At the heart of the National Museum of Australia is our National Historical Collection of 250,000 objects which represent Australia’s history and cultural heritage.
The collection helps us to build connections between objects, memory, imagination and lived experience – across cultures, communities and time.
Explore our collection
Collection access
Requests for permission to view collection objects not on display at the Museum must be made in advance. Visits are by appointment only, noting access may be impacted by the Museum's long-term collection storage project from 2026. Email collectionaccess@nma.gov.au
Our Collection Explorer is under development and not optimised for mobile devices. If you need help searching our collection online, please email collectionsearch@nma.gov.au
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Beloved children’s television character Mr Squiggle is the star of 800-plus objects acquired from Norman Hetherington's extensive archive.
Discover stunning artworks, furniture, jewellery and ceramics – part of the Museum’s largest and most significant acquisition to date.
Browse collection highlights by category
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Banner image: Glass eyes in box (detail), made by Paul McClarin. National Museum of Australia
Collection Explorer image: Yumari, 1981, Uta Uta Tjangala, Papunya, Central Australia, painting on linen, 367 x 227 cm. National Museum of Australia