Ned Kelly’s armour at the State Library of Victoria.
Travel is often about seeing things, and those things are often outsized. In Australia, we want to know if someone has seen Uluru or the Sydney Opera House or the Flinders Ranges.
But what about more modestly sized objects that might equally capture the essence of Australia and the aspirations and entertainments of its people?
What are the things that encapsulate our pop culture or our sporting and scientific achievements? What objects make our history tangible, or represent events that created our national spirit?
The list is enormous. You might think of anything from a Hills Hoist to the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, a vintage Aeroplane Jelly packet to the first Holden car.
Thinking small can be rewarding. Next time you travel in Australia, draw up a list of significant objects you want to see on top of significant landscapes or towns. Here’s a brief bucket list to get you going, but you’ll no doubt question some choices and want to add others.
Gallipoli lifeboat, Campbell, ACT
A bullet-ridden lifeboat from the Gallipoli campaign.Credit: Alamy
The treasure A steel lifeboat from HMT Ascot, painted white with timber trimmings and simple plank seats. It disembarked troops of the 13th Australian Infantry Battalion under enemy fire in World War I.
Tell me more The disastrous Gallipoli campaign of 1915 looms large in the Australian imagination as a creator of its national identity and ANZAC spirit. This fragile craft, punctured with bullet holes, is a reminder of the awful reality behind the grand myths. In one of the world’s most significant World War I collections, it joins other moving items including the letters and diaries of Gallipoli soldiers.
See it The lifeboat is in the First World War Gallery at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Open daily 10am-4pm. Admission free, but a timed ticket booked online is required, or on arrival if available. See awm.gov.au
Chinese processional dragons, Bendigo, Vic
Hand-embroidered and painted … Chinese processional dragons.
The treasure Hand-embroidered and painted dragons made from thousands of mirrored scales and satin cloth over bamboo wickerwork frames. They require many people to operate in cultural and religious events.
Tell me more The Chinese were the largest non-British immigrant group in Australia during the 1850s gold rush, and their presence influenced the subsequent White Australia Policy and our relationship with Asia. Three magnificent dragons – one is the oldest in the world, another the longest – are a defining symbol of the endurance and success of our immigrant groups. They’re surrounded by Chinese objects, from imperial robes to teapots.
See it The dragons are displayed in the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo, Victoria. The newest, Dai Gum Loong, makes parade sorties at Easter. Open daily 9.30am-5pm (closed Mondays outside school holidays), admission $16, children $10. See goldendragonmuseum.org
Indigenous wooden shield, Sydney, NSW
The treasure A sturdy shield, shaped as an elongated oval, from the Bundjalung people of the northern NSW coast. Its age is unknown but its provenance dates to 1925. It has beautiful patches of bark-brown colour and mottling.
Tell me more Any number of Indigenous objects should be admired for their artistry, ingenuity and function. Why a shield? Well, it invites us to reconsider the narrative of passive Indigenous culture and unopposed European settlement. Shields anywhere are a symbol of power and identity, and Aboriginal examples remind us of the invasion that continues to affect Indigenous Australians today. Other items on display include spears, hunting clubs, bowls, fish hooks and bark paintings.
See it The shield is on display on Level 1 of the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney. Open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday noon-4pm, free admission. See sydney.edu.au
Replica of HMB Endeavour, Sydney, NSW
Exploring the HMB Endeavour, an Australian-built replica of James Cook’s ship.
The treasure One of the world’s most accurate replica vessels, built in Australia and fully operational. Endeavour was the British Navy research vessel that sailed a 1768-71 world voyage under James Cook, during which he “discovered” Australia’s east coast.
Tell me more You’ll be gobsmacked at the cramped size of this 30-metre ship that carried 94 men in often grim conditions, although everything looks new, so you get no impression of the dirt and stench. The detail is impressive, from the 30 kilometres of rigging and 28 sails to the clutter in the Great Cabin where Cook and botanist Joseph Banks worked.
See it The ship is docked at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, unless sailing for special events. Open daily 10am-4pm (9.30am-5pm during school holidays), admission $25, children $15. See sea.museum
Eureka flag, Ballarat, Vic
A national icon… the Eureka flag at the Eureka Centre.Credit: Visit Victoria
The treasure The flag that fluttered over rebelling gold miners in 1854. The ragged, outsized flag depicts a yellowed cross studded with Southern Cross stars against a Prussian blue background.
Tell me more The Eureka Rebellion, an uprising of miners against Victoria’s colonial government, is generally seen as a political revolt and one of the founding moments of Australian democracy and notions of a fair go. Similar flags continue to be used by trade unions, protesters and the far-right. The original has several patches and ragged edges, and much of the lower-right corner is missing, yet it is impressive in its tattered defiance.
See it The flag is the centrepiece of the Eureka Centre in Ballarat on the probable site of the 1854 Eureka Stockade. Open daily 10am-5pm, admission $7, children $5. See eurekacentreballarat.com.au
Sir Donald Bradman’s cricket bats, Adelaide, SA
The Bradman Collection.
