The National Museum of Australia (NMA), in the national capital

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, preserves and interprets

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Museum of Australia Act 1980''. The museum profiles 50,000 years of Indigenous heritage, settlement since 1788 and key events including

Federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

and the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It holds the world's largest collection of Aboriginal bark paintings and stone tools, the heart of champion racehorse

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a New Zealand-born champion Australian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Achieving great success during his distinguished career, his initial underdog status gave people hope during the ear ...

and the

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...

prototype No. 1 car. The museum also develops and travels exhibitions on subjects ranging from

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

s to

surf lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, in ...

. The National Museum of Australia Press publishes a wide range of books, catalogues and journals. The museum's Research Centre takes a cross-disciplinary approach to history, ensuring the museum is a lively forum for ideas and debate about Australia's past, present and future. The museum's innovative use of new technologies has been central to its growing international reputation in outreach programming, particularly with regional communities. From 2003 to 2008, the museum hosted '' Talkback Classroom'', a student political forum. The museum did not have a permanent home until 11 March 2001, when a purpose-built museum building was officially opened. It is located on Acton Peninsula in the suburb of Acton, next to the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

. The peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin was previously the home of the Royal Canberra Hospital, which was demolished in tragic circumstances on 13 July 1997.

Architecture

As designed by architect Howard Raggatt (design architect and design director for the project), the museum building is based on a theme of knotted ropes, symbolically bringing together the stories of Australians. The architects stated: "We liked to think that the story of Australia was not one, but many tangled together. Not an authorized version but a puzzling confluence; not merely the resolution of difference but its wholehearted embrace." The building is meant to be the centre of a knot, with trailing ropes or strips extending from the building. The most obvious of these extensions forms a large loop before becoming a walkway which extends past the neighbouring

AIATSIS The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

building ending in a large curl, as if a huge ribbon has haphazardly unrolled itself along the ground. Known as the "

Uluru Uluru (; ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone monolith. It outcrop, crops out near the centre of Australia in the southern part of the Northern Territory, south-west of Alice Spri ...

Axis" because it aligns with the central Australian natural landmark, the ribbon symbolically integrates the site with the Canberra city plan by

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...

and the spiritual heart of indigenous Australia. The shape of the main entrance hall continues this theme: it is as though the otherwise rectangular building has been built encasing a complex knot which does not quite fit inside the building, and then the knot taken away. The entirely non-symmetrical complex is designed to not look like a museum, with startling colours and angles, unusual spaces and unpredictable projections and textures. Though hard to precisely categorise, the building can be seen as an example of Charles Jencks' "new paradigm". Some characteristics of

Deconstructivism Deconstructivism is a postmodern architecture, postmodern architectural movement which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, ...

can also be identified. The organising concept of the scheme using the idea of a "tangled vision" incorporates a variety of references including: * Bea Maddock's ''Philosophy Tape'' *

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

's '' Blue Poles'' * Boolean string, a

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

, and Ariadne's thread *The Aboriginal Dreamtime story of the

Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the Creator deity, creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many List of Australian Aboriginal group names, different Aborigina ...

making the land.Anne Susskind quoted in The building's architecture is thus meant to imply that the story of Australia is not one story, but many stories tangled together. The building also refers to or quotes other buildings: *A Burley-Griffin designed cloister at Newman College, Melbourne *The

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

both the parts designed by

Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. In 1957, he won an international design competition for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon's revised design, which he completed in 1961, was the b ...

, and sections designed by the other architects *The shell curves of Félix Candela *The Hall is evocative of

Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...

's terminal at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York *The arc is like a piece of work by

Richard Serra Richard Serra (November 2, 1938 – March 26, 2024) was an American artist known for his large-scale Abstract art, abstract sculptures made for Site-specific art, site-specific landscape, urban, and Architecture, architectural settings, a ...

*The Garden of Australian Dreams is meant to evoke a range of different cartographies *The walls use selected fragments of the word '

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

'evoking the story of

Arthur Stace Arthur Malcolm Stace (9 February 1885 – 30 July 1967), known as Mr Eternity, was an Australian soldier. He was an alcoholic from his teenage years until the early 1930s, when he converted to Christianity and began to spread his message b ...

who for thirty years chalked this single word on the pavements of Sydney *The most controversial quotation is a reference to the

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...

