As long as there have been people, they have been fascinated by water and the sea, both as live-giver and as a threat.

The sea has been influencing writers in both the east and the west for millenia, and even before this the sea was an essential part of the creation myths of many cultures.

There is something about the sea which has and continues to draw writers and other artists. Many suggestions both philosophical and scientific have been put forward for this powerful attraction. Yet, it is the authors themselves who hae best explained this great power of the sea.

Explore this fascination in our exhibition Writers and the Sea, which showcases the objects and words writers from Tasmania and abroad have used to try and understand and articulate what the sea means to them, as playground, danger, and workplace. Explore their stories, and perhaps you will find your own – what does the sea mean to you?