The Pearling Lugger Penguin Restoration Project

04/10/2026

With costs high and the budget low, the old dumps that have come out of the "Penguin" have been cleaned and classed ready to go back in.

29/08/2026

TI Artist, Ms Nola Ward-Page donated her beautiful painting of the Lightship Carpentaria to the lighthouse group of the QMM. Many yarns were told of life in the Straits, and it was heartfelt event with the Penguin volunteers in attendance.

31/07/2026

A micro step forward is still progress: dressing the roof beams and a start made on the forward cabin gable ends (no doubt there's some maritime-wrangled term for these, but gables more descriptive than triangular bits). Naval architects, feel free to cut loose in the comments.

17/07/2026

Do come on down to the QMM tomorrow. Free entry. We will be there, and up for a chat.

19/06/2026

18/06/2026

12/06/2026

This week the coamings for the main cabin were finally glued and fastened into place. To ensure a good seal, caulking cotton threads were placed in the glue in lines to ensure a watertight seal.

04/06/2026

With the help of his crew at the Wilston Men's Shed, Woody shipped over a hundred pens this week to the Torres Strait Sea and Land Council (GBK), and the Cleveland Yacht Club. The pens are turned out from oregon planks and decking replaced during the resto. Proceeds from the orders loop back into the Penguin project. We are truly grateful for the generosity shown by all involved.

03/06/2026

On this Mabo Day (3rd of June), the Australian National Maritime Museum are opening an exhibition called Pearling Elders which commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Torres Strait Islander Maritime Strike. A Public Holiday in TI, Mabo Day is not only about looking back at his legacy, and that of the maritime strikes, but also a call to stand up for what they fought for: fairness, dignity and autonomy for all.

This Mabo Day, we are honoured to launch Pearling Elders, a powerful new exhibition celebrating the Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) maritime workers who shaped Australia’s history.

Coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the 1936 maritime strike, this series of black-and-white portraits by acclaimed photographer Wayne Quilliam, alongside recorded oral histories, brings First Nations voices to the forefront.

In 1936, Islander maritime workers took a stand, refusing to crew the "Lugger Borts" to demand fairer conditions and local control. It was a defining moment of political action that laid the groundwork for future reforms.

Through the "Lugger Bort" project, led by curator Nerelle Nicol, we celebrate the quiet determination of Elders Jeffrey Bob, Jimmy Morrison, George Mosby and Albert Ware. Their skill, risk and resilience at sea are no longer untold, they are now a permanent part of the National Maritime Collection.

⚓️ Pearling Elders
🗓 Opens today 3 June (Mabo Day)
🎟 FREE entry
https://www.sea.museum/en/whats-on/exhibitions/pearling-elders

31/05/2026

Take in the scene of that bonny bow. This week, Andrew, Tom and Peter continued laying the deck. They're now moving to 'midships' and fixing the stanchions.