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Tales from the team, collections and history musings…
Iron ballast from HMB Endeavour
On 10 June 1770, HMB Endeavour under the command of Captain James Cook was sailing north along the east coast of Australia. At 11 pm, it struck a reef and started taking on water. Desperate to lighten the ship, the crew heaved nearly 48…
How to clean a sword
Conservator Heather Berry explains the process of cleaning a naval sword made of metals, shark skin and a leather case, as well as, the conservation requirements for each material.
The fabled land of Beach, Locach, Java La Grande, and Terra Australis Incognita
How 40,000 years after the first Australians arrived, Australia was “discovered” again
Cleaning the Barangaroo Boat
How do you clean a 200-year-old, heavily sedimented, archaeological boat? With dish brushes, toothbrushes, plastic scrapers, and LOTS care.
Finding the Barangaroo Boat
Nobody expected to find a boat while digging for a new train station...
The Battle of Rhode Island
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE BRITISH SHIPS WERE SCUTTLED? After the British intentionally sunk some of their ships in order to keep the French naval force at bay, the French Admiral Comte d’Estaing, brought his entire fleet into the harbour and…
Searching for Endeavour
In September 2018, Silentworld Foundation joined the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) and the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) in their ongoing work investigating vessels deliberately sunk by the British in…
Dunbar & Royal Charter
DUNBAR & ROYAL CHARTER - Bookends to the Australian Gold Rush Story. The Australian Gold Rush of the 1850s was arguably one of the greatest economic and social events in Australia’s colonial history. The ‘Rush’ caused a huge influx of…
THE COLOURS OF WRECKS
Recent fieldwork, combined with satelitte imagery, shows the impact of iron artefacts discolouring coral reefs. This research is being developed in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum.