We’ve been getting a little romantic here at the museum and have created a Lovers’ Trail through our permanent exhibitions. We hope you enjoy our selections and also have a lovely Valentine’s Day.
Gifts from afar
This ivory and paper fan was made in Canton, China, for distribution through the China Trade between China, the United States and Australia during the 1800s. It highlights the popular fashion of the day for women in the developing colony, and the influence of oriental culture on western style in general. Both sides are brightly painted with scenes of figures carrying fans in an oriental landscape. The ivory sticks and guards feature carvings of figures, pagodas, and lotus blossoms. This fan has an accompanying lacquer box for storage.
Location: USA gallery, ground floor
Think of me – a sailor’s heart
This heart-shaped pin cushion with the words ‘Think of me’ formed in pins, was a favourite theme of sailors in the British Royal Navy in the 19th century. Keepsakes such as these were handmade by the sailors as love tokens for wives and girlfriends at home. Decorated with glass beads and a postcard photograph of HMAS Sydney (I), this pin cushion was probably made by a sailor of the ship shortly after its commissioning in 1913. Many Royal Navy sailors transferred into the new Australian fleet, bringing their traditions with them.
Location: Navy gallery, ground floor
Heart throbs
The 1956 summer Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia were beamed around the country through the brand new medium of television. Spectators flocked to shop windows to watch the Adonis-like swimmers in action. Freestyle swimmer Murray Rose won three gold medals (400 and 1,500 metre events and the 4×200 metre relay) and immediately became a national hero. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Rose won the 400 metre gold medal and took the silver in the 1,500 metres. The gold went to fellow Australian, Latvian-born John Konrads, a rising star and poster boy for Australia’s post-war immigration policy. Both young men guest starred on television panel shows. Rose also appeared in movie Ride the Wild Surf.
Location: Watermarks gallery, ground floor
Oceans apart – the love story of Ann and Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders was a great British navigator, responsible for much of the charting of Australia. He married Ann Chappelle in 1801 – but for nine years their relationship was carried out by letter as he firstly circumnavigated Australia and was then imprisoned on the French island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. What was supposed to be three years of separation turned into an eternity. Returning to England in 1810 they spent a few short years together until he died in 1814. Ann outlived Matthew by 38 years, never remarrying. His letters to her are full of passion, love and loneliness.
Location: Navigators gallery, 2nd floor
Family love – from mother to daughter
The stringing of shell necklaces has been an occupation for the Indigenous women of the Furneaux Islands group off north-east Tasmania since the 1930s and is now undergoing a revival. Traditionally, these beautiful shell necklaces had ceremonial and cultural significance and, while this significance remains, Indigenous women now make them for a number of other reasons, including rites of passage gifts, cultural and personal heirlooms, as souvenirs, and as wonderful works of art. The time when the necklaces are being made is a time when history, language and song are shared and passed to younger generations.
Location: Eora First People gallery, 2nd floor
Tokens of forbidden love
Sadako Kikuchi met Australian army officer John Morris when he was serving in Japan after World War II. They fell in love but were forbidden from officially marrying. Instead Sadako and John exchanged bank notes as tokens of their commitment.
In 1952 the Australian Government lifted the marriage ban and Sadako and John were married in a church wedding. Sadako was one of more than 600 Japanese war brides who migrated to Australia after World War II. They were the first group of non-Europeans permitted under the White Australia Policy.
Location: Passengers gallery, 2nd floor
Convict love
For the majority of convicts sent to Australia, transportation meant lifelong separation from family and friends. To ease this pain many produced tokens as gifts, a practice that continued throughout the entire period of British transportation from 1788 to 1868. By engraving copper coins, they could write of their sorrow using rhyming couplets, by engraving images of themselves in chains, by engraving signs of their life (houses, bottles, flowers, hearts, arrows, anchors) or by engraving their names or initials alongside those of their loved ones. These tokens, also known as ‘leaden hearts’ were then left behind as mementoes.
Location: Passengers gallery/Age of Sail, 2nd floor
Love scents
Perfume, the scent of love, used to include a thick, black, foul-smelling liquid produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. After this substance – called ambergris – was regurgitated or secreted by a whale it would harden into a waxy form that gave a pleasant, earthy aroma. It was then used as a fixative, making the scent of a perfume last longer.
It may be surprising that such a thing as whale vomit once graced feminine wrists and necks and that many whales died in the creation of love potions.
Location: Commerce gallery, 2nd floor, rear of museum
The self-guided tour is available to download on our website. Print or save to your mobile and bring to the museum when you next visit.
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Port Lincoln to Adelaide Day 1
Latitude: 34⁰ 45.9’S
Longitude: 135⁰ 55.7’E
Weather: fine with occasional showers
Hello again!! And welcome to all of our new voyage crew that joined us earlier today to join us for a five day sail across to Adelaide!! So early this morning, the professional crew were up early and working hard on board the ship to put the final touches on the ship before she was ready for sea, giving her the final scrub and polish.
Once the clock hit 0930 the Topmen and Upperyardies were up on the wharf waiting to welcome their new watches on board for their voyage, which went rather smoothly until right at the end when a large rain shower that hit just as the introductions to their watch leaders were finishing up.
Once all voyage crew were on board, the usual introductions and tours of the ship commenced, with wet weather gear all round. Soon enough we were beginning to sail from our berth in Port Lincoln to our anchorage in Proper Bay just below the Flinders monument.
The voyage crew were given a small break to stow all of their belongings and become familiar with the ship and how it runs etc but it was soon time to get stuck into the climbing and line handling so they’re ready for the next few days.
