The Western Australian Museum was established in 1891 (as the ‘Perth Museum’) and its initial collections were of geological, ethnological and biological specimens. Indeed, it can claim to be one of the oldest scientific institutions in the State. In 1959, its botanical collection was transferred to the new Herbarium and it continued to concentrate on earth sciences and zoology. The 1960s and 1970s saw the addition of responsibility for developing and maintaining the State’s anthropological, archaeological, maritime archaeological and social and cultural history collections. The Museum’s aim is to advocate knowledge about the collections and communicate it to the public through a variety of media, but particularly through a program of exhibitions and publications.