The First Wallabies - Tourists and Olympians

A team photo of the Wallabies team that played against Wales on the 12th of December, 1908 - part of The First Wallabies exhibition.

The Qantas Wallabies Spring Tour isn’t the only highlight at Twickenham this month, as the exhibition of the First Wallabies - Tourist and Olympians has opened at the World Rugby Museum, conveniently located (for Rugby fans) in the stands of the famous stadium.

An exquisite collection of fascinating artefacts, photographs and personal memories, the exhibition marks a century of the Wallabies since their first tour to the United Kingdom in 1908.

The current Wallabies got a first hand look at the path of their pioneers when they took time out from their preparations for the big Test against England this Saturday (Sunday morning 1.30am AEDT) to visit the exhibition during the week.

The exhibition makes available to the public items from the 1908 Olympic Rugby Final, in which Australia won gold, and items from our own Australian Rugby Union archive, that are travelling to the other side of the world for the first time.

A prized part of the exhibition will be original jerseys from the Wallabies 1908 Olympic tour.

There’s a chance to view never before seen scrapbooks kept by one of the first Wallabies, Peter Burge, and the exhibition also features recordings of a talk by Tom Richards on his life story and Rugby tours around the world, including his international caps for both Australia and the British Isles and his famous gold medal.

A highlight during this year’s Spring Tour in Europe and continuing on to April 2009, the First Wallabies - Tourist and Olympians is a fascinating insight into Australian Rugby over the last 100 years, showing the growth of the game and the incredible changes the sport has undergone.

First Wallabies - Tourist and Olympians comes at a time when Rugby is making exciting changes and looking to broader horizons to strengthen our game. The tour in 1908 played a crucial role in the development of Rugby and the Australian Rugby Union.

This 2008 Spring Tour is a historical tour for the Wallabies, playing for the first time a Bledisloe Cup in Hong Kong, and the exhibition is perfectly timed to help celebrate the 1908 Wallabies who went on their very first tour around England, Wales, USA, and Canada.

The First Wallabies- Tourist and Olympians, is a rare insight into when the Wallabies first made their mark on the world. So if you’re lucky enough to be at the Test at Twickenham this weekend, make sure to give yourself an extra hour or two to drop in and have a look.

The First Wallabies -Tourists and Olympians is showing at the World Rugby Museum until April 24th 2009.