Discover stories behind the latest exhibitions, fascinating explorations into maritime science and archaeology, and the surprising details of what happens inside (and outside) a modern working museum.
17 Aug 2020
On this day 75 years ago Indonesia declared independence from colonial Dutch rule. Curator Stephen Gapps looks back on this historic event and Australia's role in supporting Indonesia during its struggle.
20 Apr 2020
For someone who looms so large in the Australian consciousness, there’s a lot about James Cook that Australians get wrong. Dr Stephen Gapps and Steve Riethoff straighten out some of the misconceptions.
Read more![The Observatory, Point Venus, Otahytey [Tahiti], George Tobin, 1792. State Library of New South Wales (FL1606978)](/-/media/anmm/images/blog-content/2019/september-2019/signals/the-observatory-point-venus-otahytey-tahiti-george-tobin-1792-state-library-of-new-south-wales-fl160.jpg?h=1080&la=en&w=2160&hash=77D40A89D2C83CA813437B06545F20E2A7E5242F "The Observatory, Point Venus, Otahytey [Tahiti], George Tobin, 1792. State Library of New South Wales (FL1606978)")
29 Sep 2019
The museum’s new exhibition Bligh: Hero or Villain? urges us to think about the debates over William Bligh’s personality and career. Curator Dr Stephen Gapps provides some context on an aspect often forgotten among the copious amount of literature, film and discussion around Bligh – the role of the peoples of the Pacific islands in this story.
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23 Aug 2019
In 1847 Benjamin Boyd, an early colonial businessman better known for his whaling ventures, shipped 65 men from New Caledonia and Vanuatu to Eden on the south coast of New South Wales.
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18 Apr 2019
On April 10th, the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove presented a posthumous bravery medal to Aunty Sonia Piper from the Brungle community and Roslyn Boles a descendant of Yarri in the annual awards ceremony in Canberra.
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02 Feb 2019
Matthew Flinders is remembered for his 1803 circumnavigation of Australia. But what do you know about his companion, guide and friend Bungaree?
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25 Oct 2018
When then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked his parliamentary colleagues to sign a petition over his leadership in August 2018, the connection may have been lost on many, but petitions have some long historical parallels in the Turnbull family, going back to the so-called ‘Usurpation’ of Governor Bligh in 1808.
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21 Aug 2018
On July 11 in the year 1405 Admiral Zheng He’s Grand Fleet of over 300 ships with 28,000 crew departed China on the first of several expeditions through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The expeditions were aimed at establishing Chinese influence over long established trade routes, now often referred to as the Maritime Silk Road
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25 Jun 2018
The museum has acquired an evocative collection of maritime heritage from the Mission to Seafarers, Sydney, which has a history dating back to the early port in 1822. We can now explore the stories of the early provision of welfare to sailors and the surprising role of charitable religious organisations in maritime history.
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19 Jun 2018
In the 19th century, Aboriginal people in the Sydney region used rivers, creeks and waterways as places of refuge and survival after the devastation of colonisation. In the first decade of the British colony, waterways were also important in resistance warfare.
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