Queen Victoria Museum at Inveresk — Attraction in Launceston

The beginnings of what is now the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery come from collections of the Royal Society of Tasmania and the Launceston Mechanics Institute, founded in 1842.

The Museum itself, originally named the Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, was officially opened in 1891 at Royal Park. The project had been many years in the planning and was originally intended to be an exhibition. The State Government advised that it would prefer to fund a museum.

The Museum building was designed by a young architect by the name of John Duncan, whose design was chosen as part of a competition.

Originally the Museum had a caretaker but no curator. The first curator was Herbert Hedley Scott, who began the role in 1897. Scott quickly built an excellent reputation with his research and curatorship gaining international attention.

To avoid confusion with the Victorian State Museums, the Launceston City Council agreed to the amended title of 'Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.'

The early collections focused on mineral specimens and natural sciences on the ground floor of the museum, with art displayed on its upper level. More space was needed, so in 1907 the first extension was built to house a zoological gallery.

In 1927 the museum gained a significant additional collection, with the purchase of the John Watt Beattie collection, a treasure trove of early colonial history and art, including an extensive convict-related collection.

Scott's successor was his son Eric who was also a well-regarded scientist, and also further developed the Historical displays. In the years following, more extensions were built and the collections and research continued to develop.

In 1998, the Museum began the development of a new site at the Launceston railway yards in Inveresk which opened in 2001. Six years later, the decision was made to create a dedicated Art Gallery at the original Royal Park site with the Inveresk site concentrating on Natural Sciences and History. The flagship 'Tasmanian Connections' exhibition opened in 2010, and in 2011 the refurbished Art Gallery finally opened as a space dedicated to Visual...

There is currently a lot of construction out front with no mention of it online. Additionally, the interactive physics/kids area and community museum were closed (the former due to covid precautions) and again, none of this is specified online nor by reception staff when entering the establishment. Electronic information placards have been put out of commission due to covid and not been replaced with even simple paper placards to explain artefacts. It's been over two years of covid-19, plenty of time to adapt. ArtRage would fit much nicer in the gallery, offering space to host more scientiffic exhibits that I know exist and are in need of hosting. All that being said, Estuary: below the surface was gorgeous, and Natural Visions was delightful. Absolutely the kind of exhibits I excpect and love from MI. I chose the museum over the seahorse house for my last day on a nostalgia trip around Launceston and found it anti-climactic. I hope UTAS aren't running another establishment into the ground.

Oh, and it was really bizarre and sort of off-putting in the Port Arthur display to have original portraits of male convicts but a "intepretive" portrait photos by students for the women convicts, when I know the same original portraits exist. Could have at the very least had both instead of erasing and caricaturising real women from...

I visited the QVMAG Museum on holiday as an international visitor. I also work in the museum sector in my home country.

The museum has a significant number of collections on display in both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The museum is well laid out and is very professionally presented. The front counter staff were very helpful and friendly on my arrival.

As a foreigner I found it very insightful to learn about the local history and prehistory of Launceston and Tasmania. The highlights for me were the Thylacine exhibit 'Precious Little Remains' and two temporary exhibitions highlighting local wetland ecosystems and the HJ King photographic collections. I spent several hours perusing the galleries and could've stayed longer. I found this museum much more engaging and than the state museum in Hobart (TMAG).

One thing I did feel was lacking was a dedicated representation of the local aboriginal history. I understand this a complex and fraught topic within collecting institutions and as a foreigner I'm not fully aware of the challenges and processes here in Australia. The recent temporary Wetlands exhibition does have a section acknowledging the local aboriginal people abd their relationship to the area.

The museum also has an excellent gift shop (better than most) featuring many Tasmanian and Australian...