Western Australia · Attraction
WA Shipwrecks Museum
Dutch wrecks, deep history
schedule 1 min read / Updated Jun 2026
Housed in convict-built Commissariat buildings from the 1850s on Cliff Street, the WA Shipwrecks Museum is internationally recognised as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the Southern Hemisphere. Its centrepiece is the partial hull of the VOC vessel Batavia, wrecked on the Abrolhos Islands in 1629, displayed alongside cannons, silver coins, and skeletal remains from the massacre that followed the disaster.
The museum holds relics from four major Dutch East India Company wrecks, the Batavia (1629), Vergulde Draeck (1656), Zuytdorp (1712), and Zeewijk (1727), recovered by archaeologists over decades of painstaking underwater excavation along Western Australia's remote coastline. The Batavia Gallery alone justifies the visit, featuring reconstructed hull timbers, a full-scale replica of an ornamental stone archway, and displays that tell the story of the mutiny and massacre that followed the wreck.
The Zuytdorp display is equally compelling, presenting hundreds of silver coins and personal effects recovered from sheer cliffs on the mid-west coast, where it is believed some survivors integrated into Aboriginal communities.
General admission is free, with a suggested donation of $5. The museum is fully accessible and consistently rated among the best attractions in the region.
Scenic views
Lookouts near WA Shipwrecks Museum.
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