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Collections

About our collections

Holden prototype
The National Historical Collection is the National Museum of Australia’s core collection of Australian history. The Holden Prototype Car No. 1 is part of the historical vehicle collection.

Recent acquisition

Large gold nugget.

Find out about our recent acquisitions such as the Victorian goldfields nugget.


Can you help?

Painting of a large yellow square in a dark grey background with tracks on the left and bottom.

Do you know anything about the 2000 works in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Art collection?

Collection highlights

Silk batik fabric with Ernabella motifs in yellow, black, blue and white.

 The Ernabella Arts collection is one of many featured collection highlights.


Caring for the collection

Detail image of glove-encased hands holding ruby red coloured fabric with a satiny finish.

Go behind the scenes to find out how the Museum cares for the collection and prepares objects for display.

Collection interactives from current and past exhibitions

Search our collections

We hold a rich and diverse collection of Australian historical material in trust for the nation.

Our online collection database includes about 10 per cent of the objects in our collection and searches about 48,000 objects.

Search collection database