Bank is a cultural, educational and recreational precinct in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The precinct is located in the suburb of South Brisbane, on the southern bank of the Brisbane River.-South Bank Parklands:...
site in 2004.
The Sciencentre aims to reveal the science and technology behind our everyday lives.
The Workshops Rail Museum
The Workshops Rail Museum includes more than 15 exhibits for visitors to discover the enormous impact rail has had on Queensland.
In 2011 The Workshops Rail Museum set a new world record with the longest ever toy train track and has been registered with the Guinness Book of World Records.
Cobb+Co Museum
In 1987, when the Queensland Museum required more room to display its horse-drawn coaches and carriages, the museum opened its Cobb & Co Museum
Cobb & Co Museum
The Cobb and Co Museum is located in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The museum was opened in 1987 when the Queensland Museum was looking for space to display its catalogue of horse drawn vehicles...
campus in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Cobb+Co Museum is home to the National Carriage Collection. The museum's collection includes examples of a vast range of vehicles from the horse-drawn era, from farm wagons and delivery carts to the Rolls Royce of Carriages, the landau.
Cobb+Co Museum run a heritage workshops program. Workshops include blacksmithing, silversmithing, leadlighting and leatherwork.
Museum of Tropical Queensland
The star attraction is the HMS Pandora
HMS Pandora
Ten ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Pandora after the mythological Pandora. Another was planned, but the name was reassigned to another ship:* HMS Pandora , a 24-gun Porcupine-class sixth rate launched in 1779...
gallery. Sent to catch the famous HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty , famous as the scene of the Mutiny on the Bounty on 28 April 1789, was originally a three-masted cargo ship, the Bethia, purchased by the British Admiralty, then modified and commissioned as His Majesty's Armed Vessel the...
and her mutinous crew, the Pandora sank off the coast of Cape York in 1791. Hundreds of amazing artefacts have been recovered from the wreck and are on display.
The most popular area for kids is the MindZone, a fun interactive science centre. Other galleries celebrate the rainforest, corals and marine creatures from the deep sea and fossil past.
Queensland Museum Medal
The first Queensland Museum MedalMedal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
was awarded in 1987. Recipients of the Queensland Museum Medal for research include:
- 1987 — Professor Mike ArcherMike Archer (paleontologist)Mike Archer is an Australian paleontologist specialising in Australia vertebrates. He is a Professor at the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales...
- 1988 — Mr Jack Woods, ISO — Mr F.S. Colliver, OBE — Emeritus Prof. Syd Prentice — Mr Jack Woods, ISO — Mr Terry Tebble — Mr Don Vernon — Dr Valerie Davis
- 1989 — Mr Leonard J. Taylor
- 1990 — Mr J.C.H. Gill, AM MBE — Mr I.G. Morris CMG
- 1991 — Dr Patricia Mather AO
- 1992 — Mr R.I. (Sam) Harrison MBE — Mr Doug Traves OBE — Professor Colin Dobson
- 1993 — Dr Robert Paterson
- 1995 — Dr Elwyn Hegarty — Professor Don Nicklin
- 1996 — Dr Mary WadeMary Wade (Paleontologist)Dr Mary Julia Wade was an Australian paleontologist, perhaps best known for her work on the late Precambrian Ediacaran biota in South Australia....
- 1997 — Mr John Lyons
- 1999 — Mr Ian Venables
- 2000 — Keith McDonald — Dr Alan Bartholomai
- 2003 — Ms Jeanette Covacevich AM — Mr Steve IrwinSteve IrwinStephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
- 2004 — Dr Lester Cannon — Dr Dan Robinson — Dr Robert Anderson OAM
- 2005 — Mrs Nerolie Withnall — Mrs Rae Sheridan — Mr Bruce Campbell
- 2006 — The Elliott Family — Mr Bill O’Brien OBE OAM
- 2007 — Mr Bill Kitson — Dr Geoff Monteith
- 2008 — Dr Steve Van DyckSteve Van DyckDr. Steve Van Dyck is the Senior Curator of vertebrates at Queensland Museum, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Steve Van Dyck was instrumental in the rediscovery of the endangered Mahogany Glider in 1989.- Honour :...
— Mr Vince O’Rourke AM - 2009 — Ms Anne JonesAnne JonesAnne Jones is a British author international speaker, and healer. She is the author of six books on healing and self-empowerment. Jones holds regular seminars, workshops and retreats for therapists and members of the public. Jones owns ‘Ripple UK Ltd’, a range of jewellery based on the healing...
— Dr Carden Wallace — Mr Michael Quinnell - 2010 — Sir David AttenboroughDavid AttenboroughSir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
— Dr John HooperJohn Hooper (marine biologist)John N.A. Hooper is an Australian marine biologist and writer on science. He is the current Head of Biodiversity & Geosciences Programs at the Queensland Museum. His research has included studying the possible medical benefits of marine sponges, including beta blockers for heart disease, and for... - 2011 — Professor Peter Andrews AO — Dr John Stanisic
Links to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Busway
Both a tunnel and pedestrian bridge connect the Museum and Art Gallery buildings with the Queensland Performing Arts CentreQueensland Performing Arts Centre
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct....
. Three lifts were added to the bridge in 2004 to provide access to the platforms of the Cultural Centre busway station. There is a large sculpture of a Cicada
Cicada
A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...
in front of the centre lift, possibly because the Cultural Centre busway station is the bus stop for the museum.
Recent/Future Exhibitions
- Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb is a major exhibition of four Egyptian mummies and over 100 pieces from the British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to be held from 19 April - 19 August 2012.
See also
- Dr Steve Van DyckSteve Van DyckDr. Steve Van Dyck is the Senior Curator of vertebrates at Queensland Museum, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Steve Van Dyck was instrumental in the rediscovery of the endangered Mahogany Glider in 1989.- Honour :...
, Senior Curator of VertebrateVertebrateVertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s. He was awarded the 2008 Queensland Museum Medal. - Dr Scott HocknullScott HocknullScott Hocknull is a vertebrate palaeontologist and Senior Curator in Geology at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane. He was the 2002 recipient of the Young Australian of the Year Award....
, Vertebrate palaeontologist and Senior Curator in GeologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. He received and 2002 Young Australian of the Year Award - North Stradbroke Island Historical MuseumNorth Stradbroke Island Historical MuseumThe North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum is a museum founded in 1987 to present the history of North Stradbroke Island. It is found at 15-17 Welsby Street, in Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island. The museum comprises four buildings: the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum, the main building, the...
External links
- Queensland Museum
- Queensland Museum — Find Out About
- Queensland Museum — Popular Publications
- Queensland Museum South Bank - Queensland Museum campus in Brisbane (South East Queensland)
- The Workshops Rail Museum - Queensland Museum campus in IpswichIpswich, QueenslandIpswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
(South East Queensland) - Cobb+Co Museum - Queensland Museum campus in Toowoomba (South East Queensland)
- Museum of Tropical Queensland — a Queensland Museum campus in TownsvilleTownsville, QueenslandTownsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
(North Queensland)