National Museum of Australia

 

 - darkometer rating: 3

 

An eminent museum, opened in 2001, in Australia’s capital city Canberra – and one of the city’s principal national treasures. Its home on the Acton Peninsula in Lake Burley Griffin (see under Canberra!) has itself a dark prehistory. Previously it was the location of the Royal Canberra Hospital, which had closed in 1991, and was scheduled for demolition in July 1997 to make space for the new museum. The demolition was to be by so-called ‘building implosion’, with systematically placed explosives intended to make the structure collapse in on itself. Such events often draw large crowds, and in Canberra on this occasion it was even advertised a spectator event and around 100,000 people turned up. But the implosion went disastrously wrong and debris flew hundreds of metres from the site even reaching the other side of the lake where a huge crowd had gathered. One child was hit by flying debris and died on the spot, several other people were injured.

 

The National Museum’s contents also include several elements that are of a dark nature. One main focus is the history of the native Australians, the Aboriginals, and how they became victims of the British colonization of the continent.

 

Another dark aspect is the coverage of the British nuclear testing programme at Maralinga.

 

A particular focus is also on the case of the death of baby girl Azaria Chamberlain at Uluru in 1980, after her abduction by a dingo. This was followed by one of the most spectacular cases of miscarriage of justice in Australia’s history (for more on this see the Australia chapter here), in which Azaria’s mother Lindy was sentenced for murder in 1982 and went to prison. Years later Azaria’s matinee jacket was found at a dingos’ den confirming Lindy’s story and leading to her release and subsequent rehabilitation (lucky that the death sentence had been abolished just a few years earlier). The museum’s collection includes the family car, which played a crucial role in the court case, as well as items of clothing that belonged to Azaria and Lindy. The original matinee jacket is also in the possession of the museum, but it’s kept in storage and, as agreed with Lindy, will not be put on public display during her lifetime.

 

Unfortunately I did not have a chance to visit the museum myself when I was in Canberra, as it was too late by the time I got there on my loop tour (see under Canberra – access), so I can’t say anything about it from first-hand experience.

 

You can get to the museum by bus line 53 from the Civic and Braddon districts to the stop Lawson Crescent – or even walk it (takes a good half hour), or if you have a vehicle you can drive there. The museum’s car park, however, charges a fee of 4.20 AUD per hour (or 17.50 for all day) on weekdays, while it’s free to park at weekends and on public holidays.

 

Opening times: daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed only on Christmas Day.

 

Admission is free.

 

Location: the museum’s address is Lawson Crescent, Acton, ACT; it’s on a peninsula that dips into Lake Burley Griffin from its north shore.

 

Google Maps locator: [-35.2929, 149.1205]