Maritime Heritage
Diver recovering a beardman jug from the Batavia wreck site, 1973.
© WA Museum, BT/A/133
The Maritime Heritage department maintains collections, undertakes research, and develops exhibitions to communicate the ongoing local and global significance of Western Australia’s maritime history and cultural heritage.
The Maritime Heritage department is responsible for the management, conservation, and protection of Western Australian maritime cultural heritage sites under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 and the Maritime Archaeology Act 1973 (WA) (currently being updated).
The department’s collections include both archaeological artefacts from maritime cultural heritage sites and materials/objects that tell the social and technological maritime histories of the State. These collections range from early Dutch shipwreck artefacts dating from 1629 to 1727, to the 1983 America’s Cup winning yacht, Australia II.
The collection highlights include the surviving hull timbers of Batavia and the SS Xantho engine, both reconstructed and on display at the WA Shipwrecks Museum; and HMAS Ovens – a Cold War-era submarine – and the pearling lugger, Trixen featured at the WA Maritime Museum.
The team also conducts research and maritime heritage fieldwork to contextualise Western Australia’s maritime history within the Indian Ocean and broader global networks. The findings are communicated through publications, exhibitions, documentaries, and our community outreach programmes.
See Australia’s oldest known
shipwreck site
During a 2021 expedition, the main Trial wreck site was surveyed using 3D photogrammetry.
Protection of Maritime Archaeological Sites - Legal Obligations
Companies and individuals have legal obligations to protect maritime archaeological sites. This overview is relevant for anyone planning actions or developments in Australian waters, or who has found a maritime archaeological site or artefact, or has an artefact in their possession.
News and content
What role does the VOC (or the ‘Dutch’) still play in modern society? Help answer this question by completing an online survey. The results will be analysed to identify potential trends and patterns in contemporary perceptions of the VOC.
Diving up to 100m into the Indian Ocean west of Perth, a team of elite technical divers are uncovering and identifying shipwrecks in conjunction with the Western Australian Museum. Some of these shipwrecks have been at the bottom of the sea for more than 100 years.
Curator of Maritime Heritage at the WA Museum Dr Ross Anderson said Xantho was a seemingly inconsequential vessel hidden in the pages of history, until its wreck was discovered by the Museum’s research team in 1979.
To commemorate the 199th anniversary of the wrecking of the Belinda vessel near Esperance on 19 July 1824, Western Australian Museum and Curtin University released a digital 3D model of this sealing vessel.
Explore the Maritime Heritage collections
Maritime Journals
The vast Western Australian coastline was visited by hundreds of ships pre-colonisation, particularly Dutch trade ships. Many of these ships, such as the Emeloort, passed by without incident, documenting what they saw of the coastline as they went.
Maritime Archaeology Databases
Access the WA Museum's Maritime Archaeology Database to explore our shipwreck coastline. Find information on recovered ships, artefacts, Indigenous contact, numismatic (coin) materials and our international ANCODS agreement.
Research projects
Shared Histories, Different Memories
This project aims to recognise Aboriginal voices and stories relating to the Dutch shipwrecks on the Western Australian coast. Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Undertaking the digitisation and translation of 17th to 19th century Dutch maritime journals and letters. Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Australia Indonesia Museum (AIM) Project
The AIM Project seeks to develop long-term partnerships between Indonesian and Australian museum professionals and their institutions through co-curated exhibitions, joint research projects, training, and knowledge exchange.
Mobilising Dutch East India Company collections for new global stories
This project aim to situate Australian VOC collections in a global context, creating new stories about Australia as part of the VOC global network. (ARC LP210300960)
