Maritime exploration is key to Tasmania’s history.

During the pre-colonial periods, sailors from France and the Netherlands braved the wild waters of the Bass Strait to map Tasmanian shorelines and rivers.

Abel Tasman sailed the South and East coasts in 1642, Frenchman Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne sailed the West Coast in 1772, and the first British anchorage was made at Adventure Bay by Tobias Furneaux in 1773.

European exploration of Tasmania continued into the nineteenth century, with most explorers depending on the sea and rivers around the island to learn its secrets.

In the twentieth century, Tasmanian waters was used as a port by Antarctic explorers, when returning to Hobart was the sign of a successful trip.

These tales of exploration can be discovered at the Maritime Museum Tasmania, where objects, maps, and images tell thrilling stories of survival and determination.