History

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.