150th Anniversary of the Burke and Wills Expedition
Friday 20 August marks the 150th anniversary of the departure of the Burke and Wills Expedition from Melbourne. The expedition involved 19 men aided by camels and cameleers with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres. At the time most of the inland of Australia had not be explored by non-indigenous people and was completely unknown to European settlers. Find out more and celebrate this momentous event with a visit to the Australia’s Muslim Cameleers exhibition.
Date: 20 August 2010
Australia’s Muslim Cameleers: Pioneers of the Inland 1860s – 1930s
This exhibition reveals the remarkable contribution that Australia’s first Muslim community, from Afghanistan and British India, made to the exploration and settlement of Australia’s arid interior. Cameleers assisted all major expeditions into Australia’s uncharted interior starting with the Burke and Wills expedition in 1860 and have contributed significantly to Australia’s economic and cultural development. Exhibits include fascinating photographs, camel saddles, historic clothing, textiles and original documents.
Date: Until 19 September 2010
Spring school holidays
Learn about the world’s youngest nation, East Timor, at the Immigration Museum these school holidays. Join in and try the East Timorese tradition of weaving Tais or make your own traditional kite. Explore stories from Victoria’s East Timorese community and discover the ritual called Se Matebian in the new exhibition, Honouring our Ancestors: Remembering Timor Leste.
Date: 18 September – 3 October 2010
Honouring our Ancestors: Remembering Timor Leste
This exhibition explores a ritual called Se Matebian, which takes place each year on All Souls Day and honours East Timorese ancestors. It looks at how the East Timorese community in Australia continue to practise this ritual today. Personal stories and reflections of people from the East Timorese community are shared and featured objects include a silver breast plate and head piece worn by elders during ceremonial peace, a silver jewellery box with an ancestral worship home on top, jewellery associated with ancestors, timber statues representing ancestors, hand woven baskets and East Timorese fabrics.
Date: From 19 September 2010
Survival of a Culture: Kurds in Australia
This exhibition explores how the Kurdish culture has survived through adversity, invasion, and division of the Kurds’ traditional lands. Survival of a Culture: Kurds in Australia examines the traditions at the core of the Kurdish culture that have enabled it to survive, and which Kurds proudly maintain in Australia today. A variety of objects on display include traditional costumes, instruments, hand-made carpets, hand-woven crafts and pewter ware.
Date: Until 12 September 2010
West Africa: Rhythm and Spirit
From spiritual beliefs to daily life, masks to music, cloth to carving, West Africa: Rhythm and Spirit explores the array of vibrant and dynamic cultures of West Africa. Bordered by the Sahara Desert to the north, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south, West Africa is an area of tradition and change. This exhibition features over 200 objects from 28 different West African cultures, exploring kingship and authority, carved figures, pattern and adornment, divination, masks and masquerades and trade. West Africa: Rhythm and Spirit is based on a collection of Joel A. and Patricia H. Vanderburg from Otago, New Zealand. The objects were collected from 1964-1975 while living in Nigeria and Ghana (all items legitimately exported).
Date: 12 November 2010 to 29 May 2011
Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne. Open daily 10.00am to 5.00pm. Admission: Adult $8, child/concession FREE. More info 13 11 02 or museumvictoria.com.au/immigration museum