Voyage to Freedom - The story of Tự do

Black and white photo of a people on a boat. A man is standing on the left, with 2 very young children and a woman on the right, with other figues in the background.

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Step into the powerful story of Tự do (Freedom), the boat that carried Vietnamese refugees to Australia in 1977.

Discover the story of incredible refugee voyages from Vietnam to Darwin. These journeys represent a broader human search for safety, freedom and a better future. An intimate and immersive experience, the exhibition Voyage to Freedom invites visitors to listen, reflect and connect with our shared migration history.

At the heart of this exhibition are powerful oral histories collected by the museum from 1995 to today. Shared by family members and friends, these firsthand accounts are presented in an immersive central space where visitors can sit, listen and reflect. Surrounded by personal objects, the experience invites you to step into the journeys of Vietnamese refugees, to imagine what it meant to leave everything behind and begin again.

Vietnamese refugee boats PK3402 and Tự do in Darwin, Northern Territory.

Reproduced courtesy of Michael Jensen

Lu family onboard Tự do following its refit and restoration in 2005. 

Tự do - A treasure in the collection

Photo showing a close up of the side of a wooden boat painted blue. It has NV,KG1062A,DC painted on its side