Open daily, Queensland Museum Kurilpa (museum.qld.gov.au/kurilpa; free) provides an engaging journey through the state’s history. The institution's collection includes a skeleton of the state’s own dinosaur, Muttaburrasaurus, and the Avian Cirrus, the tiny plane in which Queensland’s Bert Hinkler made the first England-to-Australia solo flight, in 1928. The fascinating natural history galleries include many taxidermied examples of only-in-Australia wildlife species.
A surprising highlight of the museum's Anzac Legacy military gallery is Mephisto, a German tank, captured by Aussie diggers (soldiers) on the Western Front in France in 1918 and brought back to Australia following the end of WWI. The iron behemoth is the only surviving example of a Sturmpanzerwagen A7V and is regarded as the world's rarest tank.
One-off exhibitions featuring at the museum could include everything from the cultural impact of migrants from Papua New Guinea in Queensland to the intersection of fashion, club culture and the LGBTIQ+ scene in 1990s Brisbane. Check online to see what's currently scheduled.
Free one-hour guided tours (weekdays from 11am and weekends from 3pm) provide an overview of the museum's collections. Tours depart from the museum's cavernous Whale Mall underneath three extremely lifelike fiberglass whales. It's a good idea to register online before joining a tour. Look for the signage with a handy QR code.
For younger visitors, the museum's SparkLab features interactive exhibits delving into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. Expect queues of aspiring scientists and engineers during school holidays.
