Australian Museum Foundation Gala Dinner - The Night at the Museum

Thursday 8 May, 2014. Sydney, NSW.

Tonight, the Australian Museum Foundation is holding its annual gala dinner, The Night at the Museum to raise funds for the Long Gallery’s transformation (currently known as the Skeleton Gallery)

Over 200 guests including Marcia Hines, Helen Dalley and Foundation donors will be entertained by indigenous performer Marcus Corowa and MC Adam Spencer.

Guests will feast on a spectacular menu created by Sydney chef Sebastien Lutaud, featuring such delicacies as scallop carpaccio, poached mulloway, riverina lamb finishing with a valrohna chocolate cake.

We also have some special auction items including an unforgettable nine night expedition to the Galapagos aboard the magnificent National Geographic Endeavour donated by Lindblad Expeditions, two night luxury stay at the famous Lizard Island Resort, photographic print by Rex Dupain, framed photographs by the Scott Sisters as well as helicopter rides, ‘glamping’ package on Cockatoo Island, and the opportunity to become a wildlife forensic scientist for a day.

The Long Gallery is Australia’s oldest galley and has undergone many transitions throughout its 160-year history. Tonight, in a special peek preview, 70square metres of the Long Gallery will be transformed into a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ creating a contemporary tribute to its former glory.

Apart from experiencing the Long Gallery’s new preview space, guests will also see some of the Museum’s most precious objects including Captain Cook’s feather cloak, a fully preserved Thylacine pup from 1866 and one of the Museum’s oldest specimens – a dried Orangeblotch Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus, collected in 1858.

Kim McKay AO, Australian Museum Director and CEO, said the stunning preview is a contemporary tribute to the Museum’s original gallery and a wonderful opportunity for the public to see more of the Museum’s 18 million natural history specimens and cultural objects.

Established in 1827, the Museum is Australia’s first museum and one of its foremost scientific research, educational and cultural institutions. It is the trusted guardian of the nation’s largest and oldest natural science and cultural collection with more than 18 million objects – and it is constantly developing and adding to the collection.

The Australian Museum is a place of exploration and discovery, inspiring responsibility for our world by promotion knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of science, nature and culture. For information on how you can enable our vital work, please visit our Support Us page.