91 STORIES

91 STORIES: Digging deeper…


Our stories make us who we are today in this place we call home – lutruwita/Tasmania.

This year we are getting curious and digging deeper into five of the 91 Stories.

A curated selection of submissions by the Tasmanian public, the exhibition includes five of your favourites from the State Library of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Archives and the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts.


Cabinet of Curiosities

Mt. Wellington Park 

 The Toreador…
Cabinet of curiositiesMount Wellington Parkthe lady conductor and the score of the toreador

How could you say no to the temptation of opening a mysterious antique cabinet?
Even the smallest of objects can spark the most significant of memories; a glinting object shining between particles of sand, dusting off the grains and revealing the smooth shell of a mollusc, once housing sea life.
Find your favourite and familiar walking tracks. The Fingerpost Track, Crocodile Rock, and the Mount Arthur Ski Slopes are just some of the many features that can be found on a stunning map of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington produced in 1935 by the Hobart Walking Club.A single item can be a window into a story that weaves itself across generations. And a ‘musical score’ – the sheets of music notes used for a performance – owned by a notable (yet until recently, largely forgotten) Tasmanian woman is one of these windows…
Follow intricacies of fossicking, shell collecting and the skills passed on from father to daughter, on the State Library and Tasmanian Archives blog – Cabinet of Curiosities.Read the full story behind the original Kunanyi/Mt Wellington map and its creator on the State Library and Tasmanian Archives blog – The Art of Mapping Kunanyi/Mount Wellington.Find out more about Australia’s first female conductor Lucy Benson by visiting the State Library and Tasmanian Archive blog – The Lady Conductor and the Score of ‘The Toreador’.   

91 STORIES… the community led exhibition

In 2021, Libraries Tasmania invited all Tasmanians to contribute to an important community led exhibition: 91 STORIES.

We asked you to nominate your favourite treasures from within the Libraries Tasmania cultural collections, and to tell us why that item mattered to you.

Showcasing handpicked gems from the State Library of Tasmania, Tasmanian Archives and the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition was brought to you in-person at the Allport gallery, through an online exhibition and within public libraries via roaming exhibition cubes.

Within our three cultural institutions, Libraries Tasmania holds a wealth of stories in its care – unique objects and artworks, rare and mysterious artefacts, and documents of memorable events and the personal lives of past Tasmanians.

And, while the stories of many of these objects and items are well-told and well-known, many have remained hidden and untold.

Rediscover our 91 STORIES online exhibition. Which story is your favourite?

Thank you for your contribution to 91 STORIES.

We are so proud to be sharing such a significant exhibition that you have helped us create!

How were the 91 items chosen?

  • We sought submissions from the public over several months.
  • The Libraries Tasmania project team assessed the submissions for suitability.
  • Submissions were edited or altered to comply with the project scope and direction.
  • Submissions not chosen as part of the 91 STORIES exhibition are to be documented as part of the project.

Connect with the exhibition


91 STORIES online exhibition

Image credit: Urushibara, Yoshijiro, Two Rabbits, 1900-1940c


Visit the exhibition cubes at your local library catchment

Contact your local library for details.