Furneaux Museum

The Furneaux Museum is a community-run history museum at Emita on Flinders Island in the Furneaux Group, Tasmania. Operated by the Furneaux Historical Research Association, it preserves and interprets the natural, Aboriginal and European history of the islands. Collections include Aboriginal artefacts, shipwreck relics, muttonbirding and maritime displays, settler memorabilia and natural history specimens documenting island life and heritage for visitors to explore.

Visitors can expect a small, volunteer-run museum complex in a bush setting at Emita with several display buildings and outdoor exhibits. Inside, rooms are arranged thematically covering Aboriginal heritage, European settlement, shipwrecks, muttonbirding, maritime history and natural history with artefacts, photographs, documents and specimens. The site is low-key and informative, allowing self-guided viewing of collections that explain the history and environment of the Furneaux Group.

The museum was established and is operated by the Furneaux Historical Research Association to collect, preserve and interpret the history of the Furneaux Group of islands. It documents Aboriginal occupation, the Wybalenna Aboriginal settlement era, European sealing and settlement, maritime tragedies in Bass Strait, and the development of island industries such as muttonbirding and farming.

The museum holds cultural significance for the Flinders Island community and for understanding Tasmanian Aboriginal heritage, island muttonbirding traditions, and the maritime and settler history of Bass Strait. It serves as the main keeping place for artefacts and records relating to the Furneaux Islands' cultural identity.