Tuesday 26th December – The National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour

We had arranged to make an early morning call to Simon’s parents’ house to catch up with most of his family who would be there on Christmas Day evening, still enjoying the festivities.

This meant that we were up in good time and out of the flat to make the most of a day at the National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour.  We had no problem finding our way on public transport this time and got some great views of the museum and the harbour as we crossed the bridge:  

Sydney City on the right an HMAS Vampire on the left

There was so much to see, but our priority, sorry, Simon’s priority was to do the tours of the submarine – HMAS Onslow, the destroyer – HMAS Vampire and as a bonus, the replica of the HMB Endeavour.   

An interesting exhibit of a torpedo cross-section

HMAS Onslow submarine on the right and the replica of the Endeavour on the left

Replica of the Endeavour

The original Endeavour set sail from England in 1768 under Captain James Cook with the main aim of charting the transit of Venus across the sun.  However, Cook had been given a secret task by the admiralty – to try and find the Great South Land.  He was unable to do this, settling instead to chart both islands of New Zealand and to claim the Eastern portion of Australia (known as New Holland at the time) in the name of King George III.  Apparently, life was pretty good for a crew member on board in those times.  We had a tough time imagining this, as below decks was half height meaning that everyone had to crouch to follow each other around the ship. Interesting though and this is a working vessel, having completed many voyages with a combination of permanent and paying crew, including a circumnavigation of Australia lasting 13 months. Not sure I could bear to live in the cramped conditions for more than a day or two!

Space is very tight below deck!

There were some treats more specifically for me in the museum as well.  An exhibition called ‘Arctic Voices’ focussed on the ever-changing environment there and how it is intrinsically linked with the rest of the world.  This sculpture (left) highlights the plight of the polar bear – the message being that the very mechanism that human communities use to make ice, the refrigerator, depletes natural ice formations through decades of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) release and ozone damage. The polar bear teeters on the edge of catastrophe as its habitat melts, its prey diminishes and starvation ensues. Hard hitting.

The museum also looks after the Spirit of Australia (below) – the fastest boat in the world, holder of the world water speed record of 464.45 km/h or 288.6 mph in November 1977.  In 1978 the owner, Ken Warby, pushed it further breaking the 500 km/h and 300 mph barriers. He is the only power boat driver alive to have reached such speeds, though others have tried since and been killed in the process.

Crowded House memorabilia in the Hard Rock Cafe

The Museum closed at 5pm and although the happy hour deals tempted us and the food around Darling Harbour smelt delicious,like all good Boxing Days, we had a mountain of food to get through at home!  We had no problem again getting the M20 bus straight back, almost to our doorstep, in perfect time to collapse on the sofa surrounded by cheese, biscuits and left-over turkey and cranberry sauce.  Bliss! (P.S. The diet starts in the New Year….)