Western Australian museum
The western Australian museum was established in the old Perth goal in the year 1891. It consisted of geological collection and was therefore known as the geological museum Biological and ethnological exhibitions were added and in the year 1892. It was pronounced the western Australian museum and art Gallery in the year1897. The Museum was recognized under the Museum act 1969. Within the art portfolio, Western Australian museum is a statutory authority. It is the premier organization of the state. It houses western Australian’s cultural and scientific collection. For the past 120 years, the museum has been making the natural and social heritage of the state accessible and involved in exhibitions, research and public programs. The botanical assemblage was moved to the new Herbarium in the year 1959. This made the art gallery and the museum to be separate. The main focus of the museum was collection and research in areas of archaeology, anthropology and natural science. The western Australian museum contains six major sites. Two in Fremantle, the other in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, another in Gerald ton, one in Albany and the last in Perth at the Perth cultural center.
Perth. The geological museum was opened on the 9th of September 1891 at the site of the old goal and housed the first collection of geological sample of the state. The old Goal is one of the oldest standing buildings and forms an important part of western Australian museum-Perth in Western Australia. The Western Australian museum Art gallery was declared in the year 1897. This was after the opening of the geological museum and its expansion to include biological, ethnological and geological specimen. Included in the museum is the discovery center. It offers an opportunity to get to the museum’s collections and get information on their people and their environment. In this digital era, the westerns Australian museums cultural social and natural collections help to give information about the past and help predict the future. It also helps in the exploration of our world’s creativity and diversity.
Between the years 1971 to 2003, a lot of the research and display collection were stored in a large in Francis Street in a large building. The James street location in the western museum history is still a major identity to the museum and has therefore housed many prominent touring exhibitions. ‘A day in Pompeii’ is an exhibition held on the 25th may to 12th September in the year 2010 has attracted a very large number of people, approximately 100,000 people. Other exhibitions that have attracted more visitors recently include those of touring and locally produced, on cultural heritage, natural history, fashion and history.
Some permanent exhibitions that are displayed at the western Australian museum include; The Western Australia land and people. In this exhibition, there are stories about the pre-historic times about dinosaurs to the original beginnings, and also through todays’ environmental issues. Diamond to dinosaurs’ is the other Exhibition, It explores over 12billion years of western Australian history containing artifacts such as rocks from mars and moon, Dinosaur skeleton casts and pre-solar diamonds. Katta Djinoong is yet another permanent exhibition that shoes the culture and history of the people of Aboriginal of Western Australia from the past to the present. Dampier Marine Gallery, another of the permanent exhibitions in the western Australian museum-Perth, explores the biodiversity of water particularly around the Dampier Archipelago region. The last but not least is the Mammal, Bird and Butterfly Galleries: that contain wide collections of many animals. The western Australian Museum-Perth is also in support of the Discovery Center that was intended to assist children and grownups to interact and get knowledge concerning the museums research and collection.
The other branch of the western Australian museum is in the Fremantle. It has two branches in this region; Maritime and shipwreck Galleries. The Maritime has its location in Victoria Quay, in the historic Maritime Heritage. It has galleries which contains themes such as the Indian Ocean, naval defense, swan river, fishing and maritime trade. One of these museums achievements is the winning of the ‘American cup’ in the year 1983 by the Yacht Australia II. It also houses the ‘trunk engine’. This was recuperated from SS Xantho, an iron steamer that sunk in 1872. The unit contains the only example of mass produced, high pressure and high speed marine engines. Through its ‘wreck Access’ program, the museum in 1980, started developing a ‘Museum without wall program’ at Rottnest island. Now the trail is seen at various places along the coast
In Fremantle Nearby, are the western Australian museum shipwreck galleries? It is known as the principal and shipwreck conservation and maritime archaeology museum in the southern-hemisphere. The museum is located at commissariat building of the 1850s, and has a reassembled body which was from the Batavia, wrecked in the year 1629, and several other ship wrecks that happened over the years. An Oberon class submarine (HMAS Ovens), which is a world war II slipway is adjacent to the maritime western Australian museum is usually open to guided tours in commemoration of the world wars II submarine base in Fremantle. This was the largest submarine base with over one hundred and seventy submarines of the Dutch, British and US navy. They conducted their patrols from that Base. Being a world class museum, the new western Australian museum tells of the tales about the western Australians maritime history. It is located at forest landing, which is the first landing site. The location of the new western Australian museum is at Victoria Quay which is a very ideal place for both education and recreation. The maritime museum has been visited by millions of people, by steam ship, sailing ship, naval vessels some as immigrants while others on transit.
