Explore our Great Southern Land

A 21st birthday marks a significant milestone; a firm evolution to a new level of maturity. For the National Museum of Australia (NMA), 2022 marks 21 years of the institution preserving and telling the stories of Australia’s social history, as well as our unique and distinctive land, nation, and people. It will also see the NMA complete the most significant redevelopment of its galleries to date with the opening of the Great Southern Land gallery.

The new permanent gallery will explore Australia’s fundamental deep connections to the land, and its ancient landscapes, fauna, flora, and diverse communities. “The Great Southern Land gallery will explore the vast and complex Australian continent, its ancient origins, geological features, unique species, natural forces and the part humans play in the ecosystem. It will feature many objects and digital interactives which take gallery design to new levels,” said NMA director, Dr Mathew Trinca. “When the new gallery opens, visitors will be immersed in the incredible ecological and natural history of the Australian continent and reflect on the role they play in this important and challenging story.” Expected to open in mid-2022, the Great Southern Land gallery will feature interactive and immersive digital experiences, and more than 1,200 objects, many of which have never been displayed before. It was designed by Local Projects, the team behind the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York and the renewal of the Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney.

INSPIRING A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

The gallery will speak to the stories that showcase a love of the land, custodianship of country and our responsibilities to it. It will optimistically explore how listening to this ancient continent will help us address global environmental challenges, now and into the future, and inspire visitors to rethink their own connection to the land, and the role they can play in preserving it. It’s a fitting addition for Canberra, which was named the world’s most sustainable city in 2021 by UK comparison company Uswitch, and was also the first Australian jurisdiction to be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, which was achieved back in 2020. “The gallery aims to connect visitors to the continent’s rich biodiversity and seasonal rhythms, and in doing so to inspire love, care, and respect towards the natural environments we call home,” says Dr Trinca. The permanent Great Southern Land gallery forms part of the NMA’s transformative Master Plan, announced in late 2018, which will see upgrades to the museum and an extended range of public experiences.

AN ENHANCED EVENT EXPERIENCE

The Great Southern Land gallery will also create two additional event and meeting spaces, both due to open mid-2022. The Gallery Mezzanine will be an open venue next to the Visions Theatre, available for exclusive use and seating up to 200 guests. The space suits a breakout area, exhibition zone, cocktail lounge or dramatic dinner space, immersed amongst the gallery. Adjoining the Theatre will be Visions Landing, an intimate space overlooking Lake Burley Griffin through floor to ceiling windows. The venue seats up to 40 guests and suits a breakout area, bar space or dinner spot for smaller groups. The Great Southern Land gallery will diversify the institution’s already memorable functions offering, providing new ways for planners to create unique and memorable events in Canberra from 2022.

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