The Australian National Maritime Museum has announced this year's successful recipients in the latest round of grants under the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS). Museums and cultural organisations across the country will receive funding and support toward projects that protect and preserve Australia's proud maritime heritage.
Twenty-five successful MMAPSS applications will share in more than $120,000 in grants and in-kind support, with fifteen receiving funding for projects ranging from vessel preservation to exhibition development, three receiving in-kind support only, one receiving both funding and in-kind support, and six recipients will be funded to attend an on‑site museology course under MMAPSS.
This announcement unveiled the breadth and depth of new and ongoing maritime heritage initiatives. Each reflecting narratives and legacies that are both deeply rooted in their local context and nationally significant. This includes the construction of a traditional Kuridja (bark canoe) by a senior Thaua Elder in order to preserve significant maritime knowledge from the Far South Coast of NSW, and the preventative maintenance of HMAS GLADSTONE, a decommissioned Fremantle Class naval patrol vessel dry docked at the mouth of Auckland Creek, Gladstone.
The MMAPSS Selection Committee has highlighted that this year's funded projects exemplify how the maritime heritage sector continues to evolve, creatively bringing Australia's historical narratives to life and engaging a diverse range of audiences in meaningful ways.
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said, "Australia is intrinsically linked with our network of waterways. These projects explore our maritime history and enable communities across the country to learn and engage on a deeper level."
Daryl Karp AM, Director and CEO of the Australian National Maritime Museum, said "Australia's identity as an island nation is deeply connected to its seas and waterways, reflected in the stories, vessels, and artefacts that form its maritime heritage. Thanks to the dedication of countless Australians contributing to projects across a nationwide network of museums, organisations, and communities, this rich legacy will continue to be protected for future generations."
MMAPSS is administered by the Australian National Maritime Museum and funded by the Australian Government through the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. Since 1995, MMAPSS has provided more than $2.61 million to over 565 projects and over 93 museological training opportunities to organisations across Australia.
Projects include the physical restoration of vessels or strategic planning to enable their preservation, site enhancements that help tell stories of maritime heritage, support to develop and extend information sharing and educational materials that promote community access, digital platforms and publications that share heritage stories and resources, as well as special projects focused on the exhibition and conservation of specific heritage items.
The Museum will also provide selected projects with in-kind support, to assist with planning, evaluation, interpretation, conservation, and education. Staff and volunteers at museums and historical societies across Australia will have access to subject-matter specialists from the Museum's Curatorial, Fleet, Conservation, Education, and Communications teams.
2025 RECIPIENTS AND PROJECTS BY STATE
Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council – This project will document the construction of a traditional Kuridja (bark canoe) by a senior Thaua Elder, preserving significant maritime knowledge from the Far South Coast of NSW.
Shoalhaven Historical Society Inc. – This project will enable conservation of the sextant of Captain John Craig, on display since 1968 and an integral part of the story of Shoalhaven.
MUSEUM ADMINISTRATORS' COURSE GRANTS Camden Haven Historical Society
Volunteer Marine Rescue NSW (Port Stephens)
QLD Queensland Maritime Museum Association – This project will support the purchase of materials and equipment for rehousing and storing artefacts and artworks in the Queensland Maritime Museum collection.
Gladstone Maritime History Society Inc. – This project will deliver preventative maintenance to HMAS GLADSTONE, a decommissioned Fremantle Class naval patrol vessel dry docked at the mouth of Auckland Creek, Gladstone.
MUSEUM ADMINISTRATORS' COURSE GRANTS
Low Isles Preservation Society Inc.
TAS The Royal Society of Tasmania – This project enables the conservation and photography of an album of artworks produced by Owen Stanley during his surveying voyages on HMS BRITOMART from 1837-43.
Narryna Heritage Museum – This project increases public access to transcribed copies of the journals of Captain Andrew Haig, a notable mariner and significant figure in Hobart's maritime history.
Bass & Flinders Maritime Museum – This project enables display and interpretation of MIRAGE, a wooden boat built in Tasmania and possibly during the 19th Century. MIRAGE will be installed on a mid-air cradle above an access ramp, where visitors can view it from all angles. In-kind support will also be provided to assist with historical research regarding this vessel.
