The Singing Ship is a 12-metre tall concrete and steel monument located in

Emu Park Emu Park is a coastal town and locality on the Capricorn Coast located south of Yeppoon in Queensland, Australia. It is within the local government area of Shire of Livingstone (between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Rockhampton Region). In ...

Shire of Livingstone The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal to ...

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 , established_ ...

, Australia. The monument is notable for using wind to enable it to make a unique whistling sound, making it "sing". Located at Churchill's Lookout on Constitution Hill, the monument commemorates

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

's voyage through

Keppel Bay Keppel Bay is a bay in Central Queensland, Australia at the mouth of the Fitzroy River on the coast of the Coral Sea. Extent Keppel Bay extends from Station Point on Curtis Island () in the Gladstone Region to Zilzie Point at Zilzie () i ...

in May 1770. It was officially unveiled by Minister for Shipping

Ian Sinclair Ian McCahon Sinclair (born 10 June 1929) is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the National Party from 1984 to 1989. He was a government minister under six prime ministers, and later Speaker of the House of Representative ...

on 30 May 1970. The monument was designed by

Bajool Bajool is a rural town and locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Bajool had a population of 455 people. Geography Bajool is located on the Bruce Highway, 35 km south of Rockhampton and 74 ...

art teacher Peggy Westmoreland who won a competition in 1969 held by the Captain Cook Bicentenary Celebrations Committee which sought possible ways to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Cook's voyage and his exploration of Keppel Bay in May 1770. Westmoreland was the joint first winner of the competition along with the Lions Club of Yeppoon which had submitted a proposal to establish a youth holiday camp on

Great Keppel Island Great Keppel Island (''Woppaburra, Wop-Pa, Wapparaburra'') lies from the coast off Yeppoon in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland. The island's traditional owners are the Wo ...

. The winners received a prize of $100. The Singing Ship project was adopted in favour of the Lion Club's proposal due to time constraints. Westmoreland originally abandoned her design and disposed of it. However, her husband retrieved it from a rubbish bin and encouraged her to complete it. After the Bicentenary Celebrations Committee decided to use Westmoreland's design to construct a "singing ship", fundraising efforts commenced with a target of $5,000. Donations were received from

Livingstone Shire Council The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal ...

Rockhampton City Council The City of Rockhampton was a local government area in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing most of the suburban area of the regional city of Rockhampton. The city covered an area of , and existed as a local go ...

Fitzroy Shire Council The Shire of Fitzroy was a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate west and south of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the town of G ...

and the Rockhampton & District Historical Society. The Lions Club of Yeppoon also donated their prize money to the project. Churchill's Lookout on Constitution Hill was selected as the preferred site for the monument which was constructed by builders Steve and Isabel Kele, engineer David Thomas, and physics lecturer George Cain. The design of the monument incorporated steel pipes, designed by Cain, for wind to pass through to make the ship "sing". A plaque at the base of the monument states that the Singing Ship was erected to honour Captain James Cook who discovered and named Keppel Bay between 26 May 1770 and 28 May 1770. Five years after its official unveiling, a time capsule was placed at the base of the monument which is scheduled to be opened in 2070. The Singing Ship was repaired after sustaining damage from

Cyclone Marcia Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall at its peak strength over central Queensland, near Shoalwater Bay on 20 February 2015. The cyclone went on to affect various areas including Yeppoon and Rockhampton ...

in 2015.

In September 2015, it was reported that a pathway would be constructed up to the Singing Ship from the lookout which was constructed as part of the second stage of the Emu Park Anzac Memorial beachfront precinct. In 2019, local resident Claire Ryan published a book about the monument's history entitled "The Singing Ship: Captain and Crew". The monument's 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2020. The Singing Ship is frequently promoted as one of the

Capricorn Coast The Capricorn Coast is a stretch of coastline in Central Queensland, Australia and is part of the Shire of Livingstone (formerly part of Rockhampton Region). Geography The Capricorn Coasts takes its name from Cape Capricorn () on Curtis Is ...

's premier tourist attractions. As such, the Singing Ship has become an iconic symbol of Emu Park and the surrounding district. Depictions of the monument have been incorporated into a number of logos such as those belonging to Livingstone Shire Council, Emu Park State School and Club Emu Park.

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Further reading