The Maritime Museum of Tasmania explores, preserves and interprets Tasmania's rich maritime past.

The Maritime Museum’s mission is to promote an understanding of the maritime heritage of Tasmania and its importance to people's lives through research, interpretation and presentation of our maritime history to the community.

As an island state, the sea is significant to all Tasmanians.  The museum explores the influence of the sea on the lives of Tasmanians and the strong maritime heritage of the islands.  You will find informative displays about aboriginal watercraft, early European explorers and whalers.  You can learn how important sailing and steam ships were for developing Tasmanian industries that exported the raw materials and products of the islands, such as apples, minerals and timber. 

The historic Carnegie Building is a fitting home to the museum’s collection of ship models, artefacts, paintings and images.  Discover the craft and art of ship building through displays of boat builder’s tools and historic dinghies.  Navigational instruments show how mariners found their way across the seas while archaeological discoveries from shipwrecks around the Tasmanian islands show how challenging, difficult and dangerous the seafarer’s life could be.