The Beach

The centrepiece of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s summer program is The Beach — an exhibition and all-ages playscape designed to bring people together and highlight kindness, care and community.

The Beach reflects shared Australian values: looking out for one another, welcoming difference, and celebrating our seaside culture. It affirms the beach as a place that belongs to everyone and should always feel safe and welcoming.

Following the tragic events of 14 December, the museum reflected deeply on whether to continue. Director and CEO Ms Daryl Karp AM said the decision was ultimately to move forward, showcasing beaches as places of connection and belonging — spaces of shared joy, openness and togetherness at the heart of Australian life.

Fun, art and memory come together through digital projections, soundscapes, interactive rockpools and a towering sand-free castle, transforming the Lighthouse Gallery into a familiar yet imaginative summer world. Here, the beach becomes not just a destination, but a way of seeing ourselves and each other.

Works by artists including Anne Zahalka, Max Dupain, Lola Ryan, Charles Meere and Ken Done celebrate beach rituals and cultural rhythms, inviting reflection on how the beach shapes us — and how we shape it.

Programs including babies’ hour, family workshops, performances, late nights, yoga and life drawing encourage connection and acknowledge that beaches have not always felt safe for everyone. Visitors are invited to consider inclusion, respect and shared responsibility on the shore.

The Beach runs as part of the museum’s summer program 19 December 2025 –  1 February 2026, 10:00 am—4:00 pm.