Queensland Maritime Museum

08/10/2026

𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳 𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Tonight, the river comes alive with big band energy. Swingalicious Big Band will be lighting up Twilight Jazz by the River from 5:00–7:00 pm. This free event requires bookings, and entry is via Dock Street beside the Maritime Museum ferry terminal (please note the main museum entrance is closed this evening).

The performance takes place within the museum grounds, with attendance managed through bookings. Food and drinks will be available for purchase (no BYO).

If you capture any great photos during the night, feel free to share them with us. We’d love to see your favourite moments. Enjoy the music, soak up the atmosphere, and tell us what you loved most about the evening in the comments.

Bands in Parks: Twilight Jazz by the River Friday 9 October 2026 5:00pm to 7:00pm Free Event Bands in Parks performs at the Queensland Maritime Museum Park. Kick back and watch the sunset over the Brisbane River from this beautiful vantage point near the Goodwill Bridge. Before the city warms

07/10/2026

𝗔𝘁 𝟭𝟴, 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗶𝗴, 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.

In 1999, Jesse set off from Melbourne in his 34 foot yacht Lionheart-Mistral and completed a solo, non stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe. Eleven months at sea. More than 30,000 nautical miles. Storms, isolation, towering swells, and the kind of determination most of us only read about.

His route carried him across the Pacific, around Cape Horn, up the Atlantic, past the Cape of Good Hope and back across the Indian Ocean, a full lap of the planet powered only by wind, skill and resilience.

⛵️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱:
• Youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non stop and unassisted
• Months of solitude and extreme weather
• Navigation through some of the world’s most challenging waters
• A journey that became both a bestselling book (Lionheart) and a documentary

🌊 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄? After becoming the youngest person to sail solo around the world, Jesse continued to stay connected to the maritime world. He has been involved in ocean focused storytelling, youth sailing initiatives and projects that encourage young people to engage with adventure, navigation and life at sea. His experience has shaped the way he supports others stepping into the world of sailing, seamanship and ocean exploration.

He has also worked across creative and documentary projects that highlight maritime journeys, the challenges of long distance sailing and the human stories behind life on the water. While he isn’t currently working in commercial shipping, his influence continues through education, mentoring and sharing the skills and resilience that defined his circumnavigation.

05/10/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲

Before motorways and container trucks, the Brisbane River carried much of the city’s daily life. Ferries took workers across the water. Barges moved timber, coal and building materials. Wharves rang with machinery, shouted instructions and the knock of cargo being handled by hand. From the museum grounds today, the river can look almost leisurely; for generations it was a workplace and a highway. What do you remember seeing on the river that has now disappeared?

05/10/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝗸

Your Friday soundtrack is sorted. Twilight Jazz by the River returns on Friday 9 October, 5:00–7:00 pm, with Swingalicious Big Band performing as the sun sets over the Brisbane River. This free event requires bookings. Book early and share this post with the person who would hate to miss it. Enter via Dock Street beside the Maritime Museum ferry terminal; the main museum entrance will be closed. The event is held in the museum grounds, with space managed through bookings. Food and drinks will be available to purchase. There are no BYO food or drinks at this venue.

https://maritimemuseum.com.au/eventsandexhibitions/twilightjazz/twilight-jazz-by-the-river-friday-9-october-2026/

Bands in Parks: Twilight Jazz by the River Friday 9 October 2026 5:00pm to 7:00pm Free Event Bands in Parks performs at the Queensland Maritime Museum Park. Kick back and watch the sunset over the Brisbane River from this beautiful vantage point near the Goodwill Bridge. Before the city warms

01/10/2026

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐌𝐌𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 - 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕

It is an exciting time to become a Member of the Queensland Maritime Museum Association.

As we prepare to launch our new Strategic Plan in 2027 and look ahead to the opportunities Brisbane will embrace on the journey to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are inviting new Members to come aboard and be part of this next chapter.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒊𝒏? 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Becoming a QMMA Member means joining a community united by a passion for Queensland’s maritime heritage. Your membership helps us:
• preserve and protect our maritime legacy
• share Queensland’s maritime stories with future generations
• strengthen our connection with the community
• create meaningful experiences through talks, events, exhibitions and volunteering opportunities

Members enjoy exclusive access, behind the scenes insights, opportunities to contribute, and the chance to connect with others who share a love of maritime history.

𝑩𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚

With a renewed vision, new initiatives on the horizon and a growing community, there has never been a better time to join the QMMA.

