Possum-skin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by Aboriginal people in the South-East of Australia. The cloaks were made from numerous possum pelts sewn together with kangaroo sinew, and often decorated with significant incisions on the inside such as clan insignias.

The cloak literally tells stories about life; these life-stories were drawn on the inside of the skins.

The cloaks were rubbed with ochre and fat to both decorate and protect them.

As well as being a significant means of keeping warm in this often-chilly part of Australia, there was much importance around the making of the cloaks and their wearing. They were handed down through generations as heirlooms. As with most Australian Aboriginal belongings, there were many uses for the one thing – the cloaks were also used as blankets, mattresses and to wrap babies. They had a spiritual function and often people where buried in them.