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Daily 9.30am-5pm; $10, or $14 with guided tour of HMAS Vampire and HMAS Onslow; www.anmm.gov.au. Pyrmont Bay Light Rail; Harbourside Monorail. On the western side of Pyrmont Bridge the National Maritime Museum , with its distinctive modern architecture topped by a wave-shaped roof, was funded by the Bicentenary Project and highlights the history of Australia as a seafaring nation. However, it goes beyond its remit of maritime interests to look at how the sea has shaped Australia's history, covering everything from immigration to beach culture and Aboriginal fishing methods. Highlights include an exhibition which delves into the culture of Torres Strait Islanders and other Aboriginal groups and another which focuses on the seventeenth-century Dutch explorers who first charted the Australian coastline. Outside are its own wharfs, with several vessels moored: the navy destroyer, the Vampire and a submarine, the Onslow are permanently on display, while a collection of historic vessels, including a 1970s Vietnamese refugee boat, are rotated. There is a pleasant alfresco cafe here, which you don't have to enter the museum to use, with views of the boats. Also outside the museum is the bronze Welcome Wall , unveiled in mid-2000, which pays honour to Australia's six million immigrants; over 30,000 names will eventually be added to the wall - members of the public pay $100 to have the name of their immigrant forebear inscribed. Included in the museum entry charge is a behind-the-scenes tour of the Maritime Heritage Centre at Wharf 7 (same hours as museum), where conservation and model-making work takes place and some of the collection is stored; the Centre is just beyond the museum off Pirrama Road and beside Pyrmont Bay Park.
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