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About the Australian National Maritime Museum
We are Australia’s museum of the sea. This is where we explore our relationship with the oceans, rivers and lakes around us and learn more about the rich maritime heritage that connects us all.
Australia is an island nation. Australians have always had a keen interest in the coastal waters that surround our country. The ocean and its ever-changing tides have been central to our stories over time and shaped our identity. By telling these stories, the Museum aims to inspire curiosity and conversation about how the ocean has shaped our world and how it continues to shape us today. Our aim is to inspire people to be more interested in our relationship with the ocean and to make it more precious to all of us.
Shaped by the Sea
• ‘Shaped by the Sea’ is a major exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum. It tells the story of our island continent and its coasts, rivers and people.
• ‘Shaped by the Sea’ includes ancient stories that describe the rise in sea levels around Australia’s coastline. This story, told from an Aboriginal perspective, is told alongside scientific explanations of coastal flooding and sea level rise since the last Ice Age. Two different knowledge systems come together to form a single story of Australia’s long history.
• The design approach to the exhibition is inspired by the idea that the ocean is a living entity. The galleries represent the movement of water, and the meandering flow of this journey connecting land, sea and sky.
• ‘Shaped by the Sea’ understands and embraces the many ways we can learn about our past. It highlights the importance of reflecting living cultural knowledge that can infuse social and spiritual connections to our oceans and rivers. This enriches our understanding from science, archaeology or history alone.
• The exhibition conveys the traditional knowledge and practices of Aboriginal Australians who have lived and sustained our oceans and waterways for countless generations. It also acknowledges that other traditions share a deep attachment to rivers and water.
• ‘Shaped by the Sea’ encourages Australians and others to recognise and acknowledge these connections.
Explore our fleet
The Australian-built replica of Captain James Cook’s HMB Endeavour is one of the most accurate replicas of a seafaring vessel in the world.
• Step aboard and you’ll feel as if Captain James Cook and his crew have just landed somewhere on their voyage. Tables are set, clothes are hung and cats are snoozing.
• This meticulously crafted vessel offers a glimpse into the lives of sailors during one of history’s greatest maritime adventures, Captain Cook’s epic voyage around the world in 1768-71. The masts can carry 28 sails covering approximately 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) of canvas. Our Endeavour still regularly sails today!
• The galley below features a massive stove known as a ‘firehearth’, which was the most advanced technology of its time in 1768. The ‘Great Cabin’ at the back is where Captain Cook worked and ate, and shared space with the famous botanist Joseph Banks.
• Construction of the Endeavour replica began in 1988 and it was launched five years later. Since then, Endeavour has travelled many nautical miles on long voyages, circumnavigating Australia three times and sailing to Europe, the US and other overseas ports.
• In 2022, the museum’s marine archaeologists discovered the original Endeavour wreck on the bottom of Newport Harbor in Rhode Island, USA.
Guide to Boarding and Exploring the Ship (Safety Instructions)
• Due to the narrow entrances, stairs and passageways, backpacks and large bags are not permitted.
• Please store your bags in the cloakroom or lockers.
• Walk slowly and watch your step.
• There are areas under 120cm, so watch your head.
• When entering the lower deck, hold onto the rope, railing or ladder and look down the stairs as if you were climbing down the ladder.
• Walk backwards when descending ladders on Endeavour and watch your head as headroom on some decks is limited.
• Please note that all ships are limited to 10 people at a time.
• Be careful not to hit your head when going up or down stairs or exploring the ship.
• Only individuals over 90cm tall are permitted on board.
• Be careful on wet days as the ship and stairs can be particularly slippery.
• No food or drinks are permitted on board.
• Avoid high heels. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing such as trainers.
HMAS Vampire
HMAS Vampire is Australia’s largest museum ship and the last large cannon warship in the country. It has six 4.5-inch guns in three turrets. Vampire is a fast type of warship and destroyer used for maritime patrol and escort missions.
Daring-class ships such as Vampire were the largest destroyers ever built in Australia. Its strength and light weight combined with a maximum armament and high speed were its defining characteristics. Later versions of the destroyer used missiles as their primary weapon.
Despite its firepower, the Vampire sailed peacefully, even escorting troops during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. In 1977, the Vampire accompanied the Royal Australian Navy as escort for HMY Britannia during the Queen’s 25th Anniversary tour of Australia.
HMAS Onslow
Experience the secret world of submarine warfare aboard HMAS Onslow.
Launched in 1969, our submarine was decommissioned in 1999, just weeks before it arrived at the museum. It is still in near-operational condition. Listen for the dive alarm when you board!
Along with five other Oberon-class submarines, Onslow provided a formidable underwater force for the Royal Australian Navy. The Navy’s submarine force motto is “Endurance, Silence, Surprise.”
Onslow features:
• A submersible for special forces to disembark the ship so they can carry out covert operations
• A garbage discharger containing heavy garbage bags. When discharged, these bags sink to the seabed and do not float up, giving away the submarine’s location.
• Soundproofing all equipment to make the Oberon class the quietest submarine ever built.
Onslow has sailed more than 16 times around the world and has made a quiet but outstanding contribution to Australia for 30 years.
Guidance for boarding and exploration (safety rules)
• Backpacks or large bags are not allowed due to the narrow entrances, stairs and passageways.
• Please store your bags in the cloakroom or lockers.
• When boarding the submarine, please keep sunglasses and accessories safe and make sure they do not fall through the mesh.
• A yellow number tag🏷️ is given at the entrance when boarding the submarine. Please attach the number tag to your clothing and return it when you leave.
• When entering the submarine, go down as if you were going down a regular staircase, and look down the stairs like a ladder.
• Please note that all ships are limited to 10 people at a time.
• Be careful not to hit your head while going up or down the stairs or exploring the ship.
• Only individuals over 90cm tall are allowed to enter.
• Be careful as the ship and stairs can be slippery when it rains.
• Food and drinks are not allowed.
• Avoid high heels and wear comfortable shoes and clothing such as sneakers.
Duyfken
This small sailing ship is a replica of a ship that sailed from Europe to Asia over 400 years ago!
The name of this magnificent sailing ship is ‘Duyfken’, which means ‘little dove’ in Dutch. It is a replica of a ship that sailed from the Netherlands to Indonesia in 1601. This ship also visited northern Australia in 1606.
Ships like this facilitated maritime exchange between Asia and Europe. Between the 1600s and 1900s, the Dutch established trade networks with India, Indonesia, China, Japan and Korea. Imagine traveling that far on a small, rocking ship like the Duyfken!
Climb aboard the Duyfken and see:
• The captain’s small cabin at the stern (back) of the ship – this was the only place of privacy.
• The pole or ‘whipstaff’ used to steer the ship instead of the later adopted rudders.
• The same cannons used in battles against Portuguese ships in Indonesian waters four centuries ago.
The museum’s Duyfken replica was built in Fremantle, Western Australia. Since 2000, it has sailed to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands, as well as across Australia.