Over 5,000 items of our Cultures & Histories collection are now accessible online for free. All you need is your device and a little bit of inspiration to explore Queensland’s cultural and natural heritage.
Queensland stories
Find out about the rich and diverse stories of Queensland’s people, landscape and identity.
Overview
Queensland people have a strong state identity. Shaped by, and often at the mercy of, our environment we have a lifestyle that embraces living outdoors and we market ourselves as a poster child for the “Australian Way of Life”.
Queensland is home to two distinct First Nations cultures, connected to their 60 000-year past and home to the oldest practiced culture in the world. From Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) in the north, to Birdsville on Wangkangurru-Yarluyandi country in the west, and east to Point Lookout on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), our state boasts a landscape as diverse as our people.
Our lives have been transformed through time by the environment, by politics and social movements, by innovation and industry, and by communities that are ever changing. Queensland Museum documents the forces, both internal and external, that have influenced how we represent our state, how we are viewed by others, and the way we live today.
Explore with us the rich and diverse stories of Queensland’s people, our contemporary life and identity, and places across our state.
Articles
Archaeology in Queensland
Explore the diverse stories held in the First Nations, Historical Archaeology, Antiquities and World Archaeology collections.
Environment and climate action
Discover the history behind Queenslanders environment and climate action as the State experiences the effects of climate change.
Evolution of rail in Queensland
Learn about the evolution of Queensland’s unique and vast railway network that connects its people, produce and natural resources.
Inventions, Innovation & Ingenuity
Discover some of the inventions and innovations that have enriched and improved our lives through the ingenuity of Queenslanders.
Legend of Cobb & Co
Cobb & Co provided mail and passenger services in Australia from the 1850s to the 1920s at a time when Australia was still a collection of colonial outposts.
Preserving the archaeological past
Learn how Queensland Museum undertakes research, cares for and preserves the thousands of objects held in the Antiquities Collection.
Queensland fashion
Colourful couture and beach chic, Queensland has a fashion landscape to rival our southern counterparts.
Shipwrecks of Queensland
Discover the stories of Queensland's shipwrecks investigated by Queensland Museum.
Object stories
Cane Knife
Symbolic of the agricultural prosperity of the cane fields and South Sea Islander identity, the cane knife has become an iconic part of Queensland heritage.
Cooby Creek Tracking Station model
Work at NASA’s Cooby Creek Tracking Station was instrumental to advancements in weather forecasting, aircraft navigation, communication technology, and television broadcasting.
Mephisto
Recovered by Australian troops during the First World War, the A7V Sturmpanzerwagen known as Mephisto has become an iconic part of Queensland’s heritage.
Spencer motorcycle
Learn about the Spencer motorcycle, one of the first Australian-made motorcycles, which has been recreated using spare parts from the museum’s collection.
Images
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