Jewish Museum Berlin The Jewish Museum Berlin (''Jüdisches Museum Berlin'') was opened in 2001 and is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. On of floor space, the museum presents the history of the Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day, with new foc ...

, Germany which opened in 1999 NationalMuseumOfAustraliaBrailleOnExteriorPanelsMate

The plan of the National Museum of Australia incorporates an exact copy of the lightning-flash zigzag that Libeskind created for the Berlin Museum by breaking a

star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

. '' The Bulletin'' magazine first publicly raised allegations of

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

in June 2000. Libeskind was reported to be angry with the copying. Raggatt's defence against plagiarism was that the design was a quotation rather than a copy. The director of the museum, Dawn Casey, stated that she and her council were not aware of this symbolism when they approved the plan. The exterior of the building is covered in anodised

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

panels. Many of the panels include words written in

braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

and other decorative devices. Among the messages are "mate" and "she'll be right". Also included were such controversial words and phrases as "sorry" and "forgive us our genocide". These more controversial messages have been obscured with silver discs being attached to the surface making the braille illegible. Among the phrases in braille are the words "Resurrection city". The phrase may refer to the clearing of the former Canberra Hospital to make way for the museum or it could be a reference to reconciliation between

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

and European settlers. The phrase is used as a label in tiles on another of Raggett's buildings, the Storey Hall in Melbourne. Raggett says of that message: "I guess that tries to be some big sort of theme for this building as well and its sort of set of memories." It was built by Bovis Lend Lease and completed in 2001. Art critic Christopher Allen described it as "undoubtedly the ugliest example of official architecture in Australia... a painful example of inept, clumsy and gratuitous form justified by kitsch symbolism".

Hail storm damage

CENTRAL HALL IN THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM IN CANBERRA

A severe thunderstorm hit Canberra on the afternoon of 29 December 2006 and caused roof damage to the administration section of the museum. The ceiling collapsed under the weight of hail. The damage exposed power cables and left two centimetres of water on the floor. The water also damaged several paintings by a Sydney artist which were associated with an exhibition about Australian lifesavers. However, the main part of the building was unaffected and nothing from the museum's collection was damaged. The building was re-opened to the public a day later. The damage was expected to cost at least A$500,000 to repair.

Building works 2012/13

In 2012, building works commenced on a new cafe and administration wing. The new cafe opened in late 2012. It overlooks Lake Burley Griffin and offers both indoor and outdoor dining. The relocation of the museum's cafe freed up the vast entry Hall for the display of large objects from the museum's collection, including vehicles. The new administration wing, which links the main building with the existing administration building, was completed in mid-2013. The new building is clad in brightly coloured tiles arranged in a QR code pattern.

Collection

The museum's collection, known as the National Historical Collection, includes over 210,000 objects. The collection focuses on three themes: the culture and history of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...

peoples, Australian history and culture since European settlement in 1788, and interactions between people and the Australian environment. Notable objects (as identified by the museum on their website) include: * Various items relating to the

death of Azaria Chamberlain Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (11 June 1980, Mount Isa – 17 August 1980, Uluru) was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980 during a family camping trip to Uluru in the Northern Terr ...

, including a yellow

Holden Torana The Holden Torana is a mid-sized car that was manufactured by Holden from 1967 to 1980. The name apparently comes from a word meaning "to fly" in an unconfirmed Aboriginal Australian language. The original HB series Torana was released in 196 ...

(later sold to the museum by Dr Michael Chamberlain.) *

Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

s owned by Australian cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France, Cadel Evans * Navigational instruments used by Captain James Cook *

Medical equipment A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

used by Fred Hollows * A Holey Dollar, the first currency minted in Australia *

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

memorabilia A souvenir (French language, French for 'a remembrance or memory'), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memory, memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collecte ...

of Liz Ellis *

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold medal, gold, silver medal, silver, and bronze medal, bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respect ...

s won by John Konrads at the 1960 Rome Olympics *

Prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

s from children's television show Play School * An Australian flag found in the ruins of World Trade Center Three after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

* The fleece of

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...

the sheep The museum also functions as a temporary repository for the repatriation of ancestral remains. It is involved in projects to return the remains of indigenous Australians, held in the collections of museums across the world, to their communities of origin. These projects have seen the return of over 1,400 remains as of March 2019.

