“Would you like to see the spiders as well?” the ticketing lady asks the moment I step up to the counter. Her brief but concise overview of the displays which include a wide variety of live specimens found in the Australian outback piques my interest. I never knew that museums also dealt with live creatures.
Arachnids have always been a source of both fear and mystery for me and this seems like a golden opportunity to get better acquainted with these often misunderstood ancient creatures. The lady beams happily when I agree to her suggestion.
Although there are many museums spread throughout Sydney, the Australian Museum is the clear favourite for many. It comes highly recommended partly due to its comprehensive displays of artefacts from all over the Australasian region. My visit is made even more meaningful as the museum is celebrating its 190th anniversary this year, making it the oldest in the country.
Greeted by a floor full of virtual creepy crawlies courtesy of an overhead projector, I step gingerly into what appears to resemble a spider‘s lair. At the first display area, I learn that some modern spiders have become seasoned tourists. These close cousins of the scorpion are known to travel the globe by hitchhiking on ships and planes.
The next display highlights the Australian Redback Spider‘s ability to reach Japan by getting rides on ships destined for the country. These easily adaptable creatures are able to withstand the harsh Japanese winters and have already started breeding there.
In general, male spiders have smaller bodies and longer legs. This gives them the extra agility to find mates and escape after completing the copulation process. Females however, have larger bodies to accommodate egg production.
Spider courtship starts with the male locating females by the pheromones she releases. The male must make his intentions very clear the moment he reaches the end of the chemical trail or else the female would devour him on the spot. In order to achieve this, some males pluck romantic tunes on the silk lines of the female‘s web while others perform elaborate dances to impress their potential mate.
Spider courtship even involves the male providing gifts in the form of food items. The cheeky ones offer the female a ball of web with nothing inside! By the time she realises the guise, it‘s already too late!
EARLY AUSTRALIANS
The First Australians Gallery next door highlights Aboriginal Australia, the longest, continuous living culture on earth. These amazing people, who have been living in Australia for more than 60,000 years, have a diverse culture and each group speaks their own language. In spite of the differences, the Aborigines all pass down knowledge, stories and yarns through talking, singing and dancing.
Looking at the interesting displays, I discover that the early Australians share a deep spiritual connection with the land they live on. The different communities have their own creation stories which come from their Dreaming. These tales describe the travels of their spiritual ancestors, starting with how they came to earth, traverse the land and created all the animals, plants, rocks and other land formations that have become familiar features of the Australian landscape today. The locals believe that the Dreaming is a never-ending process that links the past and the present, the people and the land.
The displays that attract the most interest are the ones highlighting the tools used by the Aboriginal people as well as their modes of transportation. Like most visitors, I make a beeline for the boomerangs, one of Australia‘s most unique and distinctive emblems. The Aborigines use this versatile invention for hunting, in combat and in games of skill. Boomerangs are also used in ceremonies as musical instruments no different from clapsticks.
On display are both types of these curved throwing sticks — the returning and non-returning types. Two of the most intriguing ones on display are the non-returning sword-boomerang from Strezicki Creek in South Australia and the returning version decorated with incised horseshoe designs from Central Australia.
The Aborigines in New South Wales harvest bark from living river red gum trees to make shields, artefacts and canoes. This plant species is favoured primarily for its thicker bark. In making bark canoes, a charcoal outline on the bark is made to guide the task of cutting using a sharp object. Then, wooden wedges are placed into the cuts to help remove the bark from the trunk. After that, the bark is shaped using tensioned rope to ensure that both ends of the vessel is lifted up and curled. This gives the canoe depth and stability.
EARLY YEARS OF THE MUSEUM
The remaining area on the ground floor is dedicated to the museum‘s internationally renowned natural history and anthropology collections. The various animal skeletons and taxidermy specimens must have been collected during the time when the idea of setting up the museum was first conceived in 1821. It took a further six years for Earl Bathurst, the Secretary of State for the Colonies to write to the Governor of New South Wales to formally set up a public museum. Bathurst pledged an annual sum of £200 (1,097) for the museum‘s upkeep.
