Photo of the museum's lighthouse, taken from a low angle looking up, with a clear blue sky background.

Society and water

Dip your toe into the many currents of culture, leisure, sport and trade that connect every Australian to the waters that surround and inspire us.

A brief history of surfboards

From grass roots to computer generated design. 

Photo of a wooden surfboard on a white background
Black and White engraving on cream paper depicting a tall ship and many smaller watercraft in a bay.
Aerial photograph showing the lighthouse on the right surrounded by scrub with beach visible at upper left.

Stories from the Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse

Lighthouses in the collection

50 years on - Remembering Cyclone Tracy

Remembering the devastation on Christmas day in 1974 how the Navy stepped-in. 

Photo of a small, navy patrol boat at sea.
Black and white photograph showing the damage in the northern suburbs of Darwin

The Sydney Punchbowls

Two early 19th Century punchbowls offer a fascinating glimpse into the Sydney's past.

Photo showing a table with green cloth and lots of maps and documents arranged on it. There are also 2 baskets of dried, Australian native plants.

Charting our waters

Australia's Daring World Record- Ken Warby

In 1978, mechanical engineer and motorboat racer, Ken Warby (1939-2023), set the still-unbeaten world water speed record of 511.11 km/h. 

Black and white photo of a man standing on a boat.

Paula Stafford

Join Assistant Curator Inger Sheil to learn about innovative designer and 'Bikini Queen' Paula Stafford who produced a wide range of popular fashions celebrating the Gold Coast's ideal beach lifestyle. 

This black and white photograph depicting the interior of Paula Stafford's Tog Shop at Broadbeach Gold Coast, Queensland about 1957. Paula is seen standing to the right, gesturing towards her customer, to her left.
This black and white photograph depicting the interior of Paula Stafford's Tog Shop at Broadbeach Gold Coast, Queensland about 1957. Paula is seen standing to the right, gesturing towards her customer, to her left.

More swimwear in the collection

From our education team

School programs and online resources perfect for school students

A collection of green and gold swimsuits from different eras on a white background

Celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics

Lear about olympic challenges and how they’ve led to the Paris Games

Photo of a male, Paralympic athlete on a winners podium. The wall behind him says Athens 2004.