What's coming

Australian Journeys is a new exhibition exploring the voyages that connect Austalia to the world. It shares the personal stories of some of the people who have travelled to and from Australia's shores over time.

Australian Journeys opens in late 2008.

Frank Hurley's camera

Australian photographer and adventurer Frank Hurley used this camera to capture moving images of the Antarctic Research Expeditions from 1929 to 1931. Hurley filmed the wildlife, icy landscapes and life on board the research ship.

1880s Springfield merino wool dress

This tight-fitting pink merino wool dress features a boned bodice and a bustled skirt with lace flounces and frills. It is a highlight of a collection of historic costume from the Springfield property, near Goulburn.

The dress points to a time when women used fashion to maintain and reinforce their sense of social refinement and convey messages about their age, status and availability.

Convict love tokens

Smoothing and engraving a coin with a message of affection was one of the few ways a convict transported to Australia could leave a memento behind with loved ones in England. These small tokens record personal and emotional responses from convicts usually only represented by the official record.

Captain Cook's tea cup

This beautiful tea cup and saucer belonged to explorer Captain James Cook. Australian Journeys will also feature navigational equipment used by Cook and a cannon jettisoned from the Endeavour when it struck the Great Barrier Reef.

> Read more about Captain Cook's tea cup and saucer in the Friends magazine (PDF 277kb)

The revolving Circa theatre has been refurbished and is now open for preview. Circa takes visitors on a unique visual journey through history from deep time to contemporary Australia, and features footage of many of the objects on show in Australian Journeys and the Museum's other galleries.

Circa closed in October 2007 and reopened in early 2008.