This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more
Skip to main content
Skip to acknowledgement of country
Skip to footer

Australian Museum Logo Welcome to the Australian Museum website

  • In this section, find out everything you need to know about visiting the Australian Museum, how to get here and the extraordinary exhibitions on display. Check out the What's On calendar of events, workshops and school holiday programs.

    • Visit & Book
    • Overview
      • What's on at the Australian Museum
      • Everything
      • Exhibitions
      • Kids at the Museum
      • Members only events
      • School holidays
      • Special events
      • Talks and screenings
      • Tours and workshops
      • Members events
      • Touring exhibitions
      • Exhibition virtual tours
      • Audio guides of exhibitions
      • School programs and excursions
    • Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs
    • Admission information
    • Accessibility and inclusion
    • Membership
    • Location and access
    • Parking and public transport
    • Food and drinks
    • Museum Shop
      • Education and group bookings
      • Overview
      • Vacation care groups
      • Tourism trade
      • Primary and secondary school excursions
      • Tertiary groups
      • Early years and preschool groups
      • Adult community groups
    • Multilingual visit information
    • Australian Museum venue hire
    • Australian Museum Visitor Map
    • Audio guides of exhibitions
  • In this section, there's a wealth of information about our collections of scientific specimens and cultural objects. Come and explore what our researchers, curators and education programs have to offer.

    • Discover & Learn
    • Overview
      • News from the Australian Museum
      • Overview
      • News stories
      • Audio podcasts
      • Explore magazine
      • AM Inside Out
      • Media Centre
      • Subscribe to our eNewsletter
    • For teachers and students
      • Australian Museum collections
      • Overview
        • Natural Sciences collection areas
        • Overview
        • Arachnology
        • Entomology
        • Herpetology
        • Ichthyology
        • Malacology
        • Mammalogy
        • Marine Invertebrates
        • Mineralogy
        • Ornithology
        • Palaeontology
        • Frozen Tissue collection
      • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collection
      • Pacific Collection
      • World Cultures Collection
        • Museum Archives and Research Library
        • Overview
        • Museum Archives
        • Research Library
        • Photographic collections
        • The Scott sisters collection
        • John Gould: books and illustrations
      • Collection Care and Conservation
      • Collection donations
    • First Nations
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
      • Expeditions and fieldwork
      • Overview
      • Australian Museum Research Institute
      • Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics
      • Fieldwork
      • Major expeditions
      • More expeditions
      • Animal factsheets
      • Overview
      • Spiders
      • Mammals
      • Australia's native frogs
      • Fishes
      • Worms
      • Birds
      • Reptiles
      • Insects
      • Molluscs
      • Plankton
      • Sea squirts and sea tulips
      • Sea stars and sea urchins
      • Jellyfish, anemones and corals
      • Centipedes and millipedes
      • Australian Bats
      • Crustaceans
      • Dangerous Australian animals
      • Australia's extinct animals
      • Australia over time
      • Overview
      • Megafauna
        • What are fossils?
        • Overview
        • Fossil sites of Australia
      • Evolving landscape
      • Australia’s extinct animals
      • Dinosaurs and their relatives
      • Overview
      • Dinosaur fact sheets
      • Australian dinosaurs
      • The Mesozoic era
      • Science of life
      • Overview
      • Biodiversity
      • Human evolution
      • COVID-19 and zoonotic diseases
      • Earth science
      • Overview
      • What are minerals?
      • Mineral properties
      • Shaping the Earth
      • Gemstones
      • Geological deposits and resources
      • Journals & Publications
      • Overview
      • Search our Journals
      • Museum Publications
    • Research Library
    • Object and species identification
  • In this section, explore all the different ways you can be a part of the Museum's groundbreaking research, as well as come face-to-face with our dedicated staff. Join us, volunteer and be a part of our journey of discovery!

    • Get involved
    • Overview
    • About the Australian Museum
    • Become a Member
    • Donate to the Museum
      • Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI)
      • Overview
      • Natural science research and collections
      • Science Research Strategy
      • Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station
      • Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics
      • Collection Care and Conservation
      • Awards & Fellowships
      • Scientific internships
      • AMRI Seminars and Lectures
      • Enter the Eureka Prizes!
      • AMRI Student Forum
    • Australian Museum Eureka Prizes
    • Work at the Museum
    • Student opportunities
      • Citizen science projects
      • Overview
      • FrogID
      • DigiVol
      • Australasian Fishes project
      • Date a Fossil
    • Volunteer at the Australian Museum
    • Partnerships
    • Commercial services
    • Touring exhibitions
    • Media Centre
    • Contact us
  • What's On
  • AM Shop
  • Buy Tickets
  • Join & Give
Opening Hours
10am-5pm Mon-Sun
10am-9pm Wed
Closed Christmas Day
Where to find us
1 William Street
Sydney NSW 2010
Australia
What's On AM Shop Buy Tickets Join & Give

  1. Homepage
  2. Discover & Learn
  3. Cultural collections
  4. Community engagement

Community engagement

The Australian Museum is committed to continued engagement with First Nation communities.

  • Updated
    20/11/18

  • Share this page:
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share via Email

Pilbara Field Trip

Case Study: Western Australian Museum 2005

Repatriation is rewarding for participants, but difficulties arise when returning diverse material and multiple institutions are involved.

