Old New Land | National Museum of Australia

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Location: National Museum of Australia

Old New Land explored Australia’s diverse and unique plants, animals and environments and how people responded and adapted to the land over time.

Previously on show at the National Museum of Australia from 11 March 2001 (originally as Tangled Destinies) to 13 January 2020

Australia’s unique environment and natural history will be explored in a new gallery, Life in Australia (working title) opening in 2021.

Exhibition highlights

Old New Land looked at our changing knowledge of the land, the ways we reacted to the environment and different ways of living with the land.

A dot-style painting showing six black snakes moving towards central circular rings. - click to view larger image — Snake Story painting

A rusty vehicle, made with modifications, parked in a grassy field with a bright blue sky in the background. - click to view larger image — Tommy Fawcett's buffalo catcher

A young wombat preserved in liquid - click to view larger image — Wet specimen of a young wombat

The skeleton of a small animal - click to view larger image — Thylacine skeleton and skull

A horse-drawn plough in a paddock - click to view larger image — William Farrer’s plough

A burnt wheel hub - click to view larger image — Burnt fire truck wheel

A photo of a syringe with white background - click to view larger image — Syringe used in myxomatosis trials

A sheep's off-white fleece on display inside a timber framed, glass case. - click to view larger image — Chris the sheep’s fleece

A metal frame on two large tyres, on show in an exhibition. - click to view larger image — Comalco Camel

A watercolour paint depicting farm animals. - click to view larger image — Diana Boyer’s environmental art collection

Explore more online

Delve deeper into the Museum's collection, to explore more about how land and people, climate, flora, fauna and ecology have shaped life in Australia.

Canberra Archaeological Society 15 Mar 2017

The cultural riches of ancient south-east Australia

Archaeologist Josephine Flood discusses human occupation, artefacts, plants and animals, including bogong moths, in a history of archaeological excavations in the south-eastern highlands of the ACT and NSW, from Cloggs Cave, to Birrigai and Bogong Cave.

Josephine Flood