MUSEUM ADMINISTRATORS' COURSE GRANTS Bass Strait Maritime Centre
VIC Maritime Trust of Australia Inc. – This project will enable maintenance works to be carried out aboard HMAS CASTLEMAINE, by funding welding of double plates over four areas of the vessel's deck which have deteriorated due to age and weather exposure.
Seaworks Foundation – This project will develop and install interpretive signage for Seaworks' external maritime heritage assets, providing historical context, stories, and visuals for key heritage features in Williamstown.
Glenelg Shire Council (Portland Maritime Museum) – This project will develop an updated display exploring the unique coastline of Portland and South-West Victoria, and raising awareness of the Bonney Upwelling.
ANARE Club Inc. – This project will install a memorial marker and informational plaques in Melbourne General Cemetery, at the unmarked and relatively unknown burial site of Captain John King Davis.
Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation – This project will create a display case for cultural material extracted from a shell midden at the Cape Bridgewater Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Field School.
Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club Inc. – In kind-support will be provided to document and promote the history and significance of a Thornycroft marine compound steam engine, built in 1883.
MUSEUM ADMINISTRATORS' COURSE GRANTS Campaspe Shire Council
WA Discovery Bay Tourism Precinct – This project will refresh interpretive signage and furnishings on board CHEYNES IV, the last intact modern whaling ship in Australia.
Shire of Cocos Keeling Islands – This project aims to stabilise historic vessels in the Pulu Cocos Museum collection, and create means for emergency evacuation should they become threatened by the increasing risk of coastal hazards such as erosion and inundation.
City of Albany – This project will review objects related to HMAS PERTH (II), bringing their storage and registration in line with contemporary museum standards.
Western Australian Fishers' Lost at Sea Memorial Association Inc. – This project will digitise and publish online hundreds of family stories regarding the history of the Western Australian commercial fishing industry.
Carnarvon Heritage Group Inc – In-kind support will be provided to support the preservation of the historic wooden boat LITTLE DIRK.
SA
The National Trust of South Australia – Robe Branch – This project provides in-kind support to help develop educational resources for interpretive displays of shipwreck artefacts in the State Heritage-listed Robe Old Police Stables.
MUSEUM ADMINISTRATORS' COURSE GRANTS Port Adelaide Historical Society
About MMAPSS
The Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS) is funded by the Australian Government – through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts and the Australian National Maritime Museum. MMAPSS provides grants of up to $15,000, as well as museological training opportunities valued at up to $3,000 and in-kind support from Australian National Maritime Museum experts.
MMAPSS offers funding to museums and other not-for-profit organisations to help preserve or display objects of national and historical maritime significance. It also supports staff or volunteers, including from remote or regional organisations across Australia, to spend time learning specific skills and making valuable connections.
Many cultural institutions around the country care for maritime items of historical and national significance. The Australian National Maritime Museum supports and encourages efforts to conserve and display unique local objects for today's audiences and future generations.
MMAPSS gives grants of up to $15,000 for projects that fall into one or more of these categories:
- Collection management (registration, documentation and storage)
- Conservation (preservation, vessel restoration, conservation work/treatments and professional assessments)
- Presentation (research, development of exhibitions, establishing interpretative displays and workshops)
- Development of relevant education or public programs which make collections more accessible to audiences
MMAPSS also gives grants of up to $3,000 to support attendance at the Museum Administrators' Course:
- Museological training for paid or unpaid workers of not-for-profit organisations caring for Australia's maritime collections
- Funding will support the accommodation and travel costs of staff and/or volunteers to participate in a week-long Museum Administrators' Course to develop museological skills and knowledge that will increase standards of practice for the care and management of maritime collections (provided by the Australian National Maritime Museum).
Since its inception in 1995, the Australian Government has provided more than $2.61 million to over 565 projects and over 93 development opportunities under MMAPSS, to organisations in Queensland, New South Wales (including Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands), Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia (including the Cocos and Keeling Islands), the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
Please visit the website www.sea.museum/grants for details on the next round of funding.
About the Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney is the national centre for maritime collections, exhibitions, research and archaeology. As a Commonwealth cultural institution, the museum is committed to fulfilling its national mandate by developing programs and opportunities to share its expertise, collection and the national maritime story with regional communities throughout Australia.