Discover more

La Perouse repatriation 2002

Case Study: La Perouse 2002

Ancestral and sacred material from La Perouse was of scientific interest, but the wishes of First Nations people take precedence.

Discover more

Larrakia repatriation

Case Study: Larrakia 1996 / 2002

The Museum's repatriation of artefacts to Larrakia, NT, in 1996 established a relationship that would be called upon again in 2002.

Discover more


Related content

You may also be interested in...

Frank Hurley

Photographic collections

Discover this extensive collection of images taken in the Pacific from 1876 to 1980.

Frank Hurley
George Brown
WL Waterhouse
Learn more

Rock carving

Aboriginal people of coastal Sydney

Research from 2003 revealing the rich and complex culture of Aboriginal people in the Port Jackson region.

Language groups
Fishing culture
Find out more

Pacific masks in storage

Melanesian collections

The Melanesian cultural area is the nearest neighbour of Australian and the museum holds a significant collection of cultural material from Melanesian nations.

Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu
New Caledonia
Learn more

E078218 canoe, bark, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia.

Collection objects from the Hunter Valley

Learn more about this collection acquired by Alexander Morrison in the New South Wales Hunter Valley during in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Wonnarua
St Clair mission
Tourist and collector market
Read more

Baby rattle - E081009

Aboriginal toys

Toys were designed to amuse and educate children, and also to prepare them for adulthood. The toys in our collection were acquired between 1885 and 2018, and are made from various materials.

Dolls
Rattles
Spinning tops
See more

E022919

Chinese Collection

A small collection from a cultural giant, discover the objects from China held in the Australian Museum's World Cultural Collection.

Chinese scroll painting
Bronze objects
Nestorian Stele
Learn more

iE014256+07

Boomerangs

Discover the diversity of boomerangs in the Museum's collection, and learn about these distinctive cultural objects.

Boomerang forms
Discover more

Pacific Collection Shots 2018

Pacific Collection

Our collections represent living cultures with thousands of artworks, cultural technologies and archaeological material from across Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.

Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
New Zealand
Discover more

ATSI Collection general shots 2018

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collection

Discover the richness and diversity of cultural material and objects in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collection.

Collection highlights
Cultural objects, art and technology
Discover more

Close-up of textile

Indonesian Collection

Discover cultural material and objects in our Indonesian collection. The Australian Museum holds a collection of about 300 Indonesian textiles. Many textiles reflect the traditional methods of production, design and use.

Read more

Logan Metcalfe in P3 Pacific Store 2018

New Pasifika Gallery community survey

Share with us your ideas for our new Pasifika Gallery space at the Australian Museum.

Survey now closed
Read more

ATSI Collection general shots 2018

Cultural collection donation

What you can expect as a potential donor to the Australian Museum cultural collections.

Items we are currently acquiring
Potential donation contact
Discover more

You have reached the end of the main content.
Go back to start of main content
Go back to top of page

The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.
—
We pay our respect to Aboriginal Elders and recognise their continuous connection to Country.
This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Go back to top of page

Australian Museum Logo
Opening Hours
10am-5pm Mon-Sun
10am-9pm Wed
Closed Christmas Day
Address
1 William Street
Sydney NSW 2010
Australia
Phone
+61 2 9320 6000
www.australian.museum
Copyright © 2023 The Australian Museum
ABN 85 407 224 698

View Museum News

Skip Footer Navigation
  • Visit & Book
    • What's on at the Australian Museum
    • Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs
    • Admission information
    • Accessibility and inclusion
    • Membership
    • Location and access
    • Parking and public transport
    • Food and drinks
    • Museum Shop
    • Education and group bookings
    • Multilingual visit information
    • Australian Museum venue hire
    • Australian Museum Visitor Map
    • Audio guides of exhibitions
  • Discover & Learn
    • News from the Australian Museum
    • For teachers and students
    • Australian Museum collections
    • First Nations
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
    • Expeditions and fieldwork
    • Animal factsheets
    • Australia over time
    • Dinosaurs and their relatives
    • Science of life
    • Earth science
    • Journals & Publications
    • Research Library
    • Object and species identification
  • Get involved
    • About the Australian Museum
    • Become a Member
    • Donate to the Museum
    • Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI)
    • Australian Museum Eureka Prizes
    • Work at the Museum
    • Student opportunities
    • Citizen science projects
    • Volunteer at the Australian Museum
    • Partnerships
    • Commercial services
    • Touring exhibitions
    • Media Centre
    • Contact us
  • About
    • Our organisation
    • Our history
    • Media Centre

Connect with us
  • The Australian Museum Facebook page
  • The Australian Museum Twitter account
  • The Australian Museum on Instagram
  • The Australian Museum Linkedin profile
  • The Australian Museum YouTube channel

Join our Newsletter

Receive the latest news on events, exhibitions, science research and special offers.



  • Site map
  • Privacy
  • Social Media Guidelines
  • Terms of Entry
  • Copyright © 2023
The Australian Museum is a New South Wales Government funded cultural institution.

NSW Government logo Australian Museum logo
Back to top

You have reached the end of the page. Thank you for reading.
Photo of two painted shields

The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden