Tour - Inside the Maritime Collection

Enjoy exclusive guided access inside the Museum’s storage facilities at Wharf 7 (adjacent to the Museum) to explore, up-close and personal, fabulous hidden gems that are part of the 160,000 objects in the National Maritime Collection, and which are not on general public display.

Wearing white cotton gloves, experience the unique opportunity of handling a four-hundred-year-old legendary silver “piece of eight” together with other iconic salvaged artifacts and coins from the “1600s to 1800s age of sail”.

Just recently added to the tour, peruse up close, scores of amazing ship and boat models representing navy, commerce, sport and exploration, from the early days of sail through to the 2000s. See shipbuilders’ marvellous half-block models used to determine hull design details, schooner “America” of 1851 Americas Cup fame, Flinders’ “Investigator”, Darwin’s “Beagle”, legendary clipper “Cutty Sark”, HMAS”Sydney I” and SMS”Emden”, container ship “Tampa” of 2001 refugee rescue drama, an incredible 1800s model made from mutton bones by POWs of the Napoleonic Wars, and so much more.

The IMC tour covers over a hundred historic large and small objects from a broad range of maritime interest areas, and includes a fabulous delicate hand embroidery of Cpt Cook’s famous voyages attributed to his wife Elizabeth, scrimshaw from the 1800s, and salvaged artifacts from the legendary “Batavia”, “Endeavour” and “Dunbar”, together with a selection of coastal Indigenous objects.

The tour will finish with a visit inside the Museum’s Conservation Laboratory to see first-hand some of the current work in progress.

Each tour, which runs for about 2 hours, is for a maximum of 6 people, but unfortunately cannot accommodate mobility aids or wheelchairs. Participants will be on their feet over most of this time.

The tour is unsuitable for children under 12, and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Please wear flat enclosed shoes, and note that all bags and backpacks, together with food and drinks (including water bottles) must be left with our security staff at Wharf 7 or checked in at Front-of-House in the main Museum building before commencing the tour.

Please meet your Tour Guide at Wharf 7 Maritime Heritage Centre Reception at 10.15 for tour introduction. Wharf 7 is located just 200m behind the Museum.

At the conclusion of the tour, visitors are invited to enjoy tea or coffee in the Museum’s Members Lounge

Tours are generally run once per week and places must be prebooked.

Your ticket price will go towards the ongoing conservation of the National Maritime Collection.

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Host or Publisher Australian National Maritime Museum - Events