Western Australia

Two shipwrecks discovered 2,300km off the coast of Western Australia during the initial search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been identified as 19th Century merchant sailing vessels carrying cargoes of coal.

The Western Australian Museum is calling for members of the public to share their thoughts about the literary works they think best reflect the spirit and place of Western Australia.

An exhibition featuring exquisite photos and oral histories of indigenous people from Western Australia, Indonesia and Southern Africa who claim Dutch heritage through adventurers visiting their shores, opens this Saturday at the Museum of Geraldton (previously the WA Museum – Geraldton).

• $1.6 million allocated for public art at the new museum
• Public art to reflect and interpret the stories of Western Australia
• Artist teams to develop either a single work or multiple works

The Western Australian Museum is commencing the final phase of planned maintenance work at the historic Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle, beginning 3 March, 2015.

A new species of seadragon has been discovered off the coast of Western Australia by researchers at the Western Australian Museum.

The bright red Ruby Seadragon (Phyllopteryx dewysea) is only the third species of seadragon ever recorded in the world.

Minister for Culture and the Arts John Day today invited local and international teams to submit expressions of interest to design and construct the New Museum for Western Australia in the Perth Cultural Centre.  You can read the Minister’s full statement

Culture and Arts Minister John Day has announced a partnership between the Western Australian Museum and the family of Perth-born film and television star Heath Ledger to create a world-class exhibition about his life.