Sailors, Divers: Underwater Wrecks to be Preserved

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett has announced $440,000 in funding from the Australian Government’s Historic Shipwrecks Program to protect the nation’s underwater cultural heritage.
The Minister made the announcement on a visit to the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston, Tasmania, where three of the 29 funded projects will be carried out.
The Historic Shipwrecks Program provides valuable financial assistance to state and territory agencies who manage, protect, identify and raise awareness of historic shipwrecks on behalf of the Commonwealth,’ Mr. Garrett said.

Shipwrecks are virtual underwater libraries of information from our past, and the secrets and insights our shipwrecks hold tell a story about our nation, revealing information about the people that traveled to our shores and the times in which they lived.

With a vast maritime heritage, it is vital that we act to preserve Australia’s historic shipwrecks and their artefacts for future generations.