Safety round and lifejacket demonstrations were discussed on the quarterdeck with our second officer Ally, while Captain Ross discussed helming and compass work and Dirk our Chief officer was on the bow discussing Harnesses and sea sickness.
We reached the anchorage at lunch time and by 12:30 just as lunch was finished and the ship was nicely settled in with the new crew not far behind.
All is well.
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Port Lincoln to Adelaide Day 2
Latitude: 34⁰ 40’S
Longitude: 136⁰ 09’E
Distance travelled: 9 NM
Average speed: 3 knots ( 3 hours sailing from anchorage)
Weather: fine with a slight breeze
So here we are on day 2 of our voyage from Port Lincoln to Adelaide!!
During the afternoon of the first day, the training continued until late in the evening, with many of the crew going for their first climb aloft with their watch members before it was time to settle in for the night.
As the night drew closer the skies cleared up, making it a perfect start to a voyage, the ship went quiet quite early as the new crew got snuggled into their hammocks for their first night on board the Endeavour.
During the first night, the ship was anchored in Proper Bay and in the morning we were woken to a magical surprise, the sunrise lit up the whole sky in a sea of purples and golds making a definite memorable moment for those who were up to witness it and take photos of their first sunrise on board.
After the sun had fully risen and breakfast was finished and packed up, we began to introduce the daily routine, starting with an early morning voyage crew meeting, where Captain Ross discusses the voyage and our passage plan throughout the 5 days.
Happy hour soon commenced, with the ship being put back into “ship-shape”. After the morning routine was finished, it was then time to weigh anchor and head out to sea!! Or in this case… up further into the Gulf!! Where there are favourable conditions for sailing.
After we weighed anchor and started making way out of the anchorage, the new voyage crew took a few minutes to take in their new surrounding before being put to work setting the first sails of the voyage as well as the majority of the crew attending a lecture on 18th century sailing at 11 am with the Captain on the waist of the vessel.
After an amazing start to the voyage I am pleased to say,
All is well.
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Port Lincoln to Adelaide Day 3
Latitude: 34⁰ 58’S
Longitude: 136⁰ 22.9’E
Distance travelled: 83 NM
Average speed: 3.4 knots
Weather: clear skies and gentle seas
Hello again and welcome to day 3 of our voyage from Port Lincoln to Adelaide!! The last 24 hours have been absolute bliss for the entire crew, which if I have re-read my last posts correctly; the entire voyage has been magical so far with perfect conditions and sunny weather!! In the afternoon of the 11th the crew got to working setting their first sails for the voyage, using their newly learned line handling skills to set the staysails and later in the evening one of the watches was up on the Main Course yard, unfurling the Main course making sure it was ready to be set later on.
Once night had set in a lot of the ships company took the time to sling up their hammocks and get prepared for some well-earned shut eye. During the night though there were definitely some very full on watches to be worked through, with Mizzenmast working almost through their entire watch wearing ship and setting more sails.
The next morning, all was well as we continued to sail, and Huzzah!! We have a birthday today!! So we must bid a happy birthday to Peter Richardson of mainmast watch! Early this morning when the first sitting was called for breakfast almost the entire ship was woken by the sound of the watches in the 20th century deck singing happy birthday very enthusiastically before they were told unfortunately, to quieten down because there were crew still trying to sleep…
We went ahead with our daily routine of our voyage crew meeting and happy hour, but soon afterwards all hands were called up on deck as it was time to wear ship as, according to the captain, we were sailing in the slightly wrong direction!!
Also in the morning due to the sun being nice and bright, the captain also held a lecture up on the quarter deck about sextants, the history of them and of course how to use them, giving the voyage crew a go and a hands on experience with the same type of earlier equipment used by Lieutenant James Cook.
After yet another amazing day, I can say yet again…
That all is well.
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Port Lincoln to Adelaide Day 4
Latitude: 35⁰ 25.7’S
Longitude: 137⁰ 39.9’E
Distance travelled: 93.8NM
Average speed: 3.9 knots
Weather: clear skies with light winds.
Hello again and welcome to day 4 of our voyage from Port Lincoln to Adelaide!! So on the morning of the 12th there was a lot of excitement with all the activities with the rigging. There was a wearing of ship during the night and the captain made sure it happened again just before lunch but the real excitement happened after lunch. After lunch a call was made over the PA, all hands were required on deck for the first tacking of the ship for this voyage.
Once all hands were on deck our Chief officer Dirk and the captain explained to the crew what they were about to do and why of course it was necessary before giving the ok for the activities to begin. All hands went to their assigned lines and got ready to lend a hand with the manoeuvre. Once the call was made everyone got to work hauling and easing until finally the ship was transferred to the opposite tack. All lines were belayed and coiled and the crew took a few minutes to get used to the ship being on a different angle.
After sailing for the majority of the afternoon, the sails were furled and tucked away while the engines were turned on during the night, ensuring that we make enough ground to get us to our destination on time.
In the morning, once everybody was up and up and about, there was a lot of relaxation up on deck as we continued to motor through the morning.
Also during the morning the few voyage crew on bow watch were delighted to spot some dolphins playing in the distance, who after a while came up close to the ship and began swimming and playing in her wake.
At 1100 hours as normal, another lecture by the captain was organised on the quarterdeck, this time about celestial navigation, which interested many of the crew, who even after being called for lunch, still sat to read some of the books and graphs that were provided by the captain for anyone interested.
And after the busy last 24 hours I am again pleased to say that all is well.
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