Queensland Museum

November 29, 2021 | Posted by Peter Jakobsen | AUSTRALIANIA, LIFE, TRAVEL | 0 Comments |

November 2021

TVC loves V & A style museums, the ones that pile-up objects, so that stuffed animals lie cheek by jowl with ancient graves, next to planes, trains and automobiles, and so on. (For example, Edinburgh).

Housed in a repulsive building after the New Brutalism style of architecture (main image), near to the Queensland Art Gallery’s quaint homage to the Louvre pyramid, the Queensland Museum was opened by then Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen (it’s a wonder the current Premier’s myrmidons haven’t covered-up the plaque). 

It was a welcome respite from the heat after a brief stop at the Gallery of Modern Art up the road. Lots of stuffed Australian fauna here:

And pinned butterflies of course:

Now, there was a curious exhibition entitled “Torres Strait Island Futures: What Lies Ahead for Zenadth Kes?” (an acronym for the various islands: ZE – Zey (South); NA – Naygay (North); D – Dagam (Place/Side); TH – Thawathaw (Coastline); KES – Passage/Channel/ Waterway.) It featured bits and pieces, including the above representation of a ‘typical’ Torres living room (above).  And a sign said:

Zenadth Kes is facing the harsh realities of rising seas [which we doubt]. Some challenges are natural; some are man-made; yet each impacts the other [we were not informed how]. Torres Strait Islanders’ cultures and languages are inextricably linked to the place they call ‘home’, which for Torres Strait Islanders, is more than a physical structure or material objects. It is the interconnectedness between people, place and knowledge. How can you maintain a strong sense of identity and place if your island is underwater? [They didn’t say. Move to Cairns?]”

This is ‘Mutt’ (Muttaburrasaurus langdoni) a 2,800 kg. herbivore, found on a Langdon farm about 5 km south-east of Muttaburra, Qld. Quite a few million years old.

We encourage overseas tourist, especially backpackers, to swim with salties…

Interactive nonsense (above) captivates and distracts from learning.

The giant squid attracted much attention.

And little children will enjoy the wedge-tailed eagle delivering a frozen meal – a dead rabbit – to its chick.

You can only exit through the gift shop (naturally). There TVC found a Greta Thunberg colouring-in book, works on veganism and zero-waste gardening, scented candles and the usual tat. Sir Joh would be bemused.  Worth a look however.

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