Black and white photograph of a man on a rocky ledge

Australian Seashores

Exploring the photography of the landmark textbook "Australian Seashores"

Coastal areas are some of the most highly impacted and vulnerable environments in the world, particularly in Australia.

This exhibition utilises stunning material from the Museum's historic photography and natural history collections related to Australian Seashores, a landmark textbook published by three biologists, Professor William J Dakin and Dr Isobel Bennett from The University of Sydney, and Elizabeth Carrington Pope from the Australian Museum.

First published in 1952 for the general enthusiast and academic audience, the book was not only influential in educating the Australian public about local seashores, it also trained and inspired several generations of marine scientists and helped direct their research.

Black and white photograph of a man examining a rocky shore — William Dakin examining zonation pattern on rocky shore, Long Reef, Sydney, NSW, Macleay Collections, HP84.7.11.1 a

Black and white photograph of the underside of a brittle star — Underside of a brittle star, Macleay Collections, HP84.7.111.02

Isobel Bennett and (possibly) Gladys Dakin on a rocky ledge, NSW, 1946–50, Macleay Collections, HP84.7.110.04

Header image: William Dakin exploring rock platform, Macleay Collections, HP84.7.117.01

Level 1, Historic Photography Gallery

Until Sunday 2 April 2023

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