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The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is the largest among the museums
in Australia which are not located in the capital city. The Museum is administered
by the Launceston City Council and receives funds from Tasmanian State Government.
The largeness of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is equaled by its reputation
for housing some fascinating exhibits, which pertain to Australian colonial art,
contemporary craft and design, natural sciences and Tasmanian history. The Museum
also has a Chinese Temple, a Planetarium and the Launceston Railway Workshops,
which provides glimpses of Tasmania's nineteenth century industrial environs.
The Chinese Temple was once used as a place of worship by the 19th century Chinese
tin-miners.
The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is situated at two different
places- at Royal Park and at Inveresk, which was once the site of Launceston
Railway Workshops. The Museum was originally opened at Royal Park in 1890. The
acquisition of the site at Inveresk was motivated by its history and old architecture.
Inveresk was once a railway yard with over 700 people as employees. It houses
a huge Stone building, named after an engineer Edward Stone. As a railway yard,
Inveresk developed from the production of tramways to steam engine and then
to electric trains.
The Community History Centre contains many items which of immense worth to
the history of Tasmania. Among the collection, especially interesting are the
some of the costumes wore by the convicts in Tasmania. Visitors to the Centre
can purchase a copy of these items.
Apart from collecting and conserving the priceless remnants of history, the
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery also conducts research on Tasmania's natural,
historical and cultural heritage.
The admission to both the sites at Royal Park and Inveresk is free of charge
and both the Museums open at 10 daily and close at 5.
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