Tails from the Coasts
Presented with the National Museum of Singapore, this culturally significant collection of watercolours brings to life extraordinary species and captivating stories.
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Special exhibition
10 May – 7 September 2025
Created in collaboration with the National Museum of Singapore, Tails from the Coasts: Nature Stories of Singapore debuts at the Australian Museum, sharing a glimpse of this precious and prestigious national collection which showcases natural history, biodiversity and conservation from the Malay Peninsula and Australia.
This exhibition explores the common bonds of biodiversity between Australia and Singapore through 36 exquisite watercolour drawings from the renowned William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. Each picture showcases the stunning and unique species from the Singapore-Malaya region and uncovers the fascinating stories behind them.
Journey across land, water and air where human-nature connections unfold. Through sayings and beliefs from the Indigenous peoples of Singapore and Malaya to early scientific discoveries and anecdotal human-animal encounters, the watercolours reveal the richness of the natural environment.
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia, Tails from the Coasts is a captivating journey through history, science, art and culture.
Exhibition highlights
Immerse yourself in 36 outstanding works from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, presented as five telling tales in the Tails from the Coasts exhibition.
It Begins With a Tail
Binturong
Arctictis binturong
The binturong is a mammal found in Singapore-Malaya, also known as a bearcat, though it is neither bear nor cat. The first recorded binturong in Australia was brought over from Singapore to the Melbourne Zoo in 1882. Farquhar had personal links to many of the animals in the drawings, such as the binturong which he kept as a pet.
Image: Binturong (Arctictis binturong), William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings from the National Museum of Singapore. Donated by Mr. G. K. Goh. © Public Domain
Land Tails
Sambar deer / Rusa
Cervus unicolor
Sambar deer used to be plentiful in Singapore in the 17th century. Changi on the island’s eastern coast was known as Tanjong Rusa, meaning “deer cape”. It was thought to be extinct in 1950 due to hunting and tree felling but has since reappeared, likely because of escaped zoo animals. In Australia, the deer was introduced for hunting in 1868 but is now considered an invasive species.
Image: Sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings from the National Museum of Singapore. Donated by Mr. G. K. Goh. © Public Domain
Tailing the Winds
Blue-winged pitta / Burung pacat
Pitta moluccensis
The blue-winged pitta breeds in mainland Southeast Asia and south China, and winters in Sumatra and Borneo, often stopping at Singapore along the way. There are also accounts of its “wanderings” to Australia, mentioned by the Australian ornithologist Dominic Louis Serventy. Serventy had joined a bird-ringing exercise at Fraser’s Hill, Malaysia in 1966, where he was able to examine four blue-winged pittas.
Image: Blue-winged pitta (Pitta moluccensis), William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings from the National Museum of Singapore. Donated by Mr. G. K. Goh. © Public Domain
Tailing the Waters
Estuarine crocodile / Buaya
Crocodylus porosus
Singapore has been known for its crocodiles since the 17th century. The Hikayat Hang Tuah, a Malay work of literature, tells how the Raja of Melaka’s crown fell into crocodile-infested waters when sailing to Singapore. His admiral Hang Tuah courageously dove into the water and struggled with a legendary white crocodile. Retrieving the crown, Hanh Tuah lost his keris (a dagger with ritual significance) in the process.
Image: Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings from the National Museum of Singapore. Donated by Mr. G. K. Goh. © Public Domain
Tail End
Winghead shark / Ikan yu tanduk
Eusphyra blochii
The winghead shark is a hammerhead with an especially wide “hammer”. It is found in Indo-Pacific waters and is endangered due to overfishing. Institutions from Singapore and Australia have collaborated to drive shark conservation in the region through platforms such as the Southeast Asia Shark & Ray Research and Conservation workshop, co-organised by James Cook University’s Australian and Singaporean campuses in 2023.
Image: Winghead shark (Eusphyra blochii), William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings from the National Museum of Singapore. Donated by Mr. G. K. Goh. © Public Domain
The William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings
Major-General William Farquhar (1774–1839) was the Commandant and Resident of Melaka (1803–1818) and Singapore (1819–1823). A trusted figure in Malaysia, he accompanied Sir Stamford Raffles to Singapore to establish a British trading post. While developing Singapore’s trade and port systems, Farquhar’s passion in botanicals and natural history became prominent in his career, leading to the creation of the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.
The William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings consists of 477 watercolours of plants and animals, commissioned by Farquhar and painted by Chinese artists. The drawings employ traditional Chinese brush techniques while blending Western perspectives and naturalism. The collection is celebrated not only for its artistic merit but also for its scientific significance. Showcasing detailed representations of both plants and animals, the drawings provide a valuable record of the rich biodiversity of the Malay Peninsula in the 19th century.
