Queensland Museum Kurilpa, Brisbane and the museum car park is temporarily closed today (Friday 4 October) due to a burst water main, impacting water flow to our facilities. All other Queensland Museum locations remain open as usual.
Cultural Advice: Visitors should be aware that the exhibition and website may include names, images and voices of deceased people that may cause sadness or distress to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is our intention to tell these stories and use imagery with good faith and with respect.
To Torres Strait Islanders, objects are imbued with the spirituality of their creator and the wisdom of ancestors. 'Awakening' seeks to reconnect the spirit between people and their objects, allowing them to communicate once more.
The Torres Strait is home to a strong, vibrant, living culture that is thousands of years old. 'Awakening' explores aspects of this rich and diverse culture through objects of extraordinary beauty and significance from the Queensland Museum’s extensive Torres Strait Island collection. We hope that awakening these objects will shine a light on culture and custom of Torres Strait Islanders today.
Learn from our experts and discover Queensland's natural and cultural history through articles, images, blogs and podcasts.
Browse a selection of our online exhibitions to discover more Queensland stories.
SS Yongala: A Tale of Two Cyclones demonstrates the impact of 2011 cyclone Yasi across the North Queensland coast and shipwreck site of SS Yongala lost in a cyclone in 1911.