Marine archaeologists to speak about mysteries of Mid West waters at Geraldton Museum

The Museum of Geraldton is hosting free talks and guided tours from marine archaeologists on Friday, letting guests learn more about some of the Mid West’s most infamous shipwrecks during the Shore Leave Festival.

WA Museum’s acting head of maritime archaeology Ross Anderson and curator Deb Shefi will present the Shipwrecks Gallery Tour and the Shipwreck Hunters Australia: Exploring Zeewijk, 1727 presentation on April 28.

“The (tour) will focus on some of the artefacts recovered from the Dutch shipwreck sites Batavia (1629), Zeewijk (1727) and Zuytdorp (1712), their associated survivor camps on land and what they can tell us about life on board a Dutch ship, and survivor camp,” Dr Anderson and Dr Shefi said in a statement.

The talk will be about a 2022 expedition to the Zeewijk site in the Abrolhos Islands, where 3D photogrammetry was used to create a 3D model of the wreck.

Both archaeologists were part of the Disney Plus series Shipwreck Hunters Australia, and have been exploring shipwrecks for 50 years combined.

“We both love the ocean and scuba diving and were attracted to the mystery of shipwrecks for the stories they can tell us about the men, women and children who travelled aboard them,” they said.