State Library of Queensland

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There is so much on offer at State Library. Explore ways to make the most of your visit before you arrive.

Level 4 at State Library is home to our heritage and extraordinary collections.In the Philip Bacon Heritage Gallery you will find the exhibition Extraordinary stories featuring a rotating selection of stories about ordinary Queenslanders whose lives were anything but. These are stories worth telling, stories worth hearing, stories worth collecting, drawn from State Library's collections to tell us more about Queensland and the lives lived here.Also on level 4, you will find the Talbot Family Treasures Wall featuring a changing selection of items from State Library's heritage collections. The John Oxley Library has collected, preserved and shared Queensland’s collective memory since 1934 and the Talbot Family Treasures Wall is where you can view items of state significance. Each item on display here reveals a remarkable story, and together, they help deepen our understanding of Queensland’s diverse lifestyle, landscape, culture and community.Free Curator's tours of both these spaces are held monthly. Join one of our specialist curators to discover the unknown stories and hidden gems of State Library's collections.Book your space now!

'In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.' (John McCrae 1915) Visit Anzac Square Memorial Galleries this Remembrance Day to make a paper poppy and discover the significance of this flower. A resilient flower, the red poppy was amongst the first to return to bloom in the fields of France and Belgium after World War I, emerging as a symbol of remembrance for the Allied soldiers who fell in battle. Visit our Post World War II Memorial Gallery between Sunday 2 November 2025 to Wednesday 12 November 2025 and, on our craft table, you'll find everything you need to make your very own paper poppy. Once you've made your poppy, you can choose to lay it within the galleries or parklands or take your creation home. Bookings are not required. Simply visit the Anzac Square Memorial Galleries between 10 am and 4 pm Sunday to Friday.

Billy Missi’n Wakain Thamai is a profound exhibition honouring the late Torres Strait Islander artist Billy Missi (1970-2012).