Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery

The stuffed and mounted dead Thylacines throughout the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery were upsetting. At least I got to see CC, the puppet cat from the ABC show Hunter.
The art gallery is kinder and had fascinating portraits of Indigenous Australians.
My highlight was the giant cast of a Muttaburrasaurus skeleton outside the doorway. It was as awesome as any actual fossil I’ve seen and you can also touch it.

In November 2012, TMAG closed its doors for some serious renovations, but IT’S BACK, BABY! And according to all knowledgeable sources, it’s vastly improved. I didn’t get my act together to visit before they closed late last year, but now that I’ve wandered through this incredible space, I really wish I had seen the BEFORE to truly appreciate the AFTER. Still…
The main entrance for visitors to the Museum and Art Gallery is through the historic Watergate wall on Dunn Place (where there is also ticket-​display parking available, up to 3hrs for up to $ 5.40). The beautiful big black doors open up onto a gorgeous courtyard full of stone and wood (and a dinosaur skeleton just hanging out up on the deck!), and from there you can head into the main entrance ahead, take a right for the new café space (serving surprisingly delicious coffee!), or take a left for the beautiful old Bond Store (maybe my favourite space, old and wooden and full of stuffed animals and birds!).
There are nooks and crannies all over the place… which isn’t surprising, as the state’s museum and art gallery takes up literally a whole city block worth of buildings. Yes, buildingS plural, though they’re all connected through a series of staircases and elevators and ramps and hallways. Do NOT (though how could you, really) miss the amazing new and strange big black sculpture-​staircase-​display case business in the centre of an amazing high-​ceilinged room. Such a dramatic and brilliant thing, flocked by (stuffed) soaring birds… stunning. A little breathtaking.
TMAG is free entry for all (though some touring exhibitions may require an entrance fee). There are cloakroom facilities available, as well as the (already mentioned) great café for a coffee or a food stop during your exploration. Get ready to settle in for at least a couple of hours before you’ve found your way through every space.