Rare meteorite taken from Queensland museum may have been stolen to order

Crystal Caves museum owner believes the theft of 12kg Wolf Creek specimen was more about pursuing an object of desire than its monetary value

A rare meteorite the size of a soccer ball has been stolen from a Queensland museum whose owner suspects the work of an unscrupulous collector.

The 11.25kg space rock, worth more than $16,000, was stolen from the Crystal Caves museum in Atherton, north Queensland, early on Monday.