The Australian Museum, Sydney

Here's another "never been": The Australian Museum. It's located downtown, so I jumped on the bus, swung by my favorite bookstore (Abbey's Independent Booksellers in downtown Sydney) and then hiked across Hyde Park to get to the museum. Along the way, went by the Anzac Memorial (1-7). I've been inside before, and they're in the midst of doing a ton of landscaping outside. So I stayed outside. Still, I love the carved figures along the facade (2-4, 6-7); each represents a different branch of the Australian New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC).

Through the park, I also discovered a whole cluster of agapanthus in bloom (8-12). I find it fascinating the way the huge flower clusters open from a tiny bud (8). Here they were, in all states of openning in this headge of agapanthus. Depending on how much sun they got made them more open or less. (I guess sort of like people!)

Finally we arrive at the museum entrance (13-14). It's in an old building that has been renovated for the museum. From the museum entrance, you get some nice views of the city (15) and of the Cathedral of Sydney (16). Here are some nice artsy images of the old parts of the museum building and it's windows (17-18). And here's some new windows taken from inside the "crystal gallery," the new entryway (19).

After paying about $20 you can go in and see an exhibit of 200 treasures from all over the world. I love the use of the old building (20). And they didn't take away it's charm when they redid it; here's a wonderful staircase (21).

And now a series of images from the first gallery. These caught my eye though there were lots more to see: an armadillo skeleton, under it's shell (22); a stuffed lyre bird (23, Remember the video of last week?); a mother and child sculpture from Africa (24, I love the way they are captured the figures without any guile. It's as if to say, "This is all of me, there is nothing I should feel embarrassed about here!"); fan coral (25); Polynesian marionettes (26); an African mask (27, thank you Picasso, I will never look at masks the same!); a collection of natural, brilliantly colored shells (28); the remains of a real "hobbit" discoverd in the south pacific (29, and yes, it was shorter than me). Here is a final shot of looking down into the three levels of gallery in the main room (30). Notice the moose skeleton that you could see in the earlier photo.

And then we moved to another part of the building…or perhaps it's buildings. Here you can see the way they covered across two buildings to make an nice atrium with a cafe (31). Then we stepped into a gallery of items from the South Pacific. Here are some dijeridoos (32, aboriginal instruments that make some very unique sounds). Here is a video of someone playing the instrument so you can hear what it sounds like:

Continuing is a collection of shields (33-34); decorated "burial posts" (35) (I assume no tombs were desecrated!); hand painted cloths (36); mother of pearl bowls (37); original art of kangaroos (38) and ring tailed possums (39); a boat made from a tree (40, I would tip it!); and this is artwork made from abandoned plastic nets that become a hazard to marine wildlife (41). The aboriginal group that made this crab is trying to bring awareness to the destruction caused by such nets.

Finally, here are a couple of other rooms dedicated to wildlife: some stuffed African animals (42, 43); the only duck-billed platypus I have ever seen in Australia (44); an elephant's skeleton and a close up of a foot (45-46); and a walrus skull, tusks and all (47).

A side room of minerals (48-51; they almost don't look possible!) and then some more collections of eggs from various birds (52-53) and jewel like beetles (54).

The last section was made up of dinosaurs, my favorite as a kid and, to be honest, still today! (55-64) They had a life-sized T-Rex and made it look like they were doing an autopsy of the animal (56-57). Here you can see how the creature might have had feathers when young. (Apparently they found some fossils that showed feathers?!) Here is a photo of my foot with the red being the outline of a sauropod's foot (60)! And some cool sculptures of the more famous dinosuars to scale…very neat to see them at full size! (61-63, detail 64)

Next week I willl show you the traveling part of the museum, the actual reason I came: a collection of award winning photos of Australia for National Geographic Australia!