Environment

Nine people standing on the shores of a beach, looking towards the waves. Some of the people are lifeguards in uniform, while the rest are adults in regular swimwear.

Brydie Piaf, Participants taking part in A Splash of Colour Swimming beach safety session at Newcastle Beach, New South Wales, 18 April, 2026, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-4204346838

Documenting Australia’s relationship with water

Explore the new photos making a splash in our collection.

News article

A person with short dark hair and glasses stands leaning on a glass railing outdoors, wearing a dark blue short-sleeved shirt with a red cherry pattern.

Branwell Roberts, 2026 National Library of Australia Scholar

Poetry and empire in Antarctica

Learn about National Library of Australia Scholar Branwell Roberts' research into poetry, science and imperial masculinity in the archives of Thomas Griffith Taylor.

Blog

An aerial view of a desert landscape with a single green tree at the center, surrounded by numerous rusted, abandoned airplane fuselages arranged in a radial pattern.

'Nature' documentary screening Canberra - Citizen COP 2026

Join People For Nature and the Alliance Française de Canberra for a special community screening of Nature - The Call for Reconciliation, a powerful cinematic experience connecting global environmental challenges to local action. Presented as part of Citizen COP Australia 2026.

Event

A smiling woman with short brown hair sits at a desk, holding open a large, detailed historical map. She wears a floral-patterned blouse and looks directly at the camera..

Dr Margaret Cook

Histories of cyclones in Australia with Dr Margaret Cook

Dr Margaret Cook presented her recent Fellowship research on cyclones, one of the most powerful and devastating natural forces experienced in the Australian climate.

Event

The Memory Tapes

The Memory Tapes brings history to life through the voices of the people who lived it. Drawing on one of the nation’s most significant oral history collections, the series explores remarkable stories of resilience, innovation, creativity, migration, activism and everyday life. Narrated by oral historian Dr Shirleene Robinson AM, each episode combines firsthand accounts with expert storytelling to reveal the people behind Australia’s history.

Audio

Children's book cover with an illustration of people in yellow rubber boats on a river, with a young girl and an old man looking on

New children’s book explores the landmark campaign to stop the damming of Tasmania’s Franklin River

The latest children's title from NLA Publishing explores Australia's most significant environment protest.

Media release

NLA Publishing book

Fight for the Franklin

Jane Jolly, illustrated by Lois Bury
Be inspired by the bravery of the blockaders and the Aboriginal defenders of Kutikina cave. How will you stand up for the environment?

Book

A woman with brown hair is seated at a table in a well-lit indoor setting, looking directly at the camera. In front of her are some documents and a white electronic device.

Dr Joy McCann

Dr Isobel Bennett and the secrets of Australia's seashores

Dr Joy McCann presented her recent Fellowship research, focusing on Dr Isobel Bennett’s experiences as a trail-blazing female scientist in the mid-20th century.

Event

Video