For more information or to become a https://maritimemuseum.com.au/support/membervalue/

30/09/2026

The Day the Sovereign Was Lost
On 11 March 1847, the paddle steamer Sovereign attempted the South Passage Bar at Moreton Bay. Heavy seas overwhelmed the vessel. Of the people aboard, 44 passengers and crew lost their lives. Ten survived after incredible brave local Indigenous men from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Moorgumpin (Moreton Island) risked their own lives in the surf to bring them to safety. It is a story of disaster, but also of courage that deserves to be remembered by name and place. Shipwrecks are not merely wreckage beneath water; they are unfinished journeys and the choices people made when minutes mattered. Had you heard the story of the Sovereign before today?

28/09/2026

Twilight Jazz: An Evening by the River
A new week is under way, and here is something special to look forward to. On Friday 9 October, Swingalicious Big Band will fill the evening with the sound of brass, rhythm and familiar big-band warmth while the sun falls behind Brisbane. Twilight Jazz by the River runs from 5:00–7:00 pm. The event is free, but bookings are required. Entry is via Dock Street beside the Maritime Museum ferry terminal; the main museum entrance will be closed. No BYO food or drinks food and drinks will be available to purchase. Book early, then send this to the person who always knows the words or remembers where they first heard the tune.

Event details: https://maritimemuseum.com.au/eventsandexhibitions/twilightjazz/twilight-jazz-by-the-river-friday-9-october-2026/

Event tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bands-in-parks-twilight-jazz-by-the-river-tickets-1999002749034
Swingalicious Big Band

Bands in Parks: Twilight Jazz by the River Friday 9 October 2026 5:00pm to 7:00pm Free Event Bands in Parks performs at the Queensland Maritime Museum Park. Kick back and watch the sunset over the Brisbane River from this beautiful vantage point near the Goodwill Bridge. Before the city warms

27/09/2026

The Ship That Became a Museum

There was a time when HMAS Diamantina was not a museum ship, but a working warship with a crew, a routine and duties that carried her far from Brisbane. Launched during the Second World War, she later served in the Pacific and was present for the surrender of Japanese forces at Nauru and Ocean Island. Today, tied quietly beside the river, she carries those years in her steel decks, narrow passages and preserved compartments. Walk aboard and the scale of service becomes personal: where people slept, stood watch and waited for news from home. Did you, a relative or a friend ever serve aboard a ship or visit Diamantina in her working years?

20/09/2026

🌊 Brisbane’s Forgotten Shipwrecks

Moreton Bay has always looked calm from the shoreline but beneath its surface lies a very different story.

Hidden in the mud and mangroves are the remains of ships that never made it home. Some were lost to sudden storms, some to navigational mistakes, and others to the unpredictable sandbanks that challenged even the most experienced captains. These wrecks are more than twisted timber and rusted iron; they are chapters of Brisbane’s maritime past that nearly slipped away.

In the early days of coastal travel, Moreton Bay was both a gateway and a gamble. Vessels carrying supplies, families, mail, and hope threaded their way through narrow channels, relying on skill, luck, and the river’s mood. When things went wrong, survival depended on courage, and sometimes, a miracle.

Many of the artefacts recovered from these wrecks now live at the Queensland Maritime Museum. A lantern that once guided a crew through darkness. A fragment of hull that fought against the sea. Tools left behind when time ran out. Each piece invites you to imagine the moment everything changed.

Would you have braved these waters?

18/09/2026

🎷✨ Twilight Jazz by the River - What a Night!

Last Friday’s Twilight Jazz by the River filled the Queensland Maritime Museum with music, laughter, and the kind of riverside magic only Brisbane can deliver. As the sun dipped behind the city skyline, Brass Roots Live set the tone with smooth jazz, big smiles, and a rhythm that had everyone swaying along the deck.

Thank you to everyone who joined us; families, friends, regular visitors, and first‑timers. Your good spirit, warm energy, and genuine joy made the evening unforgettable. Events like this come alive because of you.

And to our incredible QMMA volunteers: you are the heartbeat of these nights. From setting up chairs to welcoming guests, guiding visitors, and keeping everything running smoothly, your dedication ensures our community can enjoy moments like these. We are deeply grateful for everything you do.

We captured so many beautiful photos, the band in full swing, people relaxing under the lights, and the museum glowing in the background.

🎶 Join Us for the Next Twilight Jazz!
If you missed this one, or simply want more, our next evening is coming up soon:

🗓 Friday 9 October 2026 - Free Event
⏰ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
🎺 Featuring: Swingalicious Big Band
📍 Queensland Maritime Museum, South Bank

For full details, visit:
👉 https://maritimemuseum.com.au/eventsandexhibitions/twilightjazz/twilight-jazz-by-the-river-friday-9-october-2026/

Bring a friend, bring the family, or just bring yourself. It’s the perfect way to end the week.