Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

Australia's largest regional museum, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) has two key sites a Museum at Inveresk and Art Gallery at Royal Park. The Museum is where you'll find the QVMAG Tasmanian history and natural science collections and the Art Gallery is where you can experience ten galleries, the Guan Di Temple and the ArtSparks! Family Art Space. The QVMAG is proudly owned and operated by the Launceston City Council. Our History The Victoria Museum and Art Gallery was officially opened on Wednesday 29 April 1891 by the Governor of the day, Sir Robert G C Hamilton KCB. The original building consisted of a gallery to display mineral specimens with an art gallery on the next level. The first of many extensions began in 1907 with the addition of a zoological gallery. To avoid confusion with the Victorian State Museums the Launceston City Council agreed to the amended title of 'Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.' The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery at Royal Park was heritage listed in 1978. In 1998, the Museum began the development of a new site at the former Launceston railway yards in Inveresk. The site was redeveloped by Tasmanian architectural firm Artas in collaboration with internationally renowned Australian architect, Andrew Andersons. On 23 November 2001 the Museum was officially opened to the public and a decision was made in 2007 to feature at this site, the Museum's natural science and history collections and to create a dedicated Art Gallery at the Royal Park site. On 16 September 2011, the refurbished Art Gallery was officially opened. Our Purpose The QVMAG purpose is to engage with the wider community in order to - Provide research and educational opportunities Generate and share new knowledge Increase community awareness of current understandings relevant to the institution’s collections of scientific material and build upon, maintain and conserve these collections for the benefit of future generations.