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
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 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
