The Queensland Maritime Museum is located on the southern bank of the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the ...

just south of the South Bank Parklands and Queensland Cultural Centre precinct of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, and close to the Goodwill Bridge. The museum was founded in 1971 and contains a two-level exhibition building presenting historic sailing ship models together with merchant shipping from early cargo ships to modern container ships, tankers and cruise liners. It is housed in the building used for the “Pavilion of Promise” at

World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo wa ...

, and the

South Brisbane Dry Dock South Brisbane Dry Dock is a heritage-listed dry dock at 412 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William David Nisbet and built from 1876 to 1887. It is also known as the Government Grav ...

which was built in the 1870s and was long and wide. In 1887 the dock was extended to due to the increasing size of vessels. The museum also includes a library that stocks documents, pictures and other relevant artifacts relating to maritime history. There are several maps that show how early navigators created accurate charts. Information is also provided about some of the 1,500 plus shipwrecks that have occurred along the Queensland coast including the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, A ...

Vessels

The steam tug ''Forceful'', the only remaining working coal-fired steam tug in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, is berthed at the Museum wharf and there are regular sailings down the Brisbane River. It was built in 1925 by Alex Stephen & Son Ltd.,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. In 1941 it was chartered by the government for service in the Middle East, but did not sail because

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. She was then requisitioned by the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...

and became known as HMAS ''Forceful''. She was armed with a 20mm Oerlikon Machine Gun and a .303" Vickers machine gun. At present, she is laid up for repairs, estimated to reach around $250,000AUD. HMAS Diamantina (K-377) berthed under the Goodwill Bridge

HMAS Diamantina (K-377) berthed under the Goodwill Bridge

HMAS ''Diamantina'', a River Class frigate is in the South Brisbane Dry Dock (Graving Dock), and on board, visitors can view the Museum's collection of Australian Naval memorabilia. Another WW2 vessel located at the Museum is the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

type of

pearling lugger Pearling in Western Australia includes the harvesting and farming of both pearls and pearl shells (for mother of pearl) along the north-western coast of Western Australia. The practice of collecting pearl shells existed well before Europea ...

, "Penguin", which was used by the Americans during WW2, along with the dinghy from General Douglas MacArthur's motor Yacht "Shangri-La". Also visible is the Light Ship Carpentaria.

Lighthouses exhibition

Information is also provided about how

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

technology developed from the early oil wick burners to the modern equipment used in the present day. The former Bulwer Island Light, which operated at

Bulwer Island Bulwer Island is a reclaimed tidal mangrove island at the mouth of the Brisbane River in the suburb of Pinkenba, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is named for Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the British Colonial Secretary who separated Q ...

at the mouth of the

from 1912 to 1983, is on display outside the Museum. It is a white, octagonal wooden tower covered with corrugated iron sheets, and the roof of lantern is red. Also displayed are the original lens of

Archer Point Light Archer Point Light is an active lighthouse on Archer Point, a conical, grassy headland about southeast of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia. Originally an 1883 Timber framing, timber frame lighthouse covered with galvanised iron, it was replace ...

, the pedestal and gearbox of

Bustard Head Light Bustard Head Light is an active lighthouse located on the southeast tip of Bustard Head, a headland, about northwest of Seventeen Seventy, in the Australian state of Queensland, within the Eurimbula National Park and locality of Eurimbula. ...

, and the lens and apparatus from

Cape Don Light Cape Don Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Don, at the tip of the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia, in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, marking the entrance to the Dundas Strait. It is Australia's northernmost tr ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

Gallery

Image:Pearlingluggerpenguin.JPG, Pearling Lugger "Penguin" Image:Steamtugforceful.JPG, Steam tug "Forceful"

References

External links

Queensland Maritime Museum WebsiteQueensland Maritime Museum from Collections Australia Network
{{Authority control History of Brisbane Maritime museums in Australia Museums established in 1971 Museums in Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane Landmarks in Brisbane 1971 establishments in Australia South Brisbane, Queensland Maritime history of Queensland World Expo 88 World's fair architecture in Brisbane