Spring school holidays
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Dive into fun and make a splash at the maritime museum these school holidays with exhibitions, vessels, hands-on workshops, themed creative activities, performances, films and more. It’s a whole day of fun for the whole family!
- Explore our newest exhibitions including James Cameron – Challenging the Deep and Wildlife Photographer of the Year
- Get hands-on with creative artmaking in our Kids on deck maker space
- Explore touchable objects and specimens at the Cabinet of curiosities
- Climb on board the museum’s fleet of vessels
- Catch a performance of Sea Tales
- Relax with the Mermaid Melody colouring corner and book nook in Valerie Taylor – An underwater life
- Adventure on a Sneaky Sharks activity trail
Plus
- Mini mariners, Underwater drones, Creative workshops, Torchlight tour and more
First Nations artist workshop series
Model Nawis
Join Dunghutti artist and elder Uncle John Kelly and artists from the museum’s Indigenous programs team as you learn to create your own model, small-scale Nawi out of bark and twine.
Tuesdays 1 and 8 October
10am - 1pm or 2pm - 5pm
Ages: 7 to adult
Early bird discount
$40 general (ages 7 to adult)
$35 museum members
FREE for accompanying parents/ carers/guardians*
About the artist
John Kelly is a respected Nawi maker, artist, elder and educator. He often explores the translation of traditional practices into contemporary mediums and forms. His work engages community in the preservation and celebration of culture.
Special performance - SEA TALES
Join in lively and interactive musical storytelling about wild storms, brave journeys to distant lands, lighthouse keepers and beat boxing whales.
Sea tales is performed by Miles Merrill and a collection of poets together with multi-instrumentalist Trevor Brown to create a spoken-word musical journey exploring the reasons why we journey by sea: love, work, migration, amusement and adventure.
Sea tales is presented in partnership with Word Travels’ Story Week- an annual celebration of poetry slams, workshops and storytelling events.
Free - No bookings required
Friday 4, Saturday 5, Sunday 6
Wednesday 9, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October
11.30am, 12.30pm
Family favourites
SHIPWRECKED! Torchlight Tour
Thursday 10 October
6.15pm – 7.45pm
$25 child, $20 adult
4–12 and adults
Join character guide Stormy Grey the castaway for a dramatic after dark tour through the museum. Join a hunt to find shipwreck treasure in the museum galleries and enjoy exclusive after-hours access to our spring exhibitions including James Cameron – Challenging the Deep. Enjoy themed refreshments and souvenir art making.
Creative workshops for 8-14 yrs
Fantastic Fossils and Spectacular Sculptures – 1 day workshop
Wednesdays 2 and 9 October
10am – 4pm
$75 members or early bird (before 26 September)
$85 general
Bookings essential
Be inspired by models, dioramas and fossils in the museum’s exhibitions and learn about how museums create replica objects for exhibitions. Experiment with specialist sculpting and mould making materials like silicon and plaster to make your own marvellous models and spectacular sculptures using your favourite objects or specimens.
Create your own moulds and casts to fill with a variety of materials like soap, wax, plaster or even chocolate!
Comic creations – 1 day illustration workshop
Thursdays 3 and 10 October
10am – 4pm
$75 members or early bird (before 26 September)
$85 general
Bookings essential
Create your own short comics with science communicators and illustrators in this fun-filled 1 day workshop. Be inspired by our exhibition Graphic Tale of Shipwreck, and learn techniques in graphic novel style drawing, science communication, and humour to design witty and wonderful comics about our underwater world.
Mermaid Melody’s book nook
Daily in School holidays
28 September - 13 October
9.30am – 5.00pm
Recommended for families with kids aged 0–10 years.
Free entry, no booking required.
Take a break and enjoy calm creative activities in our lounge area inspired by Valerie Taylor’s artistic creation Mermaid Melody. Join in largescale collaborative colouring of Valerie’s mermaid and sea creature artworks, chill out on the pillows, pick up a book or create your own playful stories with sea creature puppets from Mermaid Melody’s “touch tank”.
Underwater drones
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
1–13 October
Sessions: 12.00pm, 12.45pm, 1.30pm, 2.15pm, 3.00pm
$35 general/ $25 members (includes See it All museum admission for one player)
Ages: 8 to adult
Game on! Explore below the surface of the harbour with our underwater drones. Have fun testing your gaming skills by challenging family and friends to see who’s the best U-Drone Pilot.
Underwater drones sessions include a private workshop with our ocean-science educators and access to amazing underwater footage highlights to keep and share
Drones workshops are accessible for wheelchair users.
Drone workshop sessions can cater to for 1 person per session or a group of up to 4 players (family/friends) may share a session.
Ocean health lab
Open for tours: Weekdays at 11.30am and 1.30pm
Recommended ages 5 to adult
Cost:
Free entry
Check tour times and activities on the day of your visit.
Seabin Ocean Health Lab is the first of its kind in the world. Seabin scientists analyse marine debris – from macroplastics to tiny nurdles, sucked from the sea by the 30 Seabins stationed around Sydney Harbour. Dive deep into the stories behind the data and learn about what we can do to turn the tide on marine pollution.
