Dock workers and floating crane / Titan Darling Harbour / c. 1947. David Moore. ANMM Collection 00030758

Collections

The National Maritime collection contains a rich and diverse range of over 140,000 historic artefacts.

Due to the sheer size of our collection, only a fraction of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s objects can be on display at any one time. 

Don't let our lack of physical space get in the way of making new discoveries. You can explore a rich and diverse collection of artefacts online ranging from rocket boats to gold buttons, and discover a wealth of remarkable stories.

Main image: Dock workers and floating crane / Titan Darling Harbour / c. 1947. David Moore. ANMM Collection 00030758

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Colonial Wallpapers - Pacific Encounters

 

Based on the conventions and elements of early European sea charts, the painting 'Colonial Wallpapers - Pacific Encounters' incorporates a central compass rose, rumb lines and wind gods in a reconstruction of the Pacific.

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From the collection

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Illustrated log of the whaling barque TERROR

Illustrated log of the Terror

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HMT Queen Mary assisted by a tug

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Hobart Town 1856

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Arch in the Sky

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Emeret Nar: ghost net canoe

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The Charlotte Medal

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The beautiful Balts – 70 years on

28 Nov 2017

At the museum, we hold a rich collection of ephemera. Many of these items go on to acquire a lasting historical or social significance, such as a letter that was sent to a passenger on the former troopship USAT General Stuart Heintzelman in 1947.

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Remembering the White Russians

07 Nov 2017

The October Revolution in Russia, which occurred 100 years ago today on 7 November 1917 (or 25 October in the old Julian calendar), would lead to the exodus of the refugees known as White Russians or white émigrés.

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The elusive Mrs Cherry

06 Nov 2017

In our own museum’s immigration collection are two intriguing watercolour albums that were created by traveller and amateur cartoonist, Mrs M E Cherry, in the 1930s.

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90 years since the Greycliffe ferry disaster

03 Nov 2017

The sinking of the Greycliffe ferry on 3 November 1927 remains the most significant accident on Sydney Harbour to date. Forty lives were lost when the ferry collided with the Union Steamship Company’s liner Tahiti.

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Sea Bird: A ghost ship story to shiver yer timbers

31 Oct 2017

One of the upsides of the eerie Halloween season is that you can let yourself dwell on the macabre. Even if the rest of the year you envision yourself as a hard-nosed cynic, on Halloween you are allowed to drop your scepticism and ponder the impossible ‘What if…?’

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Meeting the descendants from a disaster at sea

08 Sep 2017

One of the museum’s most-requested paintings for public viewing is a dramatic watercolour by Sydney landscape artist Samuel Elyard (1817–1910) titled Burning of the Barque India (c 1841). Recently we arranged a viewing for cousins Catherine Bell and John Grant.

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Dad

Sailing with the Captain on Father's Day

03 Sep 2017

This Father’s Day there will no doubt many a father choosing to spend the day on the water. Perhaps on the family boat for a sail around the quiet waters of home, pull in for a bbq at some bay and feel the sense of peace and gratitude that sailing in Australia can bring.

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Lighthouse 3D

Capturing a lighthouse in 3D

31 Aug 2017

Conservators rarely have the opportunity to access made-for-conservation equipment, software, tools or chemicals. We borrow and adapt things intended for other environments.

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