The treasure Several bats belonging to the sport’s greatest batsman – to some the world’s greatest sportsperson – who played for Australia between 1928 and 1948. The bats are smaller and lighter than modern bats, with thinner edges.
Tell me more It wouldn’t be a proper Australian list without sporting memorabilia, and surely no relics are imbued with more mystique than Bradman’s bats – although you can see his trophies, match balls and clothes too. Two screens play rare visuals of his batting action in Tests. Giant photos of the sporting hero and low lighting add to the hagiographic effect. Test your own batting skills in interactive displays.
See it The bats are part of the Bradman Collection at Adelaide Oval. Open daily 9am-4pm other than event days, free admission. See adelaideoval.com.au
Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft, Darwin, NT
Most of us will never encounter it, so peering inside is fascinating… a retired RFDS Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.Credit: Tourism NT/Shaana McNaught
The treasure A decommissioned Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, fully fitted out with medical equipment, including a stretcher, ventilator and neonatal unit. More than 30 such Pilatus aircraft are still in use by the RFDS.
Tell me more Established in 1928, the RFDS was a brilliant antidote to the remoteness of outback Australia, and is the world’s largest aero medical service. Most of us will never encounter it, so peering inside this plane is fascinating. Put on virtual-reality goggles and you can see what it’s like to fly with a patient. Touchscreens and a life-size hologram of RFDS founder John Flynn provide background information.
See it The plane is at RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility in Darwin. Open daily 9am-4pm October-March, 9am-5pm April-September and 10am-3pm on most public holidays, admission $30, children $17. See rfdsdarwin.com.au
Cobb & Co carriages, Toowoomba, Qld
The treasure Two stagecoaches, built in Australia in the late 19th century and used for our most prominent passenger and mail transport business. Both are red with gold lettering, one faded and worn, the other extensively restored and one closer to the original.
Tell me more Cobb & Co was established in Melbourne in 1853 by four Americans and soon became closely associated with the goldfields and outback. Romanticised in literature and painting, the coaches became part of our bush and bushranger myths, so getting up close to them is a thrill. The collection includes wagons, carts, buggies and other vehicles.
See it The carriages are displayed in the National Carriage Collection at Queensland Museum Cobb+Co in Toowoomba. Open daily 9am-4pm, admission $12.50, children $6.50. See museum.qld.gov.au
Quinkan Indigenous rock art, Laura, Qld
Outback gallery … Quinkan rock art.
The treasure An extensive collection of rock paintings and engravings 15,000 to 30,000 years old on sandstone escarpments, depicting wildlife and Aboriginal ancestral spirits and cultural practices.
Tell me more A dozen rock-art sites should be on this list, but these galleries are notable for the quality, quantity and variety, and for showing an evolution of style and subject matter over millennia. Scramble up to these remote overhangs to be confronted by Timara and Imjim spirits, and your neck will tingle at this ancient interpretation of the world and the defiance of humans in the immensity of time and space.
See it The rock art is at Quinkan Reserves outside Laura in Far North Queensland. Only Split Rock Gallery can be visited without a guide. Open daily 8.30am-4pm, admission $30, over-12s $15. See anggnarra.org.au; tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
Ned Kelly’s armour, Melbourne, Vic
Ned Kelly’s armour at the State Library of Victoria.
The treasure The battered body plates, shoulder plates and slitted helmet worn by the infamous bushranger at the 1880 Glenrowan siege, during which he was captured. The cumbersome armour – how could Kelly see or walk? – is made from metal refashioned from ploughs.
Tell me more The armour, a defining image of the short-lived Kelly Gang, is one of Australia’s most recognisable symbols. The story behind it is as contentious and complex as any about early European Australia, with Kelly popularly considered a heroic underdog. Other gang members’ armour shown at Victoria Police Museum tells another story, of criminality and the murder of three policemen.
See it The armour is in the Redmond Barry Reading Room – named after the library’s founder, the judge who sentenced Kelly to hang – at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. Open daily 10am-6pm, free admission. See slv.vic.gov.au, policemuseum.vic.gov.au
Royal Commission of Assent, Parkes, ACT
The treasure The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 united Australia’s six self-governing colonies into a federation and created some of its institutions and rules. The Royal Commission of Assent signed it into law. It’s a single vellum sheet, attached by a crimson cord to a wax seal inside a silver case.
Tell me more This is the moment modern Australia came into being, thanks to Queen Victoria’s scribbled signature on the document’s top left. Petitions, letters, constitutional amendments and patents are among other exhibits. You can also see the Australia Act 1986, which severed our last remaining legal ties with the United Kingdom.
See it The act is displayed in the Voices/Dhuniai Gallery at the Australian National Archives in Canberra. Open 9am-5pm daily, free admission. See naa.gov.au
Tasmanian tiger pelt, Hobart, Tas
Gone but not forgotten … thylacine pelt.
The treasure The flayed pelt of one of our most iconic but extinct animals. The skin is spread out to show off a longish tail, line of dark fur along the spine, and modest stripes that bear little resemblance to a tiger’s.
Tell me more The thylacine is proudly used as a corporate and government symbol in Tasmania, but this skin stretched on a white table is forlorn, and reminds us of our fraught relationship with nature and ability to extinguish native species. It belongs to the last known thylacine, which died in a Hobart zoo in 1936, and is part of a broader exhibit (including another mounted skin) that relates the sad tale of the species’ needless demise.
See it The pelt is displayed in the Henry Hunter Galleries at the Tasmanian Museum in Hobart. Open daily 10am-4pm January-March, closed Mondays April-December, free admission. See tmag.tas.gov.au
Convict leg irons, Sydney, NSW
Convict leg irons.
The treasure The leg irons come in several shapes and sizes and were worn on ships coming out from England, and by convicts who re-offended in Australia. They have a grim, homemade but serviceable look and weigh more than three kilograms.
Tell me more It wouldn’t be an Aussie list without convict memorabilia, among which you can see Bibles, earthenware jars, bottles, pennies, tobacco pipes, barrows, saws and clothes. But nothing says convict more than leg irons, which represent Australia’s long relationship with violence. Other disturbing items include a ball and chain and cat-o’-nine tails. Certificates of freedom and free pardons show we came good in the end, though.
See it The leg irons are displayed at Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney, an elegant design by convict architect Francis Greenway. Open daily 10am-4pm, free admission but pre-booked ticket recommended. See mhnsw.au
The Big Merino, Goulburn, NSW
Gourburn’s ‘big thing’... The Big Merino.Credit: Sara Fife/Capital Country Tourism
The treasure An outsized 1985 novelty concrete sculpture modelled (down to its testicles) on a stud ram called Rambo. At 97 tonnes and 15.2 metres tall, it’s one of our biggest and best-known Big Things, and it’s reputedly Australia’s tallest statue.
Tell me more Nothing symbolises kitschy Australian pop culture more than roadside Big Things, conceived as 1960s tourist attractions, yet now cult objects and sometimes heritage listed. We have a banana, prawn, pineapple and dozens of others but, given Australia was built on the sheep’s back, perhaps the most apposite is the Big Merino. Check the wool gift shop inside, and clamber up to its eye and peer out.
See it The Big Merino is adjacent a service station on Sowerby Street in Goulburn, near the Hume Highway. Open daily 8.30am-5pm, free admission. See thebigmerino.com.au
Ice-core drill, Acton, ACT
The treasure A metal drill head used by Australian glaciologist and climate scientist Vin Morgan, who between 1989 and 1993 led an ambitious ice-core drilling project in Antarctica that advanced our understanding of climate change.
Tell me more Australians undervalue scientific achievements, preferring to dwell on our sporting ones, yet we’ve invented transformational things from the bionic ear and polymer banknotes to Wi-Fi technology. Any number of scientific objects might be included here but, given the pressing issue of climate change, it’s sobering to gaze on this drill, which plucked deep ice cores from Antarctica that gave us a 90,000-year climate record. It features alongside a ceramic artwork entitled Anthropogenic Scrolls, inspired by the ice cores.
See it The drill is in the Great Southern Land gallery at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. Open daily 9am-5pm, free admission. See nma.gov.au
Five more classic Australian objects
Qantas Boeing 747, Qld
Wing it… Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
It’s a thrill to see this monster 747-238B up close at Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, even better to do a one-hour tour taking in unusual parts of the aircraft including a walk on its wing. Some 5.4 million of us flew on this plane. Another pleasing sight is the Douglas DC-3 VH-EAP flown by Qantas Empire Airways from 1948. See qfom.com.au
Batavia’s hull, WA
When Dutch East India Company ship Batavia ran aground off Western Australia in 1629, some crew famously mutinied and a massacre followed. You can see part of the ship’s stern at the WA Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle, alongside cannon and other salvaged items. Low lighting provides a suitably eerie atmosphere. See museum.wa.gov.au
Budj Bim eel traps, Vic
Not so much a single object as an entire system of channels and ponds used by the Gunditjmara people to farm eels around Lake Condah in south-west Victoria. One of the world’s oldest aquaculture systems (6000 years) is testament to Indigenous landscape management. Archaeological evidence even suggests stone-built villages existed at this extraordinary World Heritage-listed site. See budjbim.com.au
Phar Lap’s heart, ACT
Phar Lap ... the famed racehorse’s heart is among the most-viewed exhibits at the National Museum of Australia.
The preserved, unusually large heart of the inspirational Depression-era racehorse at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra is one of its most gawked-at – if macabre – exhibits. The gallery reopens in early winter 2025 following reorganisation. Meanwhile you can see the taxidermied Phar Lap and other memorabilia at Melbourne Museum. See nma.gov.au, museumsvictoria.com.au
Moon rock, Vic
Australian tracking stations play a vital role in NASA space missions, so we can claim the moon mission among our scientific achievements. Check out this moon fragment inside a nitrogen-filled glass cabinet in Melbourne Museum: the grey basalt looks ordinary, yet is curiously compelling. See museumsvictoria.com.au