After travelling 1.5 million miles across the globe, the Polly Woodside now welcomes you aboard
Built in Belfast in 1885, the three-masted cargo vessel was built to carry coal and nitrate between England and South America, sailing around the Cape Horn 16 times.
The ship took around six months to build and was made from iron, which had become the favoured material for ship builders since the 1830s.
The Barque was built for the W.J. Woodside Co. owned by William Woodside a ‘dynamic entrepreneur’ and was named after his wife Marian (Polly).
Sailing ships had ruled the seas and the transition to steam meant faster and more reliable travel. When the trade in coal/nitrate diminished the Polly Woodside discharged cargoes wherever they could be found. The ship was sold in 1904 and renamed Rona, eventually converted into a coal hulk to refuel steam ships in the Port of Melbourne.
In 1968, after being laid up at South Wharf the ship was handed over to the National Trust for the cost of 1 cent, while plans were drawn up for its preservation.
You can join the crew, come aboard for a tour of the ship and discover what life was like on a tall ship sailing the seven seas.
What’s on
Open Days
First Sunday of the Month
Come aboard and explore at your own pace or join one of our guided tours. Please arrive a few minutes early if you would like to join a tour. Each tour is approximately 45 – 60 minutes. Open day tours operate at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm.
Pirate Day
Third Sunday of the Month
10.00am – 1.00pm
Come along and experience the pirate life. We encourage dressing up and participating in Fashions on the Plank, receive your pirate tattoo (washable!) and your very own pirate name. Our captain will have the kids scrubbing the deck, swinging the rope and going on a treasure hunt. Arrr the pirate’s life for you!
Each session will comprise of the following activities:
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- Pirate Tattoo’s and Pirate Name
- Craft Activities and Reading Corner
- Scrub the Deck and Rope Swing
- Fashions on the Plank – we encourage the kids to dress up as a pirate for this
- Treasure hunt
We will also have a reading corner, colouring and craft activities available, you can explore the ship and museum, take some amazing photos and have a fun day out me hearties, Yo Ho!!
