Welcome

The Museum of Antiquities at the University of New England is the only archaeological museum anywhere in inland Australia. It is a special resource to the whole New England area.

Visitors are welcome, whether individuals or as groups.

How to find the Museum

If you are driving into or through Armidale, you will see signs for the University of New England on the highway bypass or as you come into the city from either end.

Location within the University

The Museum is situated in the Arts Faculty building. If you come into the building through the western door, it is straight ahead.

Entry Fees

Entry to the Museum is free, but because the Museum has a very small budget, donations are always most welcome.

History of the Museum

The Museum began in 1959 as part of the Department of Classics and has been developed consistently since as a result of purchases and donations, particularly of the Woite and Stewart Collections. The Museum boasts an excellent selection of antiquities from the civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean and the Near East which has been more recently complemented by materials from Australia, S.E. Asia, New Guinea and the Pacific region provided by through Museum purchases and private donations.

The museum is managed by an Honorary Board, and the current honorary curator is Dr. Pat Watters. Any questions about the collection and/or the displays can be directed to him via e-mail. Further information on some of the displays is available on an interactive audio-visual display, located within the museum.

There are well over 1000 items accessioned in the Museum, approximately two-thirds of which come from the Mediterranean Basin, while most of the remainder are ethnographic items from Australia, Oceania and Asia. A small number of items come from other continents such as Meso-America and Africa.