Australian Maritime Museum

The Australian National Maritime Museum was built at 2 Murray Street is a federally occupied museum, designed by Philip Cox (born 1939), of one of Australia’s largest practices, the roof shaped to look like billowing sales.  The museum was meant to be ready for the Bicentenary in 1988 but did not open until 1991.  It is structured around seven main galleries, focusing on the discovery of Australia, the relationship between the Australian Aborigines and the water, travel to Australia by sea, the ocean as a resource, water-based relaxation and entertainment, the naval defence of the nation, and the relationship between the United States of America and Australia.  There is a collection of museum ships, a research library, the Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse (moved here), and the Welcome Wall listing 24,000 names of immigrants who arrived by sea.  There are also interactive parts.