Now on
Free entry, Level 4

We're running out of room

Museums are like icebergs — what you see is only a fraction of what there actually is. It would take many museums to show everything in our collection. With millions of objects in our care, it's not surprising our storage facilities are nearly full.

Out come the treasures

For the first time, we are bringing our collection store out onto public display. This will give Queensland Museum specialists the space to work out better ways of housing and caring for our precious items - now and for the future. This project will give you a chance to see many objects that would rarely, if ever, be put on display.

150 Years of collecting

In 150 years of collecting, Queensland Museum has amassed millions of objects in geosciences, terrestrial and marine zoology, cultures and history, maritime archaeology and science and technology.

What We Collect

Dinosaurs, dung beetles, artefacts, hands-on science, fossils, aeroplanes, toys, weapons, medals, fire engines — Queensland Museum is an amazing world of discovery.

Millions of items are distributed over three collection areas:

• Biodiversity collections contain approximately 5 million specimens, spanning the entire animal kingdom, from single-celled protozoans to whales.
• Cultures and Histories collection has more than 350,000 objects including artefacts, historical and contemporary photographs, documents and oral histories.
• Geosciences collections, known to most Queenslanders through its research with prehistoric animals such as Muttaburrasauraus, cares for around 7 million fossils.

Looking after our collection

Curators are responsible for the acquisition of objects and guide the development of collections. They make decisions about what objects to collect, conduct collection research, and share their research with the public through exhibitions and publications.

Collection Managers care for the needs of the collection to ensure their preservation for future generations. Some of their responsibilities include cataloguing new acquisitions, undertaking proper storage of items and organising loans of objects.

Conservators care for the needs of the collection, ensuring their preservation for future generations. Their work can involve determining the structural stability of an object, addressing problems of chemical and physical deterioration, and performing treatments to extend the life of cultural and natural heritage material.

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