Since 1862, Queensland Museum Network has been collecting and caring for artefacts and specimens that illustrate Queensland’s inspiring stories.
Every year, we welcome millions of visitors to our museums in South Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Townsville.
Every day, we’re out and about across the state and beyond meeting with communities, uncovering objects, tackling ground-breaking research and sharing our stories with Queensland… and the world.
At any given time, we have a multitude of projects on the go across the network – everything from valuable research endeavours to preserving and sharing our precious collections, or delivering amazing experiences for those who visit our museums and those who connect with us from afar.
It’s a big job and we can’t do it alone. Sometimes we need to look to the community to help bridge the gaps so we can continue exploring, preserving and sharing all the wonder of Queensland’s natural and cultural history for many more years to come.
Keep reading to find out more about a few of our projects – and how you can make a difference.
Understanding ancestry
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most iconic ecosystems on Earth. Its corals are under threat, but developing conservation strategies is near impossible when we don’t know exactly how many coral species there are, where they live, and, most importantly, which ones are under threat.
For two hundred years, coral species have been named and categorised based only on their appearance. Queensland Museum Network is using sophisticated DNA sequencing to create Coral Bank – a definitive record of the genetic makeup of all north Australian corals.
Coral Bank provides the means to identify corals, discover new species and understand the genetic ancestry of corals on the Great Barrier Reef.
With your help, we can understand and preserve these precious corals before they are lost forever.
The gift of learning
Queensland is a big state and, for some Queenslanders, a trip to the museum is near impossible due to the challenges of distance.
We strive to make our collections and programs as accessible as possible through travelling exhibitions and programs, online content, award-winning publications and Queensland Museum Loans kits.
Every year, more than 700,000 students, community groups and early-learning centres from Cloncurry to Coolangatta, Roma to Rockhampton access objects, artefacts and specimens via our loans program.
With your support, we can give equal access to learning opportunities for young people across the vast regions of our state.
Unearthing ancient mysteries
More than a decade of work at South Walker Creek in central Queensland has yielded some extraordinary underground discoveries, allowing our scientists to create a detailed picture of what the environment looked like 40,000 years ago when megafauna reigned supreme.
Megafauna are giant animals that were closely related to the living species of animals we see today, and Australia has its own unique megafauna ranging from huge marsupials to giant lizards.
New research led by Queensland Museum Network palaeontologists has revealed that megafauna became extinct due to extreme environmental change.
With your help, our scientists can continue to unearth fossils and use our knowledge of the ancient past to aid today’s climate change challenges.
Connecting with communities
Queensland is the only state in Australia that is the traditional home of two ancient cultures – Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.
Our First Nations people have a deep and timeless relationship with Country that is steeped in tradition passed from one generation to the next for more than 65,000 years.
Queensland Museum Network is custodian of an internationally significant collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural objects, archaeology and photographs.
With your help, we will continue to collaborate with First Nations communities to co-create museum experiences – such as the new exhibition Island Futures: What lies ahead for Zenadth Kes – that reflect the rich and enduring nature of these living cultures.
These are just some of the many projects happening across the network – not only on our museum floors but also behind the scenes and out in the field.
Together with our valued supporters, we can continue our important work and bring all of Queensland’s inspiring stories to life.
Make a donation to the Queensland Museum Network. All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
Every gift makes a real difference.
The Queensland Museum Network Blog 
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