About the Collections

Natural History

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Natural History *

The divisions of this collection largely contain specimens I have collected myself along with some occasional purchases.

Divisions of Natural History:

  • Marine Zoology, including shells, sponges, and urchin tests

  • Land Snails

  • Entomology

  • Ornithology, including bird nests and skeletons

  • Botanical Curios, such as dried gourds, unusual seed pods, etc.

  • Algae and Sea Plants, pressed and dried

  • Geology and Fossils

All the specimens were collected responsibly or with appropriate permissions, and in the case of zoological items, were always from already-deceased animals.

This collection will require some work before it can be uploaded to the digital catalogue, so please be patient while we endeavour to photograph everything!

Antiques, Art & Anthropology

This department showcases my collections of various antique, vintage and collectable items I have purchased from antique shops, auctions and sites like ebay.com and gumtree.com.

Divisions of Antiques, Art & Anthropology:

  • Antiques and Anthropology, including ornaments, decorative arts, technology, furniture, costume and instruments

  • Artworks, framed and unframed

  • Coins and Tokens

This will be the first collection uploaded to the digital catalogue.

Uranium glass Art Deco dish under UV light. A79.
Copyright 2026: Mr Bowden’s Museum.

Contemporary

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Contemporary *

This department comprises some of the collecting I have undertaken for things which do not fit with the other collections of my museum, such as photographs I took during the 2020-2023 Covid-19 Pandemic, election and social history ephemera, and Badges and Pins I have purchased representing various social causes. It is also my space for showcasing records from other projects.

Postal & Telephone

This collection is separated from Antiques, Art and Anthropology by virtue of it being almost exclusively concerned with the history of postal, telegraph and telephone services in Australia from the colonial period until the breakup of the Commonwealth Postmaster-General’s Department into Telecom and Australia Post in the 1970s.

Central Battery 1930s-1940s PMG 300 series bakelite telephone. PT2024.49.
Copyright 2026: Mr Bowden’s Museum.

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