@seamuseum.bsky.social
Australia's National Maritime Museum located on Gadigal Country, Sydney π³ We share stories of the sea and waterways. Open 10am - 4pm | FREE ENTRY
Duyfken Update β
The team have been busy completing important milestones with the apron being lowered into place at the bow, oiling the timber and applying antifouling paint to protect the hull.
Weβll continue to keep you updated as this fascinating project unfolds!
Meet Joy Paola, a third-year student at UNSW studying Marine Science.
She helped analyse over 2,900 βDear Prime Ministerβ cards from the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibit, revealing what Australians want most for our oceans: https://www.sea.museum/en/ocean-futures/dear-prime-minister
The Winter Olympics celebrate sport on ice, these 1930s skate speak to the migrant experience
Packed by 13year old Rob Davids when he left Holland for Australia in 1952, the skate travelled across oceans as a reminder of home, grandparents and a life shaped by winter.
Ice skates 1930s 00046060
Congratulations to Captain Marty and Lisa Woods of Sydney Harbour Tall Ships on the inclusion of SΓΈren Larsen and Southern Swan in the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.
π Explore the Australian Register of Historic Vessels here: https://arhv.sea.museum/collections
The Fishing Families of Western Australia website shares the histories of generations of fishing families who made their way from Europe, the Pacific, Asia and the Americas and helped build coastal communities.
π Discover the Basile family story
https://www.flatsea.org/families/basile-family
ββ¨ Whatβs On February: Talks, music & family fun
February is full of great reasons to visit the Maritime Museum. From lively sea shanties and special performances to author talks, thought-provoking conversations and hands-on programs for families.
www.sea.museum/en/whats-on
What's on this week?
Itβs the final week of NSW school holidays and your last chance to unwind in our Beach chill-space. Thereβs plenty happening across the Museum with activities for all ages.
Make the most of the last week of the holidays.
π www.sea.museum/en/whats-on
π§ Sunday Listen
What does it take to design a floating city?
Listen to Anthony Burkeβs By Design on ABC Radio National, exploring the secrets of cruise ship design features Inger Sheil from the Museum.
https://loom.ly/V8Py4KA
Image: 'Jack' Tyrrell Richardson.
ANMS1125[001] - ANMS1125[308]
π Last chance to visit the Beach!
Our all-ages play-and-chill-scape is open for its final week.
πͺ This Sunday 25 January catch Sync or Swim a 30-minute circus and physical theatre show by Beeswax & Bottlecaps.
π° 12:30pm & 2pm
π Ticketed entry
www.sea.museum/en/whats-on/events/the-beach
Have you taken a dip at these locations?
Weβre excited to invite you to Special Event: Why Aussies Love Swimming a panel talk with authors Therese Spruhan and Chris Baker.
Sat 24 Jan, 2 β 4pm
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/special-event-why-aussies-love-swimming-tickets-1977480931699?
Front-row seats to the Ferrython and Tall Ships Race? Yes please!
Join our harbour with front-row views of one of the harbourβs most iconic maritime events.
Mon 26 Jan 10:30amβ3pm
$149 - $120
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/australia-day-cruise-on-sydney-harbour-2026-tickets-1975723087941?
#SeaMuseum
On 22 January, the Museum will observe the National Day of Mourning.
The Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse will be lit from sundown until midnight and flags flown at half-mast as we pause to remember, stand together and affirm that light will triumph over darkness.
#SeaMuseum
π The Beach, after dark β LATES! π
For one night only, the Museum turns into a summer playground after hours!
Catch live performances and DJ sets as the Lighthouse Gallery transforms into the Copacabana Club.
πThurs 29 Jan 6 -9pm
ποΈ Donβt miss it: www.sea.museum/beach-ball
#SeaMuseum #LATES
Sunday Read
Dive into the 117-year legacy of iconic boatbuilder Norman R Wrights & Sons. From surviving the Great Depression to pioneering cutting edge marine technology, itβs a family story of craftsmanship, resilience and life on the water.
π www.sea.museum/en/society-and-water/norman-r-wright
Why do Aussies love swimming so much?
Join us for a special panel event as authors Therese Spruhan and Chris Baker.
