education
Transforming
Humans are natural collectors. Throughout time we have collected things to try to make sense of the world around us. Animals that intrigue us, items we don’t understand, objects that we perceive to be beautiful, quirky, dangerous, and different. The UNE Natural History Museum is a library of life; a place of activity, interaction and discovery. It serves as a reminder that there is no surrogate for real things. The most sophisticated computer graphics cannot replace the sense of wonder that comes with viewing the still remains of real animals, in all their extraordinary variety.
Collections
Our Museum houses important research specimens that have been collected during specific projects in New England, throughout Australia, and some overseas and have been used for decades as teaching resources, learn more here.
Get involved
There are many ways to get behind the scenes and learn more. As part of your studies you can complete work integrated learning units or through volunteering you can help unlock the untapped potential of our collections, find out more here.
Specimen of the month
Our collection features a diverse range of specimens collected from around the world. Each month we look at one the Museum’s specimens in more detail. Check out this month’s featured specimen and browse the archive here.
362
MILLION YEARS OF LIFE
2345
SPECIMENS ON DISPLAY
119
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
What does a few hundred million years of history look like?
Our collection comes from far and wide. While predominantly from Oceania and the Americas, some specimens come originate from Madagascar, Antarctica and Greenland. Botanical, zoological and geological treasures have been meticulously curated over the past 30 years by academics and enthusiasts, gathering and trading specimens between universities and museums all over the world.
WHAT’S ON
Come and explore the natural world! A curated selection from our collections is currently on display in the Museum, including geological specimens, botanical pieces, horns, invertebrates, aquatic animals, reptiles, fossils, a variety of skeletons and skulls, birds, mammals and more! Did we mention the recently discovered and yet-to-be-officially-named dinosaur…?
Out the back
To see the vast array of specimens in storage at the UNE Natural History Museum is a wonder. Our collections are a crucial resource for teaching and research. To be a student at UNE means you have access to specimens across the biological world: vertebrate and invertebrate, specimens stored wet for sampling and testing, skulls and skeletons for measuring and comparison based research, skins and hides taxidermied for study of physiology and function, click here to read more.
Featured scientists
Housed within the new Agriculture Education Building, the UNE Natural History Museum is a hub for many exciting crossdisciplinary collaborations combining research, teaching and community outreach and engagement. The facilities include high quality, multipurpose teaching laboratories, as well as sound-proofed and temperature controlled work rooms for researchers and students. Our scientists are using the Museum in exciting ways, click here to read more about their research.
DISCOVER
A natural history museum has the ability to capture the world at a specific point in time. Like a library of life, natural history collections are made up of samples of the world around us, a snap shot of what was happening at a specific location on a specific date. With this information, collections become a crucial markers in time – a resource for comparative studies into the natural world.
The art of taxidermy
Taxidermy has had a revival of sorts in recent years. For natural history enthusiasts and trophy hunters, the interest in preserved specimens has never waned. Techniques improved through the 19th century due to a fascination in exotic species collected from all corners of the globe, and continued to do so in the 20th century when major museums attracted large audiences to diorama style exhibits. While the exhibits of the Natural History Museum in New York and London show world class examples of this trade, our own University has not been without its skilled preparators. Click here to read more.
Visit
The UNE Natural History Museum is located in Building W077, the Agricultural Education Building on the University of New England’s main campus in Armidale, NSW. It can be accessed from Trevanna Rd, adjacent to Pharmacy in McClymont Building. Click here for more about our location and directions to the Museum.
