Collections

The National Museum holds a number of significant collections relating to each of its three primary subject areas: land, nation and people. Significant elements include a collection of 80,000 stone tools and Australia's largest collection of bark paintings, comprising 1600 works by numerous artists, spanning two centuries and the width and breadth of Australia.

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Phar Lap's heart

Australian Institute of Anatomy collection

Phar Lap's heart

Phar Lap is one of the legends of Australian sporting history. The famous 17-hand chestnut racehorse won 37 of his 51 races, including winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup, carrying a 62.6 kilogram handicap. He was the only horse in Australian racing history to have been favourite for the Melbourne Cup three years running.

Phar Lap was born in Timaru, New Zealand, on 4 October 1926 and was purchased by American-born David J Davis in that same year for 160 guineas.

The gelding died in the United States on a ranch on 5 April 1932, amid controversial circumstances. The Australian Institute of Anatomy displayed the heart for many years. Phar Lap's mounted hide is in the Museum Victoria and his skeleton is in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Phar Lap's abnormally large heart, weighing 6.2 kilograms (the average for a horse is 4.0 kilograms), is a popular object in the National Historical Collection, a testament of the great affection in which Phar Lap was, and still is, held by the Australian people.

Collections

Phar Lap's heart

Australian Institute of Anatomy collection

Captivating and Curious

Batmania