Victorian Maritime Centre facts for kids
The Victorian Maritime Centre is a special museum in Australia that teaches people about ships and the sea. It is located near Melbourne, in a place called Crib Point, Victoria. This museum helps us learn about Australia's rich history with boats and the ocean.
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Discovering the Victorian Maritime Centre
The Victorian Maritime Centre is a fascinating place dedicated to preserving and sharing Australia's maritime heritage. It helps visitors understand the importance of ships and the sea to the country's past and present.
Where is the Museum Now?
Currently, the Victorian Maritime Centre is housed in the former BP administration building at Crib Point, Victoria. This location serves as a temporary home for the museum's collection and activities.
Plans for a New Home
There are exciting plans to build a much larger maritime centre in Hastings, Victoria. This new, bigger location will allow the museum to display more impressive exhibits and welcome more visitors.
What Will the New Centre Feature?
The planned new centre in Hastings was designed to feature two very important vessels: the HMAS Otama and the ship Wyuna. These ships have interesting stories and would have been major attractions.
The Submarine: HMAS Otama
The HMAS Otama was a large submarine that belonged to the Oberon-class submarine family. It was operated by the Royal Australian Navy for many years, from 1978 until 2000. After its service, the Otama was moored offshore at Crib Point starting in 2002. However, the Otama was moved to Western Australia for scrapping. This means it was taken apart for its materials.
The Ship: Wyuna
The ship Wyuna is another important vessel that was planned to be displayed at the centre. This ship has traveled quite a bit. For a time, it was docked at Beauty Point, Tasmania. After being carefully refurbished for 18 months, there were plans to move it to Docklands in Melbourne, Victoria.
Wyuna's Journey
When the Docklands berth became unavailable, the Wyuna was docked at Inspection Head Wharf, also in Beauty Point. After spending some time there, it was towed into Bell Bay. As of August 2025, the Wyuna is anchored there.
How the Ships Were to Be Displayed
The plan for displaying these two vessels was very interesting. The HMAS Otama was to be displayed out of the water, allowing visitors to see its entire structure. The Wyuna would have been in a wet berth right alongside it. This means the Wyuna would have been floating in the water next to the submarine.
