Maritime Records and Research Centre, Sydney Heritage Fleet

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Maritime Records and Research Centre, Sydney Heritage Fleet

• Sydney Heritage Fleet (trading name from 1998)
• The Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum (from 1965), then Sydney Maritime Museum Ltd

• Community

“The Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum”, the forerunner of the Sydney Heritage Fleet, was founded in 1965 by a group of public-spirited individuals to preserve Sydney’s 1902 VIP steam yacht Lady Hopetoun. The organisation later became known as the Sydney Maritime Museum Ltd. In 1998 the museum adopted the trading name Sydney Heritage Fleet. The Fleet now comprises ten historical vessels.
A community-based non-profit organisation, the Fleet’s mission is:
To build and maintain an internationally recognised centre of excellence in maritime heritage for the benefit of all Australians by presenting through research, acquisition, conservation, restoration, education and operation, our continuing maritime history.
The Fleet is funded through donations, membership subscriptions and income from vessel charters and tours.
The Fleet’s Maritime Records and Research Centre maintains a comprehensive research library and archive which includes photographs, ships’ plans, diaries, logs and journals.

Officer in charge: Curator

The Sydney Heritage Fleet collects, preserves and displays culturally significant material which documents and interprets Australia's maritime heritage with emphasis on New South Wales, particularly the Sydney region, Port Jackson, Port Botany, Broken Bay and their rivers and tributaries.

• Ships' plans: copies covering fleet vessels, sailing, naval and merchant ships
• Photographs
• Library: over 5,000 books on maritime subjects
• Documents: for example, certificates of competence, diaries and journals, letters, and logs
• Charts and maps: navigational charts compiled by the British Admiralty, the Australian Hydrographic Service and other international services, together with pilot books which cover many areas of these charts.
• Ephemera: for example, ship’s menus, timetables and souvenirs
• Artefacts
• General files
• Paintings, posters and sketches
• Oral history

Open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, except for public holidays, and may be visited by prior appointment.

Whilst information can be provided in support of persons conducting genealogical research, the Centre is unable to assist with primary genealogical research. The Centre does not hold passenger lists or crew lists. In special circumstances the archives can be made available to individuals for research purposes. Details of fees are available on request.

General reference assistance available.

Copying services are available for books, journals, photographs, newspapers, maps and plans.

Revised 3 June 2021

• Transportation (Thematic area)
• Travel and Exploration (Thematic area)