Past exhibitions

''Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters''

On 15 September 2017, the exhibition ''Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters'', referencing the

creation myth A creation myth or cosmogonic myth is a type of cosmogony, a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it., "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Cre ...

of the Seven Sisters that is common to many groups in the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and Central Deserts, was launched at the NMA. It was instigated by aṉangu people, and was a collaboration with Aboriginal elders who are custodians of the Dreamtime story. The exhibition included a huge painting called ''Yarrkalpa — Hunting Ground'', which symbolically depicts the area around Parnngurr in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, showing the seasons, cultural burning practices and Indigenous management of the land and natural resources. In June 2022, the work was projected onto the

as part of the Vivid Sydney festival. The exhibition ran until February 2018, and travelled to Berlin, Germany, in 2022 and is due to be shown in Paris, France, in 2023.

Other past exhibitions

Other past exhibitions include: * ''Museum Workshop'': examined the behind-the-scenes world of the conservators responsible for the physical care of objects in the museum's collection (October 2012 – January 2013). * ''Off the Walls: Art from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Agencies 1967–2005'': traced the history of artworks given to or acquired by federal Indigenous agencies; it included a collection of some 2000 works in the NMA's National Historical Collection (October 2011 – June 2012) * ''Inside: Life in Children's Homes and Institutions'': featured the words, voices and objects of the forgotten Australians, former child migrants and those who experienced institutional care as children (November 2011 – February 2012) * ''Not Just Ned: A true history of the Irish in Australia'': an exhibition about the history and extraordinary influence of the Irish in Australia, from the arrival of the

First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...

in 1788 to the present (March–July 2011) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2010'': celebrated the wit and artistry of Australia's established political cartoonists as well as recognising the talents of a new generation of cartoonists (December 2010 – October 2011) * ''Exploration and Endeavour: The Royal Society of London and the South Seas'': celebrated the 350th anniversary of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

of London and brought together unique treasures associated with voyages of scientific discovery to the South Seas (September 2010 – February 2011) * ''Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert'': highlighted the museum's collection of Indigenous Western Desert art (June–August 2010) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2009'': featured a selection of some of the best Australian political cartoons published in 2009 (December 2009 – January 2010) * ''A Fine Yarn: Innovations in Australia's Wool Industry'': examined the fine wool industry in Australia today, while recognising the importance of wool in Australia's social and economic history (July–November 2009) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2008'': featured a selection of the best Australian political cartoons published in 2008 (December 2008 – February 2009) * ''Utopia: The Genius of

Emily Kame Kngwarreye Emily Kam Kngwarray (c.1914-1996) was born in her Ancestral lands, Alhalker located in the Sandover region of the Northern Territory, Australia. One of the world’s most significant contemporary painters to emerge in the twentieth century Kngw ...

'': told the story of Emily Kame Kngwarreye, one of Australia's greatest contemporary artists (August–October 2008) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2007'': exhibited the best of the museum's latest set of cartoon acquisitions from artists around Australia including

Alan Moir Alan Moir (born 1945) is an Australian caricaturist and cartoonist who was born in Hāwera, New Zealand. He has been the Editorial Cartoonist for the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' since 1984, and previously '' The Bulletin'' and Brisbane's ''Courier-M ...

Bill Leak Desmond Robert "Bill" Leak (9 January 1956 – 10 March 2017) was an Australian editorial cartoonist, caricaturist and portraitist. Raised in Condobolin and Beacon Hill, Sydney, Leak attended Julian Ashton Art School during the 1970s. His ca ...

, Cathy Wilcox,

Geoff Pryor Geoffrey Pryor (born 1944 in Canberra) is a retired Australian political cartoonist. He was the editorial cartoonist for ''The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Austral ...

