150 years ago, Charles Darwin published a theory so ground-breaking that it challenged everything people believed about life on Earth.
2009 is the year of Darwin and marks a double celebration – not only is it 200 years since the scientist’s birth, but also 150 years since The Origin of Species was first published.
Movie sirens, aquatic stars, bathing beauties, athletes, swimmers and designers have all played their part in the evolution of the modern swimsuit. Featuring designs created especially for this exhibition, Exposed! places Australian swimwear in a global context of design and swimming history, and popular culture.
Peggy Moffitt modelling Rudi Gernreich topless ‘monokini’ swimsuit in 1964.
Photograph by William Claxton/Courtesy Demont Photo Management
(www.demontphoto.com)
Femme fatale: the female criminal
Historic Houses Trust of NSW
Woman is rarely wicked, but when she is, she is worse than a man. Italian proverb
Wicked women, seductive sinners, vicious vixens – from the biblical first transgressor Eve to later day child-killer Kathleen Folbigg the female criminal is portrayed in many guises in popular culture, myth, literature and history but what do these stereotypes tell us about women and crime?
Australian authorities have grappled with how to control wayward women from the moment raucous female convicts stepped ashore. The brutal reality of notorious female criminals such as ‘the man-woman murderer’ Eugenia Falleni, sly grogger Kate Leigh and poisoner Yvonne Fletcher is in stark contrast to the glamour of the noir seductress and pulp novel siren. This exhibition examines these extremes, traversing criminological theory, popular culture and case studies.
The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946, Lobby card [detail], National Film and Sound Archive
Frank Hurley: Journey into Papua
Australian Museum
Witness the culture clash between the Papuan people and the colonial settlers and experience the historical narrative of Papua in the 1920's in this unique new exhibition of 80 Frank Hurley images, many of which have never before appeared on public display.
While Hurley's superb coverage of the Mawson (1911-1913) and Shackleton (1914-1916) Antarctic expeditions, and the tragic horror of the First World War have guaranteed him a special place in the history of photography, his work in colonial Papua is less well known.
Since the introduction of the railways in Australia over 150 years ago, train travel has played an important role in Australian cultural life. This new exhibition, produced by The Workshops Rail Museum, explores the development of Australia’s rail network and showcases some of the most famous railway journeys in Queensland and Australia.
Presented in two parts, with ‘Connecting the Cities and States’ being the first, this section taking visitors on a journey through the construction of various lines around Australia and delves into the dreams and visions of our early pioneers, the issue of gauge, the official ceremonies that heralded new connections, and details of the major railway lines in the country.
‘Great Passenger Journeys of Australia’ explores the grand travel experiences that can only be offered by a train journey. Concepts explored include on-board services such as refreshment and sleeping cars through to in-seat entertainment, working on-board a passenger train and the key railway journeys of Australia such as Queenslander trains, Old and New Ghan, the Trans Australia Railway and the Indian Pacific.
Joseph Banks and the flora of the Australian east coast
Australian National Maritime Museum
Coloured engravings of Sydney Parkinson’s original drawings which recorded the coastal plants collected between Sydney and far north Queensland by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Carl Solander, on Captain James Cook’s first voyage round the world, 1768 – 1771.
The engravings are a selection from the Australian section of Banks’ Florilegium, a set of 743 engravings of botanic specimens, which were reprinted from the original plates in 1981 by Alecto historical editions and the BritishMuseum of Natural History.
Incorporating smell, sound and dress-up clothing, the exhibition encourages 3 to 8 year olds to immerse themselves in play in times gone by and learn more about the world that their own parents or grandparents grew up in. This fun and interactive exhibition gives children a better understanding of the toys, clothing and popular culture that existed throughout the ages with a focus on 1910, the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s and the present day.
This new photographic exhibition by The Workshops Rail Museum features the many and varied tasks that railway workers have performed over the years. From building and maintaining track to driving trains, a large number of people work behind the scenes to ensure that trains run safely and passengers arrive at their destination on time.
Presented in two parts: Keeping the Trains Running and Working the Trains, Life on the Line provides a snapshot into the often unseen tasks that are vital for operation of the railways.
A station officer sits in the remains of his office at Loganlea station doing paperwork. The building was blown down by a severe storm, 1936
Image courtesy of Gold Coast City Council Library Services
Ned Kelly: Fact and Fiction
National Museum of Australia
Many mysteries surround iconic Australian bushranger Ned Kelly. Who was he? How did he become an outlaw? What made the man into the myth? Ned Kelly: Fact and Fiction offers fresh answers to these enduring questions, featuring highlights from the NationalMuseum of Australia’s intriguing Kelly collections. Ned Kelly: Fact and Fiction tells Kelly’s story through the places and people that shaped the man and the legend.
