Kids & Families/ A menagerie of Australian animals are waiting to be discovered

(l-r) Garry Namponan, Wik-Alkan/Wik-Ngatharr people, Australia b.1960, Sea eagle 2002 / Craig Koomeeta, Wik-Alkan people, Australia b.1977, Dingo 2002 / © The artists / View full image
Whether they fascinate or terrify you, or maybe a little of both, discover reptiles from snakes and goannas, to fearsome crocodiles; observe the fish and sharks swimming by; find a swooping bird, or look for the majestic sea eagle; locate all the marsupials, they're here in abundance; and spot dogs of every kind.
Watch out for the Crocodile!

James Eseli, Kala Lagaw Ya people, Australia 1929–2009 / Ubirikubiri (Crocodile) headdress 2004 / Cotton tree wood, enamel paint, pencil, feathers, plastic, raffia, copper wire, toothpicks, lead pencil, string, fixative, aluminium, glass marbles / 17 components: 80 x 55 x 177cm (complete); crocodile: 81 x 179 x 50cm; feathers (10): ranging from 14 x 20.7cm to 24.5 x 21.5cm; birds: 17.5 x 22.7 x 24.3cm, 26.4 x 22.9 x 25.6cm, 10 x 20 x 4.8cm, 8.5 x 21.7 x 5.2cm, 8 x 22 x 4.5cm, 10 x 21 x 4.7cm / Purchased 2005. QAG Foundation Grant / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © James Eseli Estate / View full image
Take care… those Echidna quills are prickly

Yvonne Koolmatrie, Ngarrindjeri people, Australia b.1944 / Echidna 1992 / Sedge rushes and echidna quills / 40 x 30 x 14cm / Purchased 1995. QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Yvonne Koolmatrie / View full image
Animals play a fundamental role in the culture and spiritual beliefs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The exhibition ‘Great and Small: Kindred Creatures in Indigenous Australian Art’ at the Queensland Art Gallery until 3 May 2027, is a celebration of the enduring connections between people and animals, and features a menagerie of favourites from the Gallery's Collection.
Nurture a child's curiosity with a visit to QAGOMA and start your own animal art trail. Go on an adventure and see how many animals you're able to find. Some are easy; others are just waiting to be found hidden in paintings, pottery and sculpture.
How many lizards, frogs & cockatoos are taking a drink?

Angkaliya Curtis, Pitjantjatjara people, Australia b.1928 / Cave Hill 2010 / Synthetic polymer paint on canvas / 170 x 197cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from Margaret Mittelheuser AM and Cathryn Mittelheuser AM through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Angkaliya Curtis / View full image
Find the eagle and notice its long talons

Garry Namponan, Wik-Alkan/Wik-Ngatharr people, Australia b.1960 / Sea eagle 2002 / Carved milkwood with natural pigments / 71 x 27 x 33cm / Commissioned 2002 with funds from the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Garry Namponan / View full image
Help the kangaroo get away

Attrib. to Jimmy Mulwirrkbirrk Jambalulu, Jalama people, Australia c.1908–1960 / Captured kangaroo / Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark / 48.3 x 30.5cm / Gift of Robert Bleakley through the QAGOMA Foundation 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image
Spot the dingoes & camp dogs
Of these animals, dogs are a prominent fixture in almost all Aboriginal communities. For places like Aurukun — located on the western coast of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland — and situated in dingo country, a dog is not ‘just a dog’ but an ancestral force. These ku’ (camp dogs) speak to the individual characteristics of these beloved furry community members.

Craig Koomeeta, Wik-Alkan people, Australia b.1977 / Dingo 2002 / Carved milkwood with synthetic polymer paint / 41.5 x 62.5 x 15cm / Purchased 2002. QAG Foundation Grant / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Craig Koomeeta / View full image

Garry Namponan, Wik-Alkan/Wik-Ngatharr people, Australia b.1960 / Yellow-patched camp dog 2006 / Carved milkwood with natural pigments and synthetic polymer paint / 86 x 50 x 30cm / Purchased 2007. QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Garry Namponan / View full image

David Marpoondin, Wik-Ngathan/Wik-Me'an people, Australia b.1968 / Ku' (Camp dog) 2010 / Carved milkwood (Alstonia muellerana) with natural pigments, charcoal, synthetic polymer paint and acrylic binder / 33 x 33 x 15cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © David Marpoondin / View full image

Roderick Yunkaporta, Wik-Mungkan people, Australia b.1948 / Scratching ku' (camp dog) 2010 / Carved milkwood (Alstonia muellerana) with natural pigments, charcoal and acrylic binder / 59 x 74 x 38cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Roderick Yunkaporta / View full image

Jack Bell, Wik-Mungkan people, Australia b.1950 / Ku' (Camp dog) 2010 / Carved milkwood (Alstonia muellerana) with synthetic polymer paint / 39 x 70 x 16cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Jack Bell / View full image
Edited curatorial extracts compiled by Elliott Murray, Senior Digital Marketing Officer, QAGOMA
Great and Small: Kindred Creatures in Indigenous Australian Art
21 June 2025 – 3 May 2027
Queensland Art Gallery
Melbourne Street entrance, Galleries 1 & 2 (Dr Paul Eliadis AM Galleries)
Brisbane, Australia
Free entry