Take a step back in time at this absolute waterfront maritime museum
Axel Stenross - Finnish ships carpenter – sailed across the mighty oceans on windjammer sv Olivebank, reaching Port Lincoln in 1927 to load grain for Europe – and decided here was the place to be. Discover his story, and the lost craft of wooden boat building, at Axel Stenross Maritime Museum.
Delight in Axel’s original living quarters and his workshops with still operating slipway. Admire the display of restored historic vessels, marine artefacts and relics. Chat with the knowledgeable volunteers.
Learn of the fishing and cargo moving industries which grew around the coastal waters of Port Lincoln, and the characters who made it happen.
Unique interpretive displays throughout the Museum help you on your journey of discovery. Unusual videos and books for sale in the gallery shop. A must see for young and old. You may find your own story here.
From the mid 1800s well into the1900s there were few roads on Eyre Peninsula, and no quick way of transporting goods by land. Farms and settlements relied on trading ketches with shallow drafts for their supplies and communication with the wider world, and transport of their produce to markets.
From the beginning of European settlement in Port Lincoln in 1839, fish were caught and sold door-to-door by fishers using shore lines or nets, and small sailing boats. By 1904 a commercial fishing licence was required (available to anyone who could pay the fee) and a cutter fleet was growing in South Australian waters.
