Australian National Maritime Museum

First published on 10 Mar 2008. Updated on 3 Mar 2010.

For a city whose history has always been entwined with its harbour, the sea and water travel, it comes as no surprise that this museum is one of the finest and most unabashed when it comes to maritime treasures. An exhibition traces the history of the Royal Australian Navy, but the biggest exhibits are the vessels themselves, among them the 1888 racing yacht Akarana, 1950s naval destroyer HMAS Vampire and traditional Vietnamese junk Tu Duo (‘Freedom’), which sailed into Darwin in 1977 with 39 refugees. A café offers seafood-oriented, open-air eating at the water’s edge, while the shop sells books, nautical knick-knacks and, if you really want to splash out, sailing packages with qualified skippers. $15-$30 for special exhibits & vessels.