The Western Australian museum-Albany was refurbished in the year 2010. It is located at the site where Europeans first settled when they came to Western Australia. The museum revolves around the early natural environment, the areas biodiversity and the tales of the native noongar people. This museum originally was the home of Major Edmund Lockyer, who was the then commanding officer of first settlement group in the region. The museum also provides educational program, public program, exhibitions and unique information on the social and natural history of the region. The museum also shares tales of the native Noongar people and the influence of a young warrior girl Mokare. Apart from that it also contains tales of convicts and settlers, and the exceptional natural landscapes, flora fauna. In addition, the museum has extensive event calendar and exhibitions. The museum also holds regular events and hosts clubs.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the other western Australian museum. It explores the past of the eastern Gold field and the hardship experienced by those families that were engaged in mining. It also displays the rich history of the city’s mining heritage and the eastern Gold fields. It also shows the unique parts played by the town in western Australian development; that is, as a center of mining as well as its position at the edge of Nullarbor plains. The museum also displays the largest amount of gold bar and nugget collection, back in time; these metals were searched by prospectors by a great deal. At present, the Kalgoorlie-Boulder museum in engaged in education program developed by their experienced education team, Their education program includes hands on experience that plunges students in the life if early goldfields Students will have fun helping in house hold chores and taking part in old-fashioned games.
Last branch, but not the least is the Gerald ton museum located in the fast developing region of the mid-west, in Western Australia. It overlooks the Indian Ocean and celebrates the rich heritage of the people of mid-west region, the land and the sea. The museum deals with the tales if the native Yamija people and the ship wrecks of the Dutch, It also explores, the regions agricultural history, mining and the regions biodiversity.
Like any other museums, the western Australian museum constitutes a wide research program under different fields specialized by curators and scientists among them, earth and planet sciences, maritime archaeology, archaeology, anthropology and aquatic zoology. Apart from the scientists there is also a team of specialized in material conservation. Aquatic zoology majorly deals with research on marines and documentation of their findings. They also deal with fresh water fauna and estuarine of Western Australia. There are various departments in this section which include those that study crustacean, worms, malacology and marine invertebrates.
Archeology and Anthropology departments deal with researches on the public programs and collections and focuses on the understanding of human and what it entails. Explores the human cultural diversity, culture, sociality, language and economy. This department focuses on ancient Egypt study of the native culture of the early world and aboriginal cultures. The earth and planet science department deals with the collection and exploration of fossils, such as Plant and trace fossils, vertebrates and invertebrates. It also looks into Rocks, minerals, meteorites and Gems and Tektites. The department of collections has approximately 1.5 million items composed of stratigraphic materials representing the western Australian palaeobiological progression and also geological history. The department of history focuses on the collections showing the physical life of the people of Western Australia and the diversity that exists.
The department of maritime archaeology on its own focus on shipwreck research on the coast of Australia such as the Bavaria shipwreck. The general work of its staff members are among others; developing outreach and wreck–access programs, artefact management, site inspection techniques and catalogue strategies. The department in collaboration with the University of Western Australia offers masters level programs in maritime archaeology. Maritime history majorly focus in the accumulation of artifacts and images that represent Organizations communities and even individuals that make up the maritime history of western Australia region.
4.5 billion Items are preserved for reference, exhibition and research permanently courtesy of the material conservation department. This is successfully done by use of preventive and remedial conservation procedures according to the national and international standards of good practice. The development of methodologies and conservation techniques are the doings of the department of material conservation through the research division it has in its structure. The last but not the least is the terrestrial zoology department that contains a large collection of a variety of terrestrial animals such as terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates and marine mammals. This department comprises divisions that study a variety of segments such as, Vertebrate Biogeography, Mammalogy, Entomology, Arachnids, Subterranean Biology and Myriapods and Herpetology, Ornithology.
The government of Western Australia had earlier in 2008 announced the building of a new museum at the East Perth power station worth $500 million. The redevelopment plans were however cancelled in 2009 after the election year elections of the new liberty party government under its leader Collin Barnnet. However in 2002 during the museum day, the Barnett State Government vowed to construct a new museum at the Perth cultural center at $428 million. The museum was due for completion in the year 2019.
The western Australian museum has over the years produces publications of books and records of the museum dated back to 1910. It also produced tracks for some time between 1998 and 2005. This record of the museum journal publishes in other branches the research results. Between the years 1910 to 2012 approximately 800 articles were published in this journal, most of them written after 1975. All the articles published via the records are accessible for free download on the Western Australian Museum website
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHRISTIDIS, L., & BOLES, W. (2007). Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. Collingwood, Vic, CSIRO Pub.
HOFFMAN, B. T. (2006). Art and cultural heritage: law, policy, and practice. Cambridge; New York, Cambridge University Press.
PETERSON, N., ALLEN, L., & HAMBY, L. (2008). The makers and making of indigenous Australian museum collections. Carlton, Vic, Melbourne University Press.
STANIFORTH, M., & NASH, M. (2008). Maritime archaeology: Australian approaches. New York, Springer.
WILSON, B. R. (2013). The biogeography of the Australian North West shelf environmental change and life's response. Burlington, MA, Elsevier. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=102555.
WILSON, D. E., & REEDER, D. M. (2006). Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Baltimore, Md, Johns Hopkins University Press.
