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It would be difficult to find a better place for a maritime museum than right at the entrance to Fremantle Harbour.
The building is an unusual design and seems to have been intended to represent the shape of a sailing ship and incorporate the look of sails.
The museum was completed in 2002 and incorporates one the highest timber structures in the southern hemisphere.
Six Tasmanian oak arches support the sail like roof at the western end of the museum.
One of the prized exhibits is Australia II, the yacht that won the America's Cup in 1983. It is fitting that the vessel primarily responsible for the refurbishment
of Fremantle is now permanently housed there.
There are a number of other vessels in the museum including the Lady Forrest and a former Swan River ferry that you can board.
Perhaps the biggest draw card at the museum is HMAS Ovens. This is a fully preserved Oberon class submarine that has been brought up onto one of the
old World War II slipways that was originally constructed by the Americans.
It is not widely known but a substantial fleet of submarines operated out of Fremantle during the war.
The Ovens had a crew of 62 and if you walk through the sub, you will wonder just how so many people managed to live and work, in such a confined space.
The museum also houses a specimen of a megamouth shark. These are very rare, primitive members of the shark family. The megamouth is housed in it's own protective tank where it was placed after being moved from Perth Museum in 2010.
The specimen washed up on a Mandurah beach and was preserved for study and exhibition. These primitive sharks are filter feeders and are very rarely seen.
For more information on the museum, including opening times and entry fees, visit the museum's website from the link below.
Address
Western Australian Maritime Museum
Victoria Quay,
Fremantle,
Western Australia,
6160,
Australia
Phone number (08) 9431 8334
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