Australian Museum
The oldest museum in Australia is the Australian
Museum in Sydney, with an international reputation in the fields of
anthropology and natural history, showcasing collections of
anthropology, mineralogy, paleontology, vertebrate and invertebrate
zoology. Beside the exhibitions, it is involved in indigenous
studies, community programs and research. It was initially called
the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum, renamed in 1836 by a
sub-committee meeting during an argument that is should become the
Australian Museum. It was founded in 1845 by Earl Bathurst, the
secretary of state for the colonies, who had written to the governor
of New South Wales of his intention to found a public museum and
provide it with 200 pounds a year for its upkeep and maintenance.
The museum's first home was a room in the offices of the Colonial
secretary, but continuing to move about for the next three decades
in the city, until moving into its present location in 1849. The
majestic sandstone structure, just opposite Hyde Park, opened to the
public in 1857. In the 19th century, galleries would mostly include
big display cases that had been overly filled with specimens and
relics, with the exhibits being enhanced with dioramas that show
various habitat groups in the 1920s. The museum began to grow in the
field of scientific research and would continue with Frank Talbot
and a new department of Environmental Studies that had been created
in 1968. In 1978, the museum would officially launch its Australian
Museum Exhibition Train that would bring children and the people of
the province into contact with the marvelous wonders of nature,
wildlife and evolution. The two carriage train was restored at
Eveligh Carriage Works and then fitted with exhibits of the museum,
with one carriage displaying the evolution of the earth, man and
animals, with the second being used for visual displays and
lectures. The museum believes that it will take the train two years
to visit all the cities and towns of New South Wales.
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