European shipbuilding started in Hobart as early as 1812, with shipyards opening at Hunter Street, and then at Battery Point in the 1830s.

Boats and ships were key parts of day-to-day life in nineteenth century Tasmania as ways to cross the river, run errands, and move goods or construction material around the state.

Tasmanian shipbuilders consistently met the demand and became so respected that they built vessels for ship owners in other states and even in New Zealand.

They built exclusively timber vessels due to the availability of good lumber on the island.

The first welded steel ships were not built in Hobart until the late 1940s.

Discover the stories of Tasmanian built boats, the people who built them, and the tools they used at the Maritime Museum Tasmania and view some examples of classic Tasmanian shipbuilding.