History
The History department collects, cares for, researches and shares stories related to Western Australia’s social history. Its aim is to share diverse stories which reflect a range of experiences.
The History department’s collection consists of over 100,000 items and has been shaped by different approaches and priorities to collecting over the years. Its aim is to reflect the stories of people, places and events which make up the fabric of Western Australia’s diverse social history. The collection is dynamic, and knowledge about material in the collection is continually changing and evolving as historical research reveals more information.
Items contained within the collection include rare one-of-a-kind objects, as well as common everyday objects which reflect daily life. Objects may be historical or contemporary in nature, and the department actively undertakes contemporary collecting to ensure it is able to continue to tell important Western Australian stories into the future.
The department is also home to the collections of some former collecting institutions, including the Museum of Western Australian Sport Collection and the Edith Cowan University Museum of Childhood Collection.
Follow Dr Brian O’Brien’s journey To the Moon at Boola Bardip
Dr Brian O’Brien was an Australian physicist and principal investigator for two experiments sent to the moon with NASA’s Apollo missions. See models of O’Brien’s Dust Detector Experiment, Apollo data tapes, astronaut training manuals and more in the To the Moon temporary exhibition at Boola Bardip.
News and content
For over 50 years, late-night eatery Bernies was a popular place to socialise and drop into for a bite to eat along Mounts Bay Road. The venue served up its last steak burger in 1995, on a shiny golden-coloured plate which is now part of the WA Museum’s History collection.
Explore the History Department's Collections
Stanwix Collection
This collection holds over 350 items donated by Jewish refugee Shirley Stanwix. Objects reflect pre-war life in Germany, persecution endured under the Nazis, and migration to Western Australia.
Ruth Tarvydas Collection
Designed by influential WA designer Ruth Tarvydas, this collection holds six decades of fashionable dress for women, and showcases Tarvydas’ globally-recognised, unique creativity.
Dwyer and Mackay Photograph Collection
This collection holds several thousand images by photographers Dwyer and Mackay, which document Kalgoorlie’s social and industrial history between the 1890s and 1920s.
Hanekamp Postal Collection
Donated by Bessel ‘Basil’ Hanekamp, this collection holds over 30,000 postage stamps, marks and covers and explores over seven decades of Western Australian history.
Research Projects
A contemporary collecting project on the Wooroloo bushfire and Tropical Cyclone Seroja.
Collecting Changes in Women’s Sport
This pilot project will capture experiences unique to women playing football, cricket and basketball through object donations and interviews.
