- Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country is a landmark exhibition opening at the Museum of the Great Southern on Saturday, 4 July as part of Albany 2026
- The exhibition brings together cultural materials of significance to the Menang community for the first time since they left Country
- The Robert Neill album of watercolour drawings of fish,reptilesand mammals is a centrepiece of the exhibition imbued with Menang knowledge and skills
- Cook Labor Government fostering a vibrant and creative economy
Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country is a landmark exhibition opening at the Museum of the Great Southern on Saturday, 4 July 2026 as part of Albany 2026.
Developed by the Western Australian Museum in collaboration with members of the Menang Noongar community and Deakin University, Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country celebrates Menang peoples’ connection to their ancestral lands and their crucial role in shaping how Albany’s natural world has been explored and understood.
In the 1840s, Menang people shared their knowledge with early visitors and colonists, guiding the study of local waters by helping catch, preserve and name fish.
These collaborations informed a remarkable body of scientific drawings alongside portraits of Menang people and collections of their material culture.
A centre piece of the exhibition is Robert Neill’s album of watercolour drawings of fish,reptilesand mammals.Imbued withMenang knowledge and skills, this album is a unique record ofintercultural relationships.
Also featured is a toort (dingo) specimen sent to William John Macleay, a natural history collector in Sydney, in 1875 by Albany naturalist William Webb, and currently in the Chau Chak Wing Museum collection in Sydney.
The Albany dingo holds deep cultural significance for Menang peoples as dingos were regarded as guardians of Country, travelling with families, sharing camps, warning of danger and assisting in hunting.
Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country builds on a wider project conducted by Deakin University’s Australian Research Council project titled Entangled Knowledges: Kaartdijin, Science and History in the Robert Neill Collection.
The material showcased in the exhibition is from a range of national and international lenders including the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Natural History Museum, London, National Museums Scotland, Manchester Museum, alongside artefacts from the WA Museum collection and contemporary cultural material by the Menang community.
The exhibition has been made possible with support from the City of Albany, Lotterywest, Foundation for the WA Museum and Metal Manufactures Electrical Merchandising.
As stated by Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk:
“This exhibition is part of the State’s ongoing commitment to Albany 2026 and brings together cultural materials of significance to the Menang community.
“It shows the Menang peoples’ connection to their ancestral lands and their crucial role in shaping how Albany’s natural world has been explored and understood.
“Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country is a collaborative effort to bring these valuable stories to the community of Albany and broader Western Australia.”
