East of India – Forgotten trade with Australia The early Australian colonies, at the ‘ends of the earth’ from Europe, turned to nearby Asia for survival and growth. East of India – Forgotten trade with Australia tracked our colonial links with India, which became a lifeline for the struggling colonists. An essential part of the story reveals the power and monopoly of the Honourable East India Company, or ‘John Company’ as it came to be known, its rise and its inevitable decline. Team leader Mariea Fisher Curators Nigel Erskine, Michelle Linder Designers Johanna Nettleton, Daniel Ormella Registration Will Mather Conservation Caroline Whitley Public programs Jeff Fletcher Marketing Matt Lee Venue North Gallery Dates 1 June–18 August 2013
Saltwater Visions
Wharf 7 interpretive fitout
NAIDOC Week 2013 commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Yolngu people’s Yirrkala Bark land rights petitions to Federal Parliament. Five of the 10 barks on display from the museum’s Saltwater Collection were evidence in a 2008 Australian High Court case that recognised traditional owners and their use of coastline and coastal waters. These important bark paintings are the spiritual and legal basis of the Yolngu people’s ownership of saltwater country in north-east Arnhem Land. They were purchased with the assistance of Stephen Grant of the GrantPirrie Gallery.
Seaworthy and Seachange
Team leader Niki Mortimer Curator Stephen Gapps Designer Adrienne Kabos Registration Anupa Shah Conservation Sue Frost Venue Tasman Light Gallery Dates 23 May 2013– 23 February 2014
The Wharf 7 Maritime Heritage Centre foyer now houses a spectacular new display of classic Sydney watercraft – all on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels – plus engines and major artefacts from the Sydney Heritage Fleet, and alongside craft of national significance from the National Maritime Collection. Exhibitions also explore the history of Pyrmont and the nearby industrial harbourscape, placing our modern setting in its historical context. Wharf 7 also houses the collections, libraries, workshops and offices of both ANMM and Sydney Heritage Fleet. Lightship CLS4 Carpentaria and the barque James Craig are moored alongside. Coordinators Narottami Emmett, Daina Fletcher Curators Daina Fletcher, Megan Treharne Designers Aaron Maestri, Architectural Projects Pty Ltd Venue Wharf 7 Maritime Heritage Centre Dates From October 2012
Wharf 7 foyer with a floating frieze of historic harbour photographs by William James Hall, and a figurehead carved for Sydney Heritage Fleet’s 1874 barque James Craig by Dennis Adams, transformed by Indigenous art students.
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1 The year in review Special exhibitions and attractions
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