The National Museum of Australia (NMA) in Canberra has opened a major new permanent gallery and Port Macquarie is highlighted.
Landmarks: People and Places across Australia considers 10 themes in Australian life, exploring how each has unfolded in particular places across the country. Every place shows us something about who we are and how we live in this land. Bringing together more than 1500 objects, Landmarks explores Australian history since European settlement
The Port Macquarie display is included in the Spirit of Inquiry theme, and looks at the way three individuals have explored their surroundings, engaging with Port Macquarie’s landscapes, plants, animals and people. It sits alongside stories about medical research at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Townsville and the development of education and research at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Annabella (Innes) Boswell, William John (WJ) Macdonnell and Thomas Dick each explored different aspects of Port Macquarie’s environment. Their passion and extraordinary curiosity is obvious in the detailed records and observations they left.
“One of the interesting aspects of the work we’ve undertaken in the exhibit is also exploring how these people and their recorded investigations help us understand and interpret the past and their areas of interest. The National Museum of Australia worked in partnership with the Port Macquarie Historical Society & Museum, the Port Macquarie Astronomical Association Inc, the Thomas Dick Family Stakeholder Group and Port Macquarie Hastings Council over the past three years, in the development of the exhibition,” said NMA Curator Leah Bartsch.
