“A GATEWAY to the past” is how the Barangaroo Boat has been described on the occasion of its handing over to the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
The New South Wales government this week officially handed over the Barangaroo Boat into the National Maritime Collection, marking an important step in preserving the vessel for future generations.
The remains of the boat, the earliest known Australian built vessel, were uncovered during excavations for the Barangaroo Metro Station, where it was found waterlogged but remarkably intact after nearly two centuries beneath the harbour foreshore.
Since its discovery, specialist conservators and maritime archaeologists have worked to document the vessel and associated artefacts, stabilise fragile timbers and plan the long-term treatment needed to prevent shrinkage and deterioration as it dries.
Now in the Museum’s care, this conservation program will continue through detailed assessment and careful preservation so the boat can be safely researched, interpreted and ultimately shared with the public.
Museum director and chief executive, Daryl Karp AM, said the vessel was “an eyewitness to history – to the first tentative decades of European settlement, when Port Jackson was the conduit for transport and trade and vessels of all types plied its waterways”.
“This is the perfect archaeological project for Australia’s museum of the sea and the National Maritime Collection,” Ms Karp said.
“The storytelling opportunities for this are truly exciting, it is more than a Sydney story it is a national story – it marks a pivotal moment in the country’s maritime history.
“I thank Minister Graham and Sydney Metro for their stewardship of this artefact, and we look forward to bringing life back to the vessel over the coming years.”
Images courtesy of the Australian National Maritime Museum
The Museum has continued the conservation process and had commenced with plans for the public interpretation of the vessel and associated items found alongside it.
Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said this was “a story that goes to the very heart of Sydney’s identity”.
“As the nation’s first major commercial centre and with the Sydney Chamber of Commerce marking 200 years in 2026, this vessel represents the origins of our city’s economic journey and Australia’s broader trading story,” he said.
“It stands as a powerful symbol of the harbour’s working life and the enterprise that has shaped modern Australia.
“In the coming months, we will outline a corporate support program with the Museum, inviting the business community to play an active role in preserving and celebrating this important piece of our heritage.”
Ms Karp said they expected to open to the public a permanent exhibition, detailing not only the vessel and associated artefacts but the stories it elicits of this time mid-way through 2027.
“It is a gateway to the past that we know visitors to the museum will enjoy investigating,” she said.