Supporting regional museums and State-wide programs
The WA Museum is here for all people across the entire state of Western Australia, and its research activites and care responsibilities cover the State from North to South, East to West, and even extend to the marine environments and shipwrecks along the coast.
The major Museum venues in Geraldton, Goldfields and Albany provide a wealth of stories about their regions and WA more broadly. The WA Museum also supports the Gwoonwardu Mia Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre in Carnarvon, and operates a travelling "Museum in a Container" that visits communities who would not otherwise be able to visit a traditional museum site.
The Foundation provides funding for priority projects across the State to ensure the WA Museum can reach the entire WA community and work across the entire state.
Dawson’s Burrowing Bee Education Project - Gwoonwardu Mia
The Dawson’s Burrowing Bee is big hairy, solitary,
ground-nesting species native to the Gascoyne region often called Mungurrgurra or sometimes Jurrabarri. Females burrow into bare clay flats to make their nests and like many other ‘solitary’ bees, exhibits gregarious tendencies. An active nesting colony may contain up to 10,000 burrows and can provide one of the most exciting entomological experiences.
With the help of the Foundation's 2021 Impact Circle donors, the Gwoonwardu Mia Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre was able to develop a legacy education program focused on the bee, including a bee model, diorama, interactive activities and storytelling.
Dr Terry Houston, Research Associate at the Department of Terrestrial Zoology (Entomology) worked closely with Antoinette (Toni) Roe, Operations Manager of Engagements and Events and the cultural knowledge keeper for Gwoonwardu Mia. This was a rare opportunity for two experts to join forces to create content that links both Indigenous knowledge and the scientific research around these unique specimens.
Nullarbor Plain Fossil Collection
This fieldtrip in 2021/22 recovered several mammal and land snail fossils from the Nullarbor Plain.
The excavation of fossils provides the WA Museum with new research opportunities and specimens to exhibit. The project was a multi-disciplinary collaboration between WA Museum staff in Terrestrial Zoology, Aquatic Zoology and Earth and Planetary Sciences.
The research undertaken during the fossil collection revealed new insights into the biology of extinct species and ancient habitat information.
