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world – refugees, asylum seekers, etc.
– all those stories will be in Connections.
Importantly, and not in a jingoistic way, but
we get to actually celebrate the fact that
we are not constantly looking to the east
coast, but north and west [of WA],” Coles
said.
The expansive divide between Austral-
ia’s west and east coasts makes the coun-
try a biodiversity hotspot. There is believed
to be some 16,000 native species native
to WA alone (Wildlife gallery), which goes
some way to explaining the conscientious
effort required by mining companies in the
State when conducting flora and fauna
studies before any natural habitats or land-
scapes are disturbed.
“The world isn’t organised in a way that
curators organise galleries, but all these
things interlink. The Changes gallery is all
can learn without realising they are learn- population, which people forget. We can about how the planet has changed under
ing.” get to London, Singapore and Africa from human influence, while Origins [gallery] is
Coles spoke to Paydirt ahead of practi- Perth,” Foundation for the WA Museum again closely linked to the mining industry,
cal completion of the brand-new WA Mu- chief executive Jenny Allen told Paydirt. with everything from the big bang and for-
seum in Northbridge in late 2019. WA’s proximity to key markets, particu- mation of earth. The fact that we have the
Designed by globally revered architects larly in Asia, has also enabled the mining earth’s oldest rocks here means that will
Hassell+OMA and built by Multiplex, the sector to flourish and while the quality of be a fantastic gallery of minerals in Origins
heritage of the old building has been re- the minerals the State has sparked that which is about the universe, from the big
tained and blended with a contemporary interest, the relationships fostered over bang right up to things like SKA,” Coles
look which makes it three times the size of generations has inspired the many miner- said.
the former space. als booms. “That is also a good example of how
Official opening of the new WA Museum The Connections gallery, sponsored by Aboriginal voices will be represented
is scheduled for November and will feature Tianqi Lithium, will showcase WA’s en- throughout the whole of the museum. In
eight major galleries plus a 1,000 sqm spe- gagement with the rest of the world. addition to the contemporary scientific
cial exhibition gallery. Free general admis- “[Connections] will be about everything theories – we are looking at the wide field
sion to the WA Museum has been granted from the early diasporas coming here, array and the radio telescope and signals
for the first 18 months of operation. waves of migration over many years, trade from outer space – we will also be talking
Mining is an integral part of the State’s links – hence the Tianqi connection – and about the Seven Sisters story and aborigi-
DNA and the sector’s ever-evolving prac- the whole Indian Ocean relationship. Fur- nal views around creation.”
tices will be captured and showcased in thermore, our history and standing in de- – Mark Andrews
the Innovations gallery, of which Rio Tinto fence and how we relate to the rest of the
Ltd is the main sponsor.
“Everything from the earliest human
technologies right up to the driverless
trucks and trains is what we are working
with Rio Tinto to present at the museum.
There will be a realness to that gallery, you
won’t be just looking at things in a cabinet,
there will be quite a lot of activity,” Coles
said.
Digital and multimedia platforms will be
available for visitors to use and it is hoped
the museum will be the gateway to WA for
domestic and international travellers.
Based on a free admission model, early
projections are that some 800,000 people
will pass through the museum in the first
12 months, adding it to the list of things to
do in WA, particularly for tourists.
“That is something that we should be
pushing; WA is close to 60% of the world’s

aUSTRaLIa’S PaYDIRT FeBRUaRY 2020 Page 13