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
      • Everything
      • Exhibitions
      • Kids at the Museum
      • School holidays
      • Special events
      • Talks and screenings
      • Tours and workshops
      • Exhibition virtual tours
      • Travelling exhibitions
      • School programs and excursions
    • Admission information
    • Accessibility and inclusion
    • Membership
    • Location and access
    • Parking and public transport
    • Food and dining
    • Museum Shop
      • Book a group visit
      • Overview
      • Vacation care groups
      • Tourism packages
      • School excursions at the Australian Museum
      • Group visit information
    • Multilingual visit information
    • Functions and venues
    • Australian Museum Map
    • Audio guides of exhibitions
    • Visitor safety during COVID-19
  • 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
      • Museum news
      • Overview
      • Australian Museum Blog
      • AM Inside Out
      • Audio podcasts
      • Explore
      • Media Centre
    • 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
        • Historic expeditions
        • The Scott sisters collection
        • John Gould: books and illustrations
      • Collection Care and Conservation
      • Collection donations
      • Online collection search
    • First Nations
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
      • Research and expeditions
      • Overview
      • Australian Museum Research Institute
      • Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics
      • Lord Howe Island expeditions
      • South West Pacific expedition
      • Scotia Arc expeditions
      • Timor-Leste expedition
      • Southern French Polynesia expedition
      • Kermadec Island expedition
      • Historic expeditions
      • Solomon Islands 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!
    • Australian Museum Eureka Prizes
    • Work at the Museum
    • Student opportunities
      • Citizen science
      • Overview
      • FrogID
      • DigiVol
      • Australasian Fishes project
      • Date a Fossil
    • Volunteer
    • Partnerships
    • Commercial services
    • Touring exhibitions
    • Media Centre
    • Contact us
  • What's On
  • AM Shop
Opening Hours
9am - 5pm
Monday - Sunday
Closed Christmas Day
Where to find us
1 William Street
Sydney NSW 2010
Australia
What's On AM Shop

  1. Homepage
  2. Discover & Learn
  3. Cultural collections
  4. World Cultures Collection

World Cultures Collection

Explore the material culture of indigenous peoples throughout the world in our International Collection.

  • Main Contact
    Vanessa Finney
  • Updated
    06/05/22

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

Model of a Funerary Boat

Ancient Egyptian Collection

The Australian Museum’s Egyptian Collection includes over one thousand objects and is one of the largest public collections of Egyptian antiquities in Australia.

Ancient Egyptian Timeline
Glossary of terms
Egyptian art
Find out more

African Mask E76274

African Collection

In 1884, the Museum acquired nearly 100 cultural objects of the Zulu people, South Africa. Learn more about the collection material originally from Africa.

Zulu shields
Stone Hand Axes from Somalia
Read 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

iE074451+06

Balinese art

Almost 1000 Balinese artefacts including nearly 200 Kamasan-style paintings, 100 Modernist paintings, over 100 musical instruments and 170 dance costumes and accessories.

Find out more

Totem pole from Canada

Kwa-guilth Pole: British Columbia, Canada

Western Red Cedar pole of the Kwa-guilth people from British Colombia.

Find out more

Peruvian Pottery: E18348

Chimu Pottery from Cayalti, Peru

In 1910 the Australian Museum purchased 54 Peruvian pots from Mr Thomas Colston.

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

Mask - Sri Lanka: E19295

Daha Ata Sanniya Masks

Ancient dance ritual in Sinhalese culture of Sri Lanka.

Discover more

Capturing Nature book

Museum Archives and Research Library

The Museum Archives and Research Library cares for the Museum’s institutional memory and its historic natural history book and journal collections dating from 1836.

History of the Museum
Archives
Rare books
Photography
Explore our history


You may also be interested in...

You may also be interested in...

Arachnology Collection Area 2018

Arachnology

Arachnology is the study of the group of animals called arachnids. Arachnids include spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, ticks and mites.

Spiders
Scorpians
Ticks
Learn more

Feathertail glider

Animal factsheets

Discover the astonishing variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, marine life and more in the Australian Museum collections.

Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Extinct animals
Find out more

Mineral specimen

Earth science

The Mineralogy and Palaeontology collections include rocks, minerals, gemstones and fossils, and reveal how the earth was formed.

Shaping the Earth
Minerals
Fossils
Discover more

MalacologyCollection Area 2018

Malacology

Learn about our collection and study of molluscs; including chitons, clams, mussels, snails, nudibranchs (sea slugs), tusk shells, octopus and squid.

Molluscs
Nudibranchs
Learn more

Entomology Collection Area

Entomology

Entomology is the study of insects including flies, cicadas, moths, earwigs, fleas, bugs, cockroaches, bees, dragonflies, and termites.

Butterflies
Beetles
Find out more

Palaeontology Collection Area 2018

Palaeontology

Palaeontology is the study of fossils. Fossils are the remains or traces of prehistoric living things and are preserved in substances such as sediments, coal, tar, oil, amber or volcanic ash, or frozen in ice or naturally mummified.

Fossilised specimens
Ancient remains
Learn more

Ornithology Collection Area 2018

Ornithology

Ornithology is the branch of zoology devoted to studying birds. Around 10,000 species of bird inhabit the world, ranging from tiny hummingbirds up to huge ostriches. The Australian Museum's Ornithology Collection contains a wide cross-section of these fascinating animals.

Birds
Eggs
Nests
Find out more

African Mask E76274

African Collection

In 1884, the Museum acquired nearly 100 cultural objects of the Zulu people, South Africa. Learn more about the collection material originally from Africa.

Zulu shields
Stone Hand Axes from Somalia
Read more

Ichthyology Collection Area 2018

Ichthyology

Learn about our collection and research of fishes; including bony fishes and cartilaginous fishes such as sharks and rays.

Fishes
Sharks
Sting Rays
Learn more

Marine Invertebrates Collection Area 2018

Marine Invertebrates

The Marine Invertebrates section is active in research on a variety of taxa, such as annelids, cnidarians and crustaceans, and holds extensive collections of most marine phyla

Crustaceans
Polychaetes
Learn more

Scientists on Lord Howe Island

Research and expeditions

Learn about past Australian Museum expeditions and field work from around the globe that have contributed to our collections and research.

Lord Howe Island
Solomon Islands
Historic expeditions
Discover more

Tyrannosaurs

Dinosaurs and their relatives

Discover the Mesozoic era of the dinosaurs! Dinosaurs are classified as a group of reptiles, although some of their features are found in mammals and birds living today.

The Mesozoic era
Dinosaur factsheets
Australian dinosaurs
Find out 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 acknowledge Elders past, present and emerging.
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
9am - 5pm
Monday - Sunday
Closed Christmas Day
Address
1 William Street
Sydney NSW 2010
Australia
Phone
+61 2 9320 6000
www.australian.museum
Copyright © 2022 The Australian Museum
ABN 85 407 224 698

View Museum News

Skip Footer Navigation
  • Visit & Book
    • What's on
    • Admission information
    • Accessibility and inclusion
    • Membership
    • Location and access
    • Parking and public transport
    • Food and dining
    • Museum Shop
    • Book a group visit
    • Multilingual visit information
    • Functions and venues
    • Australian Museum Map
    • Audio guides of exhibitions
    • Visitor safety during COVID-19
  • Discover & Learn
    • Museum news
    • For teachers and students
    • Australian Museum collections
    • First Nations
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
    • Research and expeditions
    • 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
    • Volunteer
    • 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 © 2022
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