Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) is a museum and art gallery in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1891, it holds the distinction of being the largest museum in Australia not located in a capital city. The institution operates across two sites and maintains collections spanning fine art, colonial history, natural sciences, and design, serving as a major cultural institution for northern Tasmania.

The origins of the collection date to 1842, though the institution itself formally began when the foundation stone for the original building was laid by Launceston Mayor Robert Carter on 21 June 1887. The museum opened in 1891 as the Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, with Alexander Morton of the Hobart museum serving as honorary curator until 1896. Herbert Hedley Scott became curator in May 1897 and built an international reputation for his research and curatorial work; his son, Eric Oswald Gale Scott, succeeded him in 1938. The Launceston City Council changed the name to Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in 1926 to avoid confusion with the state of Victoria. A zoological gallery extension was added in 1907, and the museum acquired the collection of John Watt Beattie in 1927, significantly strengthening its early colonial holdings including an extensive convict collection. The most recent major development came with the construction of a second site at Inveresk in the former Launceston Railway Yards, which opened in 2001. In 2007, the institution reorganized: the original Royal Park site became dedicated to art, while Inveresk focused on natural sciences and history. The main exhibition Tasmanian Connections opened in 2010, and the renovated art gallery was inaugurated in 2011.

QVMAG's collections encompass history, natural sciences, visual arts, and design. The museum is particularly recognized for its holdings in colonial art, contemporary craft and design, Tasmanian history, and natural sciences, with particular strength in zoology. The institution has also published scholarly journals including Records of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Occasional Papers of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and Technical Reports of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, reflecting its active research role in Tasmanian ecology and history.

Among the museum's signature holdings is a complete Chinese temple used by nineteenth-century Chinese tin miners, offering rare material evidence of Tasmania's Chinese mining heritage. The museum also operates a working planetarium and maintains displays related to Launceston's industrial environment and railway workshops. The Victoria Cross awarded to Lewis McGee is housed in the collection. The John Watt Beattie collection, acquired in 1927, remains a cornerstone of the colonial五指山 early colonial and convict history holdings.

The museum occupies two distinct locations. The original site at Royal Park in Launceston housed the institution from its 1891 opening. This building was designed by the young architect John Duncan. The second site at Inveresk, located at the former Launceston Railway Workshops at coordinates 41.4280°S 147.1407°E, opened in 2001 after construction began in 1998. Following the 2007 reorganization, Royal Park became the dedicated art gallery space, while Inveresk hosts natural science and history exhibitions. The museum stands on the traditional lands of the Stoney Creek Nation, comprising the Tyerrenotepanner, Leterremairrener, and Panninher clans.

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is owned by the City of Launceston and receives support from the Tasmanian Government. Visitors can access the institution at both its Royal Park and Inveresk sites in Launceston. The museum's official website is http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au.