Month of Shipwrecks

The Sepia was a three-masted iron sailing barque (barge) that wrecked en route to Fremantle, 3km west of Carnac Island. It was carrying general supplies needed for the growing Swan River Colony.  Maritime Archaeologist Corioli Souter has carried out excavations on the site and has found items that reveal insights to the needs and wants of the fledgling settlement.

Use the Museum's interactive map and explore the the wrecks of the WA coast.

Patrick Baker is the WA Museums shipwrecks photographer, with more than 30 years of underwater photography under his belt. Hear him explain the history, significance and advancement of underwater photography for the purposes of maritime archaeology.

On the morning of 4 June 1629, the VOC ship Batavia was wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos, off the coast of Western Australia. With extraordinary bad luck, it took 63 days to find the wreck site, almost double the time it took the party to get to Batavia. During this time a mutiny took  place. A small group of mutineers, led by Jeronimus Cornelisz, massacred 125 men, women and children. Learn more about the mutiny on the Batavia

Shipwreck Photographer, Patrick Baker, shares with you why he loves working on the James Matthews wreck site, how it was discovered and some of his favourite items recovered from the wreck.

The hull of the Batavia, housed in the Shipwreck Galleries at the WA Museum, is the only example world-wide of an early 17C Dutch East India Company ship. Lifting it off the seabed has allowed the hull to be put on public exhibition but importantly has allowed for significant research to be undertaken. Find out how Dutch ship building techniques and materials have been traced back to Polish origins, revealing uncanny connections between the maritime and fine art worlds.

The James Matthews wreck was located in 1973 on the north side of Woodman Point in Cockburn Sound, by members of the Underwater Explorers Club (UEC) who were conducting an underwater line search as part of their wreck research program. Although a colonial vessel, it was found that there is much more to the history of the ship  wrecked in July 1841.

Patrick Baker is the Western Australian Museum's shipwrecks photographer. This series of photo galleries explores his amazing career and catalogues the photos taken between 1970 - 2005. This first gallery focuses on the photos of Patrick in field.

The Batavia is well-known for its bloody history, however much more can be learnt from the wreck. Join Coral, a student from Texas A&M, as she explains the apothecary collection from both The Batavia and the The Guild Dragon. These artefacts can give us keen insights into medical history and an indication of health onboard 17C Dutch ships.

Find out more about the extraordinary Broadhurst family and the SS Xantho.

Shipwrecks often take us on interesting and unexpected journeys through the lives of those who were associated with them. This has been especially the case with the SS Xantho. Meet a pioneering ship merchant and businessman Charles Broadhurst, his wife Eliza an early feminist, his son Florance the award winning guano merchant and his daughter Kitty the suffragette.

The Rottnest Graveyard is a treasure trove for fisherman, divers and shipwrecks fanatics alike. A literal dumping ground for old ships that lies south west of Rottnest Island. In fact, the public record tells us around 50-60 ships were sunk in this area between 1900 and 1950! Jeremy Green, Head of Maritime Archaeology, takes you through the history, discovery and development of this archaeologically rich site.
 

Want to know more about the Rotnestt Deepwater Graveyard? Which has been used for the last 75 years to dispose of old unwanted ships, aircraft, munitions and military vehicles. Find out about the 80-100m deep site West of Rottnest, and the aerial surveys, technical diving and remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) that have been revealing more about the area.

Dirk Hartog Island is of the greatest historical importance, being the site of the earliest recorded European landfall on the Western Australian coast.

Patrick Baker is the Western Australian Museum's shipwrecks photographer. This series of photo galleries explores his amazing career and catalogues the photos taken between 1970 - 2005. This first gallery focuses on the photos of Patrick in field.

The ANCODS Collection consists of artefacts recovered from the four Dutch East India Company ships that sank along the Western Australian coast in the 17th and 18th centuries. The collection is rich and varied including bullion, cargo and building materials, navigational equipment, arms and armament, medical supplies, personal possessions of the crew and passengers, human and animal remains, and artefacts relating to the ships, their sails and rigging.

Patrick Baker is the Western Australian Museum's shipwrecks photographer. This series of photo galleries explores his amazing career and catalogues the photos taken between 1970 - 2005. This first gallery focuses on the photos of Patrick in field.

Don’t forget to visit our Shipwrecks Database where you can search our collection databases for shipwreck information, artefacts, numismatic materials, as well as the ANCODS collection. Explore the Journeys of Enlightenment online exhibition for information on French Exploration of the Terres Australes.

This photo gallery showcases some photo highlights of the research expedition to the Abrolhos islands during April-May 2013.

Our maritime archaeology department recently shared a selection of images from the early expeditions and excavations of the Batavia (1629) on their Facebook page to celebrate the 50th anniversary of discovering the wreck site (June 4th 2013).

Patrick Baker is the Western Australian Museum's shipwrecks photographer. This series of photo galleries explores his amazing career and catalogues the photos taken between 1970 - 2005. This fourth gallery has a heavy focus on landscapes, object photography and 18th century Dutch shipwrecks.

This video some underwater dive footage of the research expedition to the Abrolhos Islands during April-May 2013.

Using a relatively new web technology called WebGL, we have recreated a gravesite from the Abrolhos Islands. This 3D recreation can be manipulated using your mouse and you can steer through, rotate and zoom into this recreation to view more details. Please note, you will need the browser Chrome or Firefox to view this, otherwise there is a video on this page to illustrate this 3D feature.