Sydney's National Maritime Museuem Critical to Understanding Australia

Like America, Australia's story is largely one of immigration.  I also would argue, because of Australia's ties to Britain, which was once the greatest naval power in the world, that it's connection to sea is even more significant than that of the States.  Sydney's National Maritime Museum , located at Darling Harbour, does an excellent job of bringing Australia's seafaring history and culture to life, and it is a must visit deestination for any tourist in Australia.

The National Maritime Museum has several permanent displays, as well as a selection of rotating shows.  When I was there, one of the big special shows was "Sailor Style" which looked at naval uniforms throughout history, and how they have infiltrated pop culture.  Display items included historical uniform examples, the costumes from Master and Commander (with a swatch book so you could feel the fabrics and understand how they were effected by water and salt) and a number of video installations that included everything from the Village People's In the Navy video to Gene Kelly clips.  This range of items was both fascinating and hillarious, and a good insight into the playful nature of Australia's astuteness about pop-culture.

Other exhibits are more serious and include stunning artifacts from the age of exploration and European settlement, fascinating materials on convicts migrants and refugees (one of the things that's important to understand about Australia, is that until relatively recently if a person emigrated to Australia, they never left it again, the voyage and the cost were both so prohibitive - this, combined with the early use of the continent as a prison island, has embedded itself in Australia's culture in myriad and fascinating ways), economic and commercial history, and the relationship between indigineous communities and teh sea.