Glass was the perfect packaging for medicine during the 19th and early 20th century – stable and strong, and built for ease of branding and distribution. But be warned, sometimes the most decorative bottles hid the most dangers… Continue reading Bottled Health: The benefits of glass for peddling dangerous medicines and cure-alls
Don’t forget your camera as there are plenty of places to get snap happy in Disney: The Magic of Animation at Queensland Museum. We’ve summed up the best photo opps within the exhibition for you. Before you even step foot in Disney: The Magic of Animation, there are plenty of photo opportunities along the level 3 corridor including Mickey and Friends and Snow White. Mickey … Continue reading Top 5 photo opportunities in ‘Disney: The Magic of Animation’
Written by Steve Wilson, Information Officer Among the numerous objects and specimens on display at Queensland Museum are some with truly extraordinary stories! Today Steve Wilson from the Discovery Centre joins us to share one of his favourite specimens from the museum’s displays. ‘They look so alive!’ Countless visitors to Queensland Museum’s Discovery Centre and Wild State marvel at our wildlife collection. Fixed frozen in … Continue reading Collections uncovered: Taxidermy – the inside view!
Written by Deb Mostert For the past five years, artist Deb Mostert has been visiting Queensland Museum weekly to draw and document the State Collection, in particular the bird and mammal collection. Her artworks from these visits form the basis of her new exhibition Animal as Object – nature and culture at the Tweed Regional Gallery. As a mid-career artist with a 35-year practice, I … Continue reading Animal as Object – nature and culture
How one jug in Queensland Museum’s collection can lead to many histories. Tess Shingles, Acting Assistant Curator, Queensland Stories Have you ever wondered what moonshine, Queensland farming, and mascots have in common? Answer: The Beenleigh Rum Character Jug, though perhaps not at first glance. This jug, held in Queensland Museum’s collection is quite small, colourful and full of character. The “Beenleigh Rum” painted on the … Continue reading Moonshine, Cane Farms and Mascots: Histories of a Jug
Guest Blogger – Dr Emma Rehn (@BlueRehn), James Cook University and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) Alongside the fascinating artefacts and objects in the archaeological collections at Queensland Museum, you’ll also find a range of maps and drawings. Archaeological illustrations record crucial data and come in many forms – read on to learn more about visuals in archaeology in honour … Continue reading Getting Drawn into Archaeology for National Archaeology Week
By Marisa Giorgi, Information Officer, Queensland Museum There is nothing new about the use of adhesives and sealants. They have been a critical element in the technology of First Australians for thousands of years. Plant-based resin has been employed in the production of many traditional tools and when prepared correctly, resin can become as hard as rock. There is evidence of resin-use in toolmaking from … Continue reading Resin: an essential piece of kit
Science on a Sphere puts the world and the universe at your fingertips! Marvel at the beauty of our blue planet and blast-off into outer space when you explore Earth and beyond in SparkLab. Our huge 1.8m diameter sphere suspended in the centre of SparkLab uses the latest digital technology to project global, environmental and planetary data onto its surface. Choose what to investigate … Continue reading Exploring Earth and beyond with Science on a Sphere
Queensland is the most biodiverse state of Australia, with 70% of Australia’s mammal species, 80% of Australia’s birds, and 50% of Australia’s reptiles and frogs. How incredible is that! Our Wild State exhibition celebrates Queensland’s unique animals and their habitats, and highlights their remarkable adaptations. Here’s five Queensland animals you can see on display at Wild State: Albert’s Lyrebird, Menura alberti This is the lesser … Continue reading 5 interesting Queensland animals to see at Wild State at Queensland Museum
By Dr Christine Lambkin, Queensland Museum Entomologist These images show an aggregation of nymphal True Bugs. Not all insects are ‘bugs’ but these are. If you turned one over and looked at the head you might see the proboscis – a long, thin, straight feeding tube lying down between the legs – that makes these ‘True Bugs’ belonging to the Order Hemiptera. Unusually, we can … Continue reading These true bugs are a treasure
JodieSparkLab Learning OfficerQueensland Museum Jodie is an early childhood teacher and a keen maker, with a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), a Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies and a background in community engagement. What first sparked your interest in science? I have always been a curious person. As a child I was always asking questions, wondering and exploring. I would explore around me to … Continue reading Humans of SparkLab – Jodie
These school holidays, visit Queensland Museum as we explore all things dive in to a range of interactive experiences for the whole family! Last days of Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators Don’t miss your last chance to visit our latest exhibition Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators. Discover more about the giant ancient marine reptiles that hunted the depths of the ocean and see how our … Continue reading We uncover – so you discover. Get the most out of our holiday programs in April!
One of the stories featured in the ‘I Do: Wedding Stories from Queensland’ exhibition is from Torres Strait Islander man, Walter Waia who was married in the Blue Mountains in Bilpin, New South Wales in 1986. Walter met his first wife, an Australian Caucasian woman while he was working for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra. They developed a relationship and decided to get … Continue reading ‘I Do’, More Than a Dress
Recently there’s been an explosion of paralysis ticks in Queensland. The combination of wet and warm weather over recent weeks has likely contributed to the increased numbers and reports of paralysis ticks this season. Paralysis Ticks The paralysis tick is found within a relatively narrow band down the east coast of Australia and is often encountered by bushwalkers and those in rural areas. In most … Continue reading Watch out for these tiny paralysis ticks
The 60m long steam ship Gothenburg was built in Essex (UK) in 1854. In 1862, Gothenburg began operation in an Australian-New Zealand run as a passenger steamer and later travelled the route from Port Darwin to Melbourne with a crew of 37 and 98 passengers including some prestigious members of society. Much like the infamous Titanic, Gothenburg’s last trip focused on making the best possible … Continue reading SS Gothenburg – A haunting watery grave
Few things change our life more than getting married. It binds us legally or emotionally to a person, a family, a community and a shared future. Currently on display at Queensland Museum are more than 40 ensembles from the museum’s collection together with loans and commissioned artwork that explore the significant rolefashion plays in revealing the diverse, rich, heartbreaking and hopeful stories behind wedding garments. … Continue reading Seven Fascinating Stories to Discover at I Do! Wedding Stories from Queensland
How many couples do you know celebrate their wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve? One married couple whose wedding story features in the museum’s exhibition I Do! Wedding Stories from Queensland did so throughout their married life. Mary Ann and John Dunlop were married 157 years ago today in 1863. What a big day it must have been for the couple to travel from Oxley down … Continue reading A Wedding Anniversary on Christmas Eve!
In an iconic visual statement that has shaped the cultural landscape of Brisbane for 20 years, we unpack the life cycle of the pod of Humpback Whales that hang from the breezeway of the Queensland Museum. The creation The 1980s saw the creative build of the pod as museum employees Todd Knight, Terry Tebble, Karen Mickan and Jan Williams chipped away at the spectacular showpiece, … Continue reading Creating & Relocating a Whale Pod: BTS of The Whale Mall
Queensland Museum Honorary Researcher of insects/invertebrates Geoff Monteith has been hailed as one of the world’s top 10 most commemorated scientists based on the number of species named in their honour. Dr Monteith, former Senior Curator of Entomology at Queensland Museum joins the ranks alongside celebrated historical figures in science including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. The list was compiled by Stephen Heard, a … Continue reading Museum Honorary in top 10 commemorated scientists in the world
While researching for my paper Duty, Debt and Picket Lines: the Queensland Railway Department during the First World War for the Queensland Museum Memoir volume 11, I found a large amount of material that, due to space constraints, I was unable to include. Therefore, I thought writing a blog might be a good opportunity to publish these unused images and documents. The paper investigates the … Continue reading What didn’t make it into “Duty, Debt and Picket Lines: the Queensland Railway Department during the First World War”
The Queensland Museum Network Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.