The museum houses the Lady Denman, a former Sydney Harbour ferry built in 1912 that is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register.
The site includes a significant collection of artifacts recovered from local shipwrecks in Jervis Bay.
The museum grounds are home to a permanent outdoor exhibition of the historic HMCS Creswell lighthouse mechanisms.
The on-site botanical garden is specifically curated to showcase native plants of the South Coast of New South Wales.
The museum complex features a purpose-built gallery that regularly displays contemporary art alongside historical archives.
The Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery is situated on a 6.7-hectare site featuring significant botanical gardens and a mangrove boardwalk. The museum focuses on the maritime history of the Jervis Bay region, including Aboriginal heritage, European exploration, and local boat building. The gallery space hosts rotating exhibitions featuring local artists and historical maritime collections. A centerpiece of the grounds is the Lady Denman ferry, a historic wooden vessel that once operated in Sydney Harbour. The site includes the Currambene Creek mangrove boardwalk, which provides access to local estuarine ecosystems. The grounds are designed to integrate natural bushland with heritage preservation.
The deck of the historic Lady Denman ferry.
Walk the mangrove boardwalk first to see the local tidal ecosystem before heading inside.
Allow extra time to explore the native botanical gardens outside the main museum building.
Check the museum's rotating exhibition schedule online before arriving to see which local artists are currently featured.
Do not overlook the outdoor displays, as visitors frequently spend all their time inside the main building and miss the historic vessel and gardens.
Respect the heritage exhibits by not touching display items; casual walking shoes are recommended for the outdoor boardwalk.
