Maritime Museum Sydney free to visit and see exhibitions

 

 

Free Fun things to do and see The Sydney Maritime Museum

The maritime museum in Darling Harbour has many permanent exhibitions that are free to view every first Thursday of the month. All of the maritime exhibition highlights the history and relationship Australia has had with the sea and the oceans. The Galleries and exhibitions that you will journey through include Sea Journeys, Navy, Navigators, Watermarks, Australia-USA, Eora first people. The national maritime diverse collection includes 135.000 items attached to the collection Is 52,000 digital images.

Children's Activities and Family fun Sundays

 The Maritime Museum is one of the few museums throughout the city of Sydney that cater for the very young the museum provides entertainment and fun activities for children under five. There are also programs and activities for children aged between the years of five and up to 14 years of age.

Kids on the deck is an amazing Antarctic experience with science experiments, games and dress ups and with an educational aspect that might evoke an interest in environment for our young explorers of the future while they are having fun and enjoying  themselves.

Other children's activities include Cabinet of curiosities touch trolley-weird science for all children up to the age of 14

Mini Mariners with different theme every month for children under the age of five

For more information on children's activities and Family fun Sundays

A journey through the museum galleries

Australia_USA

A core exhibition in the Main Building takes you on a journey of discovery through time when the Americas first set foot on Australian soil up to the present day. Here you will learn about the coal rush in the early 19th century and about the early American whalers and hunters that use the Australian waters for their hunting grounds. The first foreign trading ship to arrive at the first settlement in Sydney was from America it brought much needed supplies to a struggling colony.

 Navy

The navy exhibition is another main exhibition in the main building. The Navy gallery surrounded by naval memorabilia and exhibits displayed from the walls to the ceilings. View the antisubmarine helicopter hanging from the top of the ceiling get up close and personal with the 31 b helicopter from the viewing deck. The navy exhibition allows you to explore how the Australian Navy has operated through times of peace and war. Learn about personal triumphs and misfortunes through human stories from the past. Visit the submarine exhibition find out if you could live in a submarine take a peep through the telescope you could be surprised by what you will see.

Passengers

Another core exhibition in the main building that showcases a range of displays that have played a very important role in the development of the culture and the people of Australia history. Apart from the local indigenous people of this country Australians have at least one member of their family in the past or present that have travelled to this great country from overseas. Many Australians have travelled to this country by sea from the early convicts and settlers and the many new Australians that came during the post-world war two immigration boom and other times throughout Australian history. Until air travel became the main mode of transport for immigrants to the country sea travel was their only option. In the passenger gallery, you can quickly learn about the hardships the first convicts had to endure in their journey to New Holland the original name of Australia. View the model of the convict hull and see how the non-convicts travelled in 1788 in dark damp uncomfortable accommodation. The gallery main centrepiece is a large-scale model of the 1937 ocean liner RMS  Orcades, one of the vessels that  brought migrants to Australia during the World War two-post migrant boom in 1952.

Navigators

Captain Cook was not the first to visit the shores of Australia. Over thousands of years, the stars have guided many visitors to the largest island in the world. On entry to the navigators, gallery and exhibition look up at the ceiling and view the stars and constellations that have made it possible to guide navigators too Australia over the many centuries. This exhibition educates visitors on the many visitors that have visited Australia from the early contacts with the Macassan traders from Indonesia the French explorers and the Dutch and the English of the 17th and 19th century. Learn about the traditional scientific navigational techniques and equipment used by the early explorers.

Watermark

The Watermark gallery embarks on an epic journey of excitement and adventure. Learn about the connection and love that the Aussies have with the water. Learn what made the Aussie Cossie emerge from the deep blue and become one of Australia’s most popular swimwear. For many years Aussies have had the reputation for being great lovers of beer so here you can view a uniquely built Aussie vessel. A boat built from Australian VB and XXXX beer cans. Watch videos on Australians greatest aquatic achievements disappointments and triumphs see the awesome Foursome’s row to victory in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. In addition, this exhibition would not be complete if it did not educate people about the fastest boat in the world the spirit of Australia learn and view how this boat still holds this title.

Eroa the first people

Eroa people the indigenous inhabitants of Australia had a very close relationship with.The sea and its inhabitant’s. Early settlers with amazement watch the aboriginals catch fish and cook the fish on a mound of dirt in their wooden canoes. This exhibition takes you on a journey from the very top of Australia and the Torres Straits islands to Tasmania on a theme of history and culture exploring the unique connection the aboriginal people had and still have with the land and sea. The many aboriginal artworks and craft on display help to make this journey of discovery a pleasurable learning experience. The Darug people were the traditional owners of the land the Maritime museum now stands on in their language Eora means first people.

Elysium Antarctic Visual epic

Until the 3rd of November 2013, the Maritime Museum is hosting a photo exhibition the featured works are from award winning photographers. In 2010, the Elysium team embarked on an expedition included in the team were some of the world’s best filmmakers wildlife photographers and scientists. Their epic journey took them from the Antarctic peninsula to South Georgia along the way the kept a superb visual record of the magnificent wildlife life and the beautiful wilderness in which they live and survive. The photographs capture the impressive eye catching surroundings of the beautiful land and seascapes that now serve as an important record for the monitoring of climate change.     

Explore The Vessels

For a memorable experience, you can climb aboard and explore the Australian ships docked at the museum. The Maritime Museum boasts that they have the largest and most diverse fleet of any museum.

Captain Cook Endeavour

Go back in history to see how the sailors and Captain Cook lived and work during the maritime voyage of their life. The endeavour famous for Capitan Cook’s world voyage back in 1768-71 the replica docked at the museum for most of the year for visitors to enjoy.

HMAS Onslow, Oberon Class Submarine (1969)

Go down under discover what it was like to be on a Submarine during the cold war years. Search and investigate the many small compartments from the torpedo bays to the engine room peer through the periscope. Be surprised at the sailors cramped living quarters where they slept where they ate.

HMAS Vampire, Daring Class Destroyer (1956)

The Australian’s largest museum vessel and the last of the country's big gun war ships. This ship was the home to hundreds of sailors marvel at the military might this ship once possessed with its big guns machinery and weapons. See where and how they sailors lived together where they ate where they slept. You can also download a free tour of HMAS VAMPIRE through Google play and iTunes.

Other boats on display for exploring at the dock include

Barque Janes Craig (1874)

HMAS Advance, patrol Boat (1968)

The historical fleet includes

Akarana (1888) gaff cutter racing yacht

Thistle (1903) Victorian couta boat

John Louis (1957) Pearling Lugger

 For more information on these boats and other boats at the maritime museum http://www.anmm.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1398

How to get to the Sydney Maritime Museum

Address 2 Murray Street Darling Harbour Sydney NSW contact phone number (02) 9298377

Catch a ferry to Pyrmont Bay

Walk from Town hall train station

Catch the monorail too the Harbour side

Catch Sydney Light rail to Pyrmont Bay

Sydney explorer buss

The 443 bus from the city

 You can also use the map below to find the location of the Sydney Maritime Museum