The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.

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Just up the stairs, a lighthouse light and a whale boat being tossed by a whale's tale mark the beginning of this gallery.

Cargoes Gallery

Maritime Trade- An incredible variety of trade goods have passed through Western Australia's ports.

From sandalwood to sheep, whale oil to wheat, this gallery showcases the way maritime trade has shaped Western Australia.

Hero Objects

A large white and dark green sailing boat suspended next to the top floor. A mannequins in a diving suit sits on the deck.

Trixen

Broome Pearling Lugger

A stack of darkened brick-shaped blocks of wood are mounted on the Museum's wall.

Jarrah Paving Block

T84.95

A large lighthouse lens mounted between the Museum stairs and elevator.

Cape Leveque Lantern

From a Lighthouse in North Western Australia

A tool with a thick wooden shaft and a very large stone head mounted horizontally behind a display case, next to a spear thrower and spear.

Kodj

A Versatile Tool

Showcase with customs items

Customs

Showcase

Rodent dissection kit

Rodent Dissection Kit

Customs

Model koolama boat

MV Koolama I

Model

A tall mMuseum display case holds many artefacts and weapons, the most prominent a wooden shield about the size and shape of a skateboard, hanging vertically.

Gietch / Gidgee

Spear

Suitcase

Suitcase

Possessions from a Dutch Immigrants Suitcase

Whaling pot

Whaling Trypot

Wheat bag

Wheat Bag

Grain Trade Growing Gold

Two large pointed teeth in a Museum display case, each has a large drawing of a person on them - a man and a women, in old fashioned clothing.

Scrimshaw

Whale Tooth

Just up the stairs, a lighthouse light and a whale boat being tossed by a whale's tale mark the beginning of this gallery.

Whale

The big tail

Deep Dives

The white painted dome of a lighthouse gleaming in the sun.

Cape Leveque Lighthouse

Guiding seafarers to safety - the story of lighthouses

Article

Three large pointed teeth resting on a blue cloth. Two have drawings of a sailing ship and the other has drawings of six different types of whale.

Whaling Gear

Nothing was wasted - the art of scrimshaw

Article

In an open grassy field sits a neglected, rusty large pot.

Whaling Gear - The Trypot

Try fitting that on your stove!

Article

A tool with a thick wooden shaft and a very large stone head mounted horizontally behind a display case, next to a spear thrower and spear.

The Earliest Traders - First Nations Trading Routes

The Kodj, an Aboriginal axe

Article

A tall mMuseum display case holds many artefacts and weapons, the most prominent a wooden shield about the size and shape of a skateboard, hanging vertically.

The Earliest Traders - First Nations Trading Routes

Defence or attack - spear (geitch) and shield (wunda)

Article

Inside a display case is a very worn old suitcase. It is opened to show items of clothing, and children's books written in Dutch.

The New Australians - Migration to WA

What do you take with you to the other side of the world?

Article

A typewritten yellowed paper with long and difficult paragraphs of text.

The New Australians - Migration to WA

Determining who can be and who cannot be Australian

Article

A six-sided thick wooden board with very worn edges. The underside of it is stained dark from laying on the ground for many years.

Early Cargoes - Timber, Wool and Wheat

Jarrah paving blocks - from overhead to underfoot

Article

In this photo of the sunken boat, the bow and cabin are the only parts that are visible above water.

Early Cargoes - Timber, Wool and Wheat

The long history of the pearling lugger Trixen

Article

A large black disc around a strong blue rope emerging from the side of a ship.

Oops, You Can't Bring that in - Customs and Quarantine

Deterring things that creep, crawl and nibble

Article

From the Swan River gallery walkway, viewing the Australia II yacht with the ocean through the large windows beyond is a highlight of the Museum.

Museum walking tour

Take the VSO tour

More Info

The long dark shape of a whale moves through deep blue water.

Whaling in WA

Explore the history of the whaling industry in WA

Video

An enormous pile of sandalwood on Fremantle's dock. A crane is lifting a load of sandalwood onto a docked ship.

Wooden gold

Sandalwood exports from Fremantle

Article

Outside the Museum, the glass and metal panels are where names of migrants, their dates of arrival and their ships are listed.

The Welcome Walls

A tribute to Western Australia's many migrants.

Article

A shop selling hops, beer and bread. Camels sit on the ground in front.

The Gold Rush - a population boom

Could you be a globe-trotting gold-seeking adventurer?

Article

Just up the stairs, a lighthouse light and a whale boat being tossed by a whale's tale mark the beginning of this gallery.

Cargoes Gallery.
Credit: WA Museum

The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.