Your guide to the free exhibitions, talks and tours at Queensland Museum Kurilpa
Looking to work a little culture into your week without opening your wallet? Queensland Museum Kurilpa is serving up a steady stream of free exhibitions, talks and guided tours, making it easy to fill your calendar with fun and interesting activities, any day of the week.
Free exhibitions at Queensland Museum
un/tethered: connections through storytellers from Papua New Guinea
Open daily until Sunday April 19
Intimate and powerful, un/tethered brings together the stories of six creative women from the Papua New Guinea diaspora community in Queensland. Through personal objects and items drawn from the museum’s collection, the exhibition explores belonging, memory and the emotional pull of home across distance and generations. Presented alongside the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s Independence, this free exhibition offers a thoughtful look at how identity is shaped by both what we carry with us and what we leave behind.
Make a Scene: Fashioning Queer Identity and Club Culture in the 90s
Open daily until Sunday July 19
Make a Scene throws the spotlight on Brisbane’s underground LGBTQIA+ club culture of the 1990s. Featuring more than 70 ensembles from the museum’s costume collection, the exhibition celebrates fashion as a tool for fearless self-expression, connection and community. Expect bold silhouettes, iconic local labels and a vivid sense of the dancefloor energy that shaped a generation.
Free events at Queensland Museum
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In Conversation: un/tethered – Matriarchs, Memory and Cultural Connection
Saturday February 7, 10:00–10:45 am
This engaging multigenerational panel discussion dives deeper into the stories behind the un/tethered exhibition, exploring how cultural traditions are held, adapted and passed down through matriarchs across different stages of life.
Lunchtime Lectures
Last Thursday of every month, 12:30–1:30 pm
Keen to learn while you lunch? Ideal for a midday culture fix, these monthly 30-minute talks offer behind-the-scenes insights into the research shaping the museum, from intriguing social history to thrilling new technologies. BYO lunch is encouraged!
Free Daily Highlights Tour
Monday to Friday at 11:00 am, Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm
Led by Queensland Museum’s knowledgeable guides, these no-cost 45-minute tours offer a curated snapshot of the museum’s vast collection, spanning ancient specimens, First Nations histories and contemporary stories. Ideal for all ages, the daily tours uncover the ‘hidden stories’ of the museum.
While all offerings are free, bookings are often required via the Queensland Museum website – so it’s worth planning ahead.
This article was written in partnership with our good friends at Queensland Museum Kurilpa.