The Great gallery is dominated by a replica of the HMS Pandora, the ship sent by the British Admiralty in 1790 to capture the Bounty and her mutinous crew in Tahiti.

Tragically, on her return journey in 1791, Pandora hit the Great Barrier Reef and sank. She remained undiscovered for 186 years and today, objects recovered from the wreck are part of the Pandora exhibition, adjacent to The Great Gallery.

Things to see and do

  • Travel along the museum walkways see the decks of the ship and get an insight into what they were used for, from storing food to housing cannons.

  • Get up close to the copper hull of the ship, nestled on The great gallery floor.

  • Look down at the blue Great gallery carpet featuring a complete 2D blue-print of the ship showing its various galleys, decks and defence systems.

  • Marvel at the 1:24 scale model of the HMS Pandora constructed to the ship's plan and traditional ship-building techniques. The model took almost 7000 hours to complete and stands 2.6 metres long and 1.9 metres high.

  • The Great gallery is also home to The Galley Cafe, where visitors can enjoy a coffee or light lunch with views over Ross Creek.