Exhibitions

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Now showing

From the Natural History Museum in London, this exhibition features over 100 exceptional images that capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.

Ice bear as sea bear © Martin Gregus

USING PHOTOGRAPHY’S UNIQUE emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases the natural world’s most astonishing and challenging sights. The competition receives over 50,000 entries from all over the world.

sea.museum/wildlife

Ocean Wonders Now showing

Over the past two years, Schmidt Ocean Institute has collaborated with research institutions from across Australia and the globe. Their mission: to explore the deepest and most remote parts of selected Australian and Pacific marine environments. This free outdoor exhibition reveals a selection of their stunning underwater images. Ocean Wonders can be viewed at the museum’s Wharf 7 forecourt. Ocean Wonders is delivered in partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute sea.museum/oceanwonders One Ocean – Our Future Until 23 October

Marvel at the diversity of Australia’s marine life revealed by Schmidt Ocean Institute’s 2020 circumnavigation of Australia aboard Research Vessel Falkor. Discover, manipulate and inspect 3D visualisations of five extraordinary deep-sea specimens, hear about the impacts of a changing planet and oceans, and learn how two centuries of analysing and examining the ocean have given us the knowledge to change things for the better. sea.museum/one-ocean

Sea star preying on coral. Image Schmidt Ocean Institute

Sea Monsters – Prehistoric ocean predators Returning until 14 August

An exhibition combining real fossils, gigantic replicas, multimedia and handson experiences to reveal ancient monsters of the deep. Find out how three main types of ancient reptiles – ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs – left the land to rule the seas. In the oceans they developed into awesome, enormous predators that make today’s great white sharks seem almost friendly!

Cast of a five-metre Shonisaurus ichthyosaur skull. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns) Season extended until 5 February 2023

For the first time from the National Maritime Museum Collection, we bring together works by Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands) artist Alick Tipoti. With over 25 years as an artist, Tipoti is respected for his work in regenerating cultural knowledge and language. Guided by the traditional cultural practices of his people, Tipoti’s storytelling encompasses traditional cosmology, marine environments and ocean conservation – focusing on what it means to be a sea person. sea.museum/mariw-minaral

Shaped by the Sea From July; see website for confirmation of opening date

Shaped by the Sea tells the story of Australia’s maritime history and our relationship with seas, rivers and waterways from the deep past. As an island nation, Australia has a unique relationship with the sea – now told through the dual perspectives of modern science and maritime archaeology, as well as through Indigenous knowledge. This permanent exhibition transforms the way the museum has interpreted the National Maritime Collection and heralds a new chapter in the life and vision of the museum. Hundreds of objects from the collection will be on display for the first time. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a commissioned work by the Mulka Art Project. This stunning contemporary video installation called Dhaŋaŋ Dhukarr (Many Pathways) brings together all the elements of the exhibition – land, water and sky – into an immersive, cyclic reflection on deep time Australia. sea.museum/shaped-by-the-sea

Travelling exhibitions Remarkable – stories of Australians and their boats

Yamba Museum (NSW), until 3 July Seaside Museum Moreton Bay (QLD), until 30 July Townsville Maritime Museum (QLD), until 31 July Newman Visitor Centre (WA), mid-June–August Port of Morgan (SA), 25 July–28 August Clarence River Historical Society (NSW), 1 August–11 September Port MacDonnell Community Complex (SA) 5 August–2 October

With over 1,000 rivers and a coast that stretches more than 36,000 kilometres, it’s no surprise that Australia’s history abounds with stories of people who have lived and worked on the water. This banner exhibition presents 12 stories from across Australia that explore the remarkable connections between people and their boats. Remarkable has been produced by the Australian Maritime Museums Council, its members, and the Australian National Maritime Museum. This project was assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program. sea.museum/remarkable Voyage to the Deep – Underwater adventures Discovery Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Until 31 August

Based on French author Jules Verne’s 1870 classic, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, the exhibition brings to life the adventures of Captain Nemo, his fantastical Nautilus submarine and his mythical world. Kids can venture through the world below the waves, including the octopus’s garden with its giant clamshell, a giant squid to slide down and a maze of seaweed to wander through in the kelp forest. They can also explore the lost world of Atlantis.

Brickwrecks – sunken ships in LEGO® bricks Museum of the Goldfields, Kalgoorlie, WA Until 14 August Museum of Geraldton, WA 26 August–21 November

Featuring large-scale LEGO® models, real shipwreck objects, interactives and audiovisuals, Brickwrecks explores the history and archaeology of some of the world’s most famous shipwrecks, including Batavia, Titanic, Vasa, Terror and Erebus. The exhibition was developed and designed by the Western Australian Maritime Museum in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum and Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught. sea.museum/brickwrecks Sea Monsters – Prehistoric ocean predators Newcastle Museum, September 2022–February 2023

Earth’s oceans were home to some of the largest, fiercest and most successful predators ever. While dinosaurs ruled the land, giant reptiles and sharks hunted the depths. What can their fossilised bones tell us about how they lived? How do they compare to today’s top ocean predators? Discover the secrets of these monsters of the deep in this exhibition that will delight all ages! sea.museum/sea-monsters-travelling

Dates listed for onsite and travelling exhibitions are subject to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, and may change at short notice. For updates, please check our website at sea.museum.

Adventures with Captain Nemo in Voyage to the Deep. Image ANMM