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Australian Museum
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<p>The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a <a href="/facts/Heritage-listed/tjJXeVEn">heritage-listed</a> museum at 1 <a href="/facts/William_Street%2c_Sydney/AfWXA0j0">William Street</a>, <a href="/facts/Sydney_central_business_district/pltXArXz">Sydney CBD</a>, <a href="/facts/New_South_Wales/aW7eJXSS">New South Wales</a>. It is the oldest <a href="/facts/Natural_history_museum/PzopxUgP">natural history museum</a> in Australia and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the world, with an international reputation in the fields of <a href="/facts/Natural_history/pSlAvbTX">natural history</a> and <a href="/facts/Anthropology/W6WK1C3a">anthropology</a>. </p><p>It was first conceived and developed along the contemporary European model of an encyclopedic warehouse of cultural and natural history, and features collections of <a href="/facts/Vertebrate/tT54FSTT">vertebrate</a> and <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrate</a> <a href="/facts/Zoology/6Kj13mBt">zoology</a>, as well as <a href="/facts/Mineralogy/MeIK9lx9">mineralogy</a>, <a href="/facts/Palaeontology/60n5yldd">palaeontology</a> and <a href="/facts/Anthropology/W6WK1C3a">anthropology</a>. The scientific stature of the museum was established under the curatorship of scientist <a href="/facts/Gerard_Krefft/Cq9ox2At">Gerard Krefft</a> in the 1860s. </p><p>Apart from permanent displays in its galleries, permanent and temporary exhibitions, the museum also undertakes research and is involved in community programs. Since 1973 it has operated the <a href="/facts/Lizard_Island_Research_Station/APn5hIpr">Lizard Island Research Station</a> on the <a href="/facts/Great_Barrier_Reef/3DkV4aad">Great Barrier Reef</a>, studying the ecology of coral reefs and the effects of <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">climate change</a>. The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), established in 2013, is the central hub for its researchers in Sydney. As of 2024 the CEO and executive director is <a href="/facts/Kim_McKay/m9YM7Smt">Kim McKay</a> <a href="/facts/Officer_of_the_Order_of_Australia/rx4oLyAh">AO</a>, who was the first woman to be appointed to the position in 2014. </p>