The museum is primarily a university institution devoted to teaching and research but its public display galleries haverecently been totally refurbished and contain much tointerest non-specialist visitors. The archaeology gallerysurveys world prehistory from the origins of mankindto the rise of literate civilisation and also contains an important collection of local antiquities. The anthropologygallery surveys culture and art from all continents andspecial exhibitions are also held from time to time; thecurrent exhibition is ´Torres Strait Islanders´