A free museum and library exploring health and human experience

Thirst: In Search of Freshwater

26 June 2025 – 1 February 2026

1880 THAT: Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader

17 April 2025 – 6 April 2026

Lights Up and Audio Described Tours of Thirst

Tuesday 16 December 202515:30 – 16:30

See all dates/times

Daily Guided Tours and Discussions

Tuesday–Sunday

11:45, 14:15 and 15:15

Being Human

Island of thirst

Surrounded by saltwater but starved of the fresh kind, Aegina’s residents rely on tankers and plastic bottles to get by. Mirela Dialeti explores how life on this Greek island balances on a hope that a new underwater pipeline will finally bring change.

Signing my skin colour

When Sabrina Tirvengadum tried to sign her skin colour as ‘Brown’ in BSL, her tutor insisted she use ‘Black’ instead. The experience led Sabrina to question why sign language couldn’t reflect her identity.

Travelling for your health

A growing number of Victorians travelled to Europe for their health, but their experiences were not always what the doctor promised.

In search of Black Mary

From the depths of a vanished well rises the story of Black Mary – a 17th-century Black healer. In this extract from the anthology 'Thirst', Gaylene Gould pieces together the fragments of Mary’s life in search of her long-lost well.