Sat 24 Jan, 2 to 4pm
$10 | Free for
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/special-event-why-aussies-love-swimming-tickets-1977480931699?
Dr James Hunter, recently travelled to Aotearoa NZ to collaborate with underwater archaeologist Bridget Buxton and members of the NZ Underwater Heritage Group as part of their First Encounters Project.
Images: Nicole Miller/NZUHG & James Hunter
This summer, 15 vessels by Norman R. Wright & Sons will arrive at the Australian National Maritime Museum giving you a rare chance to see over a century of Australian boatbuilding on the water and up close.
16β20 Jan 2026
Free entry
www.sea.museum/en/whats-on/events/norman-r-wright
π₯΅ Hot day? Letβs cool things down.
While the temperature climbs, these gentoo penguins are slicing through icy Antarctic waters. Clumsy on land, but absolute pros in the ocean.
Need a cool break? Dive into the Ocean Photographer of the Year.
πΈ Antarctica by Romain Barats
π₯ Too hot for the playground? Weβve got you covered.
Our hands-on museum spaces are made for little bodies with big energy - safe places to run, touch, splash, explore and learn without the sunburn.
βοΈ Fully air-conditioned. Kid-approved.
www.sea.museum/en/whats-on/events/summer-school-holidays
βοΈ Beach Bods | Life Drawing
This summer, Gladdy Drawing Club presents Beach Bods a life-drawing session set inside The Beach, the museumβs summer exhibition and playscape.
Wednesday 7 & 14 January, 11amβ12pm
FREE
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/beach-bods-life-drawing-tickets-1977344617981?
Big work underway on Endeavour!
Weβre beginning a major conservation project to replace her standing rigging - the 56mm shrouds that support each mast and spar, carrying all 28 sails under constant tension.
Please donate today to help preserve this remarkable ship.
www.sea.museum/en/support/donate
SUNDAY READ: Long before the surfboard became a high-performance object, it was a tool of survival, ceremony and joy.
π A brief history of surfboards
https://www.sea.museum/en/society-and-water/a-brief-history-of-surfboards
Images: (Detail) Engraver: Edmund Scott, ANMM Collection
βοΈπΆοΈ New Year, New Sun-Safe Habits!
Throwback to the Gold Coast, 1950s: John Patterson giving his clients a classic sun-tan oil rub ποΈβ¨. While sunbaking was all the rage, protecting your skin is the real 2026 resolution!
πΈ Jeff Carter, 1957β59 | ANMM Collection
They say they love youβ¦
but do they know your favourite museum vessel? βπ
If they donβt know, is it really love for 2026?
Tag them and test it π
π Here's the list of the most searched for collection items in 2025!
Youβve been diving deep - from gentle giants to game-changing boats.
π Dive into whatβs capturing attention at collections.sea.museum
#Top2025 #YearInReview
π§ββοΈ Mermaids Take Over The Beach!
Make a splash after dark as a shimmering shoal of mermaids transforms The Beach into a magical underwater world
π
When: Friday 16 & Saturday 17 January
Grab your tickets now: www.sea.museum/en/whats-on/events/summer-school-holidays
#WhatsOnSydney #Mermaids
π Whale strandings are on the rise, but why?
From a lone humpback at Byron Bay to mass strandings overseas, heartbreaking scenes are becoming more frequent.
www.sea.museum/en/ocean-futures/whale-strandings-on-the-rise
Image: Β© Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.
From all of us at the Australian National Maritime Museum, wishing you moments of wonder, endless horizons and gentle seas.
Weβre taking a pause today, but the museum reopens at 9:30am on Boxing Day - see you then!
Image: Brian Robinson, Solwater Relic III, Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide).
Today we celebrate the contributions and opportunities of migration.
This photograph shows migrants aboard the MV TOSCANA in Trieste in 1954. Stories like these reflect the enduring role migration has played in shaping Australia.
π· MV TOSCANA, Trieste, 1954
The flags at the Museum are at half-mast today.
Beaches are places of connection and belonging, and Bondi holds a special place in Australian culture.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected.
The beach has always been a place where we all meet - it belongs to us all. Daryl Karp, Director & CEO
