Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney

The Australian National Maritime Museum is dedicated to the maritime history of the country and its continuing involvement and dependence on seas and oceans. The building looks like a ship and the roof resembles billowing sails.

The Australian National Maritime Museum is the only federally-operated museum outside the capital territory. It has seven main galleries with different themes including one wholly funded by the USA, showcasing the maritime relationship between the two countries. The museum opened in 1989.

The galleries have permanent exhibitions depicting the discovery of Australia, the relationship and trade carried on by the Aborigines with other parts of Asia, travel to Australia by sea, the ocean as a resource and a gallery devoted to the ocean as a recreational venue. Three galleries are used for temporary exhibits. There are also three museum ships, a replica of HMS Endeavour that discovered the Australian continent, HMAS Vampire and HMS Onslow, a submarine, that are open to the public. Visitors can view life on convict ships, what emigrant ships brought to Australia and the history of the World War I naval battle of Gallipoli where an Australian fleet fought bravely and lost. The museum has many hands-on exhibits to entertain children, a cinema, and ocean-related computer games.

Why You Should Visit:
Excellent experience with really informative volunteer guides providing a real insight into life as a mariner.
The ships can be a bit claustrophobic but you can really appreciate what it must have been like to have served on board.

Tip:
The main museum is free (ink stamp on the wrist) but if you want to do the submarine, destroyer, or the wooden sailing ship you have to pay for those.