Maritime Museum

Darling Harbour is home to the Australian National Maritime Museum which consists of a number of preserved ships plus a main building with a number of galleries.

This photograph is a view of the museum building and the preserved ships taken from the observation deck of the Sydney Tower Eye.


	To get to the museum from Circular Quay and George Street the easiest route is over Prymont Bridge which also carries the Sydney Monorail.

The bridge, which opened in 1902, was closed to vehicular traffic in the 1980s and converted into a pedestrian bridge as part of the re-development of Darling Harbour. The monorail track was added and opened in 1988. As Prymont Bridge is a swing bridge the monorail track rests on a pivot so that the track can remain stationary while the bridge moves. As a result monorails can continue to cross even when the bridge is opened - pretty cunning.




		The bridge control room in all its Victorian cast iron splendour. It now also seems to function as a security office. Also the plaque to be found on the bridge


	A photograph showing the construction of the bridge, it consists of a steel truss swingspan (the curved section) with timber truss approach spans. Timber was used because of the high cost of iron and steel and government insistence on using local materials to reduce costs.


	There are a number of ships preserved afloat in Darling Harbour including HMAS Vampire a Daring class destroyer (and Australia's largest museum vessel) and HMAS Onslow an Oberon class submarine.


	HMAS Advance was one of 20 Attack class patrol boats built for the Royal Australian Navy and served out of Darwin until 1980.


	There are also a number of sailing ships including a replica of Captain Cook's famous ship of discovery HMB Endeavour (not present during my visit as it regularly sails to other locations) and a replica of the Dutch trading ship Duyfken.

Duyfken was a fast, lightly armed ship probably intended for working in shallow water, carrying small valuable cargoes (such as spices), or privateering. In 1606, during a voyage of discovery from Bantam (Banten), Java, captained by Willem Janszoon she encountered the Australian mainland, the first authenticated European discovery of Australia. In 1608, the ship was damaged beyond repair, this replica was built in Australia and launched in 1999.

Some interior views of the Duyfken are shown below.


	She has made a number of voyages including one to Texel in the Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, the floor of the hold was replaced by antique Dutch bricks (the Duyfken carried bricks in the hold as part of her ballast).


	The main museum building is broken up into a number of galleries holding a variety of artefacts from complete ships to models. The following photographs are a small selection of what is on display.


	In the entrance hall the Spirit of Australia is mounted on a wall. She was built in a Sydney backyard by Ken Warby


	The light from the Tasman Island Lighthouse originally located in Southern Tasmania.

		Solo yachtswoman Kay Cottee's vessel First Lady is shown below.


	One of the galleries is given over to the Royal Australian Navy, here is a RAN Wessex Mark 31B.

The vessel on the right was built for the annual Darwin Beer Can Regatta.

Details are shown below.

Leaving the museum building you pass a number of items including the Cape Bowling Green lighthouse.

This was built in 1874 and was operational until 1987. Despite its appearance it is not made of stone blocks but is an 'ironclad' design with a hardwood frame surrounded by prefabricated iron cladding imported from Great Britain. At the top of the tower is a cast iron compartment called the lantern room, in which the light is housed.

Further along is the Barque James Craig, this is a true restoration and not a replica. Built in 1874 in Sunderland, England, by Bartram, Haswell, & Co., she was originally named Clan Macleod and was employed carrying cargo around the world. In 1900 she was acquired by Mr J J Craig, renamed James Craig in 1905, and began to operate between New Zealand and Australia until 1911. Abandoned floating in Tasmania's Recherche Bay she was sunk in 1932. She was rescued in 1972 as a rusting wreck and was originally intended as a static exhibit but was eventually restored as a sailing ship. In February 2001 she hoisted all of her 21 sails for the first time in nearly 80 years and sailed through Sydney Heads.


	A photograph of the interior, note the clever design of the backs of the benches.


		A view looking forward from the wheel. The original builders plaque.


	Darling Harbour has been completely rebuilt over the years, this is the view across the harbour from the museum.


	Adding to the mix of vessels in Sydney Harbour there are some Sternwheelers the go out on cruises, this photograph shows one moored in the harbour.


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