Aboriginal Archaeological Collections

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Aboriginal Archaeological Collections

The Australian Museum houses one of the largest collections of Aboriginal archaeological material in Australia, which is estimated at one million individual items.

Shell Fishhook, Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales

Fishhooks were generally made from a large turban shell. In south-eastern Australia this was the only type of fishhook used. They were a relatively recent introduction to the tool kit of coastal people and date to the last 800 years.

This collection has been assembled over more than a century. The bulk of the collection comprises stone artefacts but it also contains shell midden material, worked bone, worked shell, ochre, animal bone, charcoal and sediment samples, as well as pottery and glass artefacts.

The earliest collections were generally acquired from private individuals or collected by Australian Museum staff. More recently collections have come to the Museum as legislated under the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Act (1974).

The Australian Museum is a legal repository for archaeological material collected in New South Wales since 1967. Material deposited with the Australian Museum under the NPWS Act (1974) comes from more than 1000 archaeological sites across New South Wales.

Those interested in gaining access to these collections for research, exhibition, education or other purposes should direct their enquiries to Rebecca Conway, Project Officer for the Aboriginal Archaeological Collections.

What you should do if you find an artefact or site?

Aboriginal Archaeological Collections

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