Habitat

Plucky Little Ship Aurora

20 June 2017 marked 100 years since the famous polar vessel Aurora left Newcastle, Australia with a cargo of coal, never to be seen again.

The museum recently accepted the gift of the ship’s lifebuoy, recovered from the seas six months later. 

A powerful emblem, with the ghost lettering of its famous Antarctic expeditions on its rim, it acts as a lifeline to all the sailors, whalers, scientists, workers, expeditioners and sealers whose lives, toils and achievements were entwined with it.

A Poignant Remnant from the ‘Plucky little Ship Aurora

SY Aurora, artist unidentified, oil on canvas 1884, ANMM Collection Gift from Captain Fairweather’s great-grandchildren in memory of their father James S Fairweather 1926–2015

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