, John Spooner and Mark Knight (December 2007 – February 2008) * ''Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert'': highlighted the museum's collection of Indigenous Western Desert art – works that have rarely been seen in Australia (November 2007 – February 2008) * ''Migration Memories'': explored the migration stories of people from diverse backgrounds who now call the distinctively different regional centres of Lightning Ridge (an opal mining town in central north NSW) and Robinvale (a horticultural town on the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

in north western Victoria) home (September–November 2007) * ''Australia at Expo 67 Montreal'': forty years after Canada's Montreal welcomed more than 50 million visitors to

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

over a period of six months, this exhibition explored the world of Australia at Expo 67 (September–October 2007) * ''Great Railway Journeys of Australia'': explored the development of Australia's rail network and featured some of the most famous railway journeys in the country such as the old and new '' Ghan'', the ''Queenslander'' and the ''

Indian Pacific The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism-oriented passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – ...

'' (April–August 2007) * ''Miss Australia: A Nation's Quest'': traced the history of the Miss Australia quest from 1907 through to its final year in 2000 (March–June 2007) * ''70% Urban'': drew on the museum's collection to explore Indigenous culture in the city (March 2007 – March 2008) * ''Collector Cam King'': displayed a selection of Brian and Barbara Lynch's old grocery wares and toys following their win in the Collector Cam competition run by ABC Television's ''Collectors'' program (January–February 2007) * ''Between the Flags: 100 Years of Surf Lifesaving'': developed in conjunction with

Surf Life Saving Australia Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services. SLSA strives to create a safe environment on Australia's beaches and coastline through patro ...

, this exhibition celebrated the centenary of surf lifesaving in Australia (December 2006 – March 2007) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2006'': featured the best of the museum's 2006 acquisitions of cartoons from cartoonists around Australia (December 2006 – March 2007) * ''Dhari a Krar: Headdresses and Masks from the Torres Strait'': developed in collaboration with the Cairns Regional Art Gallery, this exhibition brought together a diverse collection of masks, headdresses and dance objects from the Torres Strait (July 2006 – July 2011) * ''Captivating and Curious'': displayed the National Museum's varied collection, with new acquisitions and old favourites from the National Historical Collection (December 2005 – March 2006) * ''In Search of the Birdsville Track: An Artist in the Outback'': featured sketches and writings donated to the museum's collection by Noelle Sandwith that capture the unique environment, characters and lifestyles of the Birdsville Track (June–October 2005) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2004'': a selection of the best works entered in the 2004 political cartooning competition (March–June 2005) * ''Extremes: Survival in the Great Deserts of the Southern Hemisphere'': explored some of the world's great southern deserts, tracing the history, culture and commonalities of Southern Africa's

Namib The Namib ( ; ) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba Ri ...

and

Kalahari The Kalahari Desert is a large semiarid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering including much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal d ...

deserts, South America's Atacama, and Australia's Red Centre (December 2004 – August 2005) * ''Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2003'': brought together a selection of the best works entered in the National Museum of Australia's 2003 Political Cartooning Competition (May–June 2004) * ''Royal Romance'': examined Australia's passionate response to Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's first visit to Australia in 1954, and whether the nation has fallen out of love since (February–October 2004) * ''Paipa'': explored Torres Strait Islander migration and the continuing strong cultural connections between mainland communities and the Torres Strait (July 2002 – July 2006) * ''Nation: Symbols of Australia'': from the Hills Hoist clothes line to the legend of

ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the British Empire under the command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the ...

, this exhibition approached Australian history through Australian symbols (March 2001 – January 2010) * ''Horizons: The Peopling of Australia since 1788'': traced stories of human relocation and looked at how

immigration to Australia The Australian continent was first settled when ancestors of Indigenous Australians arrived via the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea over 50,000 years ago. European colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of a B ...

has shaped Australia (March 2001 – October 2007)

Tourism awards

In the annual Australian Tourism Awards, the National Museum was named Australia's Major Tourist Attraction in both 2005 and 2006. The museum was named winner of the Canberra and Capital Region's Tourism Award for Major Tourist Attraction five years running from 2003 to 2007.

References

External links