The first home of the Australian Museum in 1827 was probably a room in the Colonial Secretary‘s office. Over the next 30 years, it was moved through a series of locations all over Sydney. The Australian Museum finally settled in its current home in 1849. This heritage-listed building was built in the Greek revival style, designed by the New South Wales Colonial Architect, James Barnet.
During those early formative years, the museum‘s scientific staff embarked on a series of field collecting activities. The intention at that time was to develop the museum based on the contemporary European model of an encyclopaedic warehouse of cultural and natural history. The galleries then consisted mainly of large display cases filled with specimens and artefacts. Many of these can still be seen to this very day.
After a temporary hiatus caused by the outbreak of the First World War, fieldwork resumed in earnest in the 1920s. Research and gathering expeditions were launched to the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, as well as many other far flung parts of Australia, including the deep gorges of the Blue Mountains, the very place where Charles Darwin‘s ground-breaking evolutionary theory was thought to have started.
The museum‘s displays grew with the arrival of the new specimens from these expeditions. Dioramas showing specific habitat groups began to appear for the first time in the museum, captivating the imagination of visitors as they were transported through a series of different geographical settings.
Among some of the most astounding items discovered during recent field trips can be seen on the first floor landing. On display are the remains of a small human found in a cave in Flores, Indonesia. Unearthed by a joint Australian-Indonesian archaeological team, this groundbreaking discovery of a new human species took the world by storm when it was first unveiled in 2003.
The remains of 12 individuals were recovered. Carbon dating analysis indicates that the Homo floresiensis once walked the earth some 100,000 to 60,000 years ago. Although they‘re not modern man‘s direct ancestors, their unusual features and relatively recent survival suggest that our family tree is far more complex than once thought.
Even until today, the Indonesians living in the area believe in the existence of the magical ‘Ebu Gogo‘ which they describe as small, hairy cave dwellers. The scientific community waits with bated breath for the hope that perhaps a live specimen might be discovered in the near future.
EXCITING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
Apart from catering to adults, the Australian Museum has a specially-dedicated section for young children. Located on Level 2, Kidspace is a dedicated mini-museum that aims to stimulate young children‘s imaginations and encourage them to explore the natural world around them. Here, inquisitive kids and their carers are encouraged to investigate real-life objects and specimens by peering into strategically-located magnifying glasses to examine insects, study animal X-rays on light tables and even touch a real human skeleton!
At the same time, the Kidspace staff members also facilitate regular activities like games, storytelling as well as arts and craft. There‘s also a special closed-off area for babies to practise movement and actions that will help them understand the world better.
Leaving the laughter and giggles behind, I head towards the museum‘s Search and Discover Centre. Visitors to the centre have thousands of objects, animals and fossils at their fingertips. For many people like me, this place not only represents a microcosm of the museum‘s vast collection but also provides a rich interactive experience for the ordinary layman.
Among the more popular displays here are the Megafauna showcases where visitors can observe living animals up close, learn about their behaviour and habits as well as study their unique life cycles. At the same time, there are unique opportunities to touch and interact with a variety of museum objects.
This helps visitors to uncover never seen before minute details of animals and insects using actual scientific equipment.
The Search and Discover Centre staff is both helpful and knowledgeable. Aided by their expertise, I get the chance to peruse a wide range of reference books and magazines, log onto the museum‘s extensive database and check out the endless drawers of specimens and objects to find answers to my queries. For the first time in my life, I now know how to identify dangerous spiders and the methods to avoid them.
Heading out through the main exit and walking towards the busy William Street ahead, I feel a sense of conviction that the future for museums will be pretty bright and that they will continue to have a pivotal role to play in our society.
Forget dull and dark, or musty and uninteresting: modern museums are actually fun places designed for the entire family to spend quality time together while experiencing exciting stories about their past and seeing how they relate to their present lives as well as the distant future.