Galleries and vessels

Galleries and vessels

Permanent exhibitions at the ANMM are focused around seven permanent gallery spaces:

Navigators

Originally called "Discovery of Australia", this gallery looks at discovery, exploration, and charting of Australia's coastline by the Dutch, British, and French, as well as trade between the Indonesians and Australian Aborigines prior to European discovery.

Eora-First People

Australian Aborigines and their relationship with the water.

Passengers

Looks at the journeys made to Australia by various groups, from the original settlers to war brides, refugees, and cruise ship visitors.

Commerce

Covers the working relationship between Australia and the water, including areas such as seaborne trade, the fishing and whaling industries, and the role of maritime unions.

Watermarks

Celebrates "Australia's love affair with the water" in terms of recreation and entertainment.[1] The gallery was opened in December 2001, with major focal points including the yacht Blackmores First Lady (which was used by Australian Kay Cottee when she became the first woman to sail solo, nonstop, unassisted around the world), the coxless four rowing shell used by the Oarsome Foursome at the 1992 Summer Olympics, and a vessel from the Darwin Beer Can Regatta.[1][10] The space previously hosted the America's Cup-winning yacht Australia II as the centrepiece of the "Tall Gallery", but the yacht, owned by the Australian Government and not the ANMM, was transferred to the Western Australian Maritime Museum in late 2000.[11]

Navy

The role of the Royal Australian Navy (and before that, the Royal Navy's Australian Squadron) in the defence of the nation. Includes the "Wall of Sydney"; models and histories of the four Australian warships named after the city of Sydney.

Australia-USA

The gallery looks at the links and commonalities between Australia and the United States of America.[12] A US$5 million endowment to the ANMM was the United States' gift for Australia's bicentenary, making the Australia-USA Gallery the only gallery in a national museum funded by a foreign nation.[12] The gallery itself was designed by the Burley Katon Halliday firm.[5]

 The original lenses from the Tasman Island Lighthouse; centrepiece of the Tasman Light Gallery. The Westland Wessex helicopter in the background is suspended above the Navy Gallery

In addition, there are four other gallery spaces in the museum. The Tasman Light gallery contains the original lenses from the Tasman Island Lighthouse,[13] and is used for temporary photographic exhibitions and as hireable space for functions. The other three galleries (two along the eastern side of the top level, and a third offset from the main body of the museum) are used separately or together to host temporary exhibitions.

Other items on display inside the museum, but not associated with any particular gallery, include Spirit of Australia, the Water Speed Record-holding motorboat, and an anchor from HMS Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet.