UQ Anthropology Museum

The UQ Anthropology Museum in Toowong, Brisbane, offers a focused look at Australian and Pacific cultures through a substantial collection of art, artefacts and photographs. Its holdings include contemporary Pacific and Australian Indigenous artwork, household implements, clothing, paintings, water-craft, musical instruments, hunting equipment, performance paraphernalia and a large group of stone tools. The collection also includes about 1,100 spears and arrows and some 6,500 photographs, including fieldwork archives and mission photography.

Rather than treating anthropology as a fixed record of the past, the museum’s exhibition program draws on recent research to question and broaden ideas about what an anthropological collection can be today. Collection features are explored through writing by students, scholars and industry professionals, adding detail about the objects’ histories and their significance within the museum. The online catalogue provides another way to explore the holdings before or after a visit.

The museum’s history began in 1948, when the University of Queensland accepted Dr Lindsey Winterbotham’s donation of more than 1,000 objects. His interests extended beyond ceremonial or decorative pieces to include everyday items and objects of personal curiosity. Donations, bequests, purchases and contributions from students and staff expanded the collection over time, while later work broadened its representation of dynamic contemporary Indigenous Australian and Pacific cultures. The museum moved into its current purpose-built facilities in 1972.

This is a useful stop for solo visitors, students, researchers and anyone interested in material culture, visual history or the complex relationships represented in museum collections. The museum also welcomes family-history and native-title researchers, and provides information, loans and photographic reproductions for eligible research and exhibition purposes. Located on Level 1 of the Michie Building at UQ’s St Lucia Campus, it is open Monday to Friday from 11am to 3pm, excluding public holidays, with free entry. Its gallery, foyer and outdoor areas are also available for corporate and private functions, lectures, launches and presentations.