VISITORS are in for double the fun when the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum reopens later this month with not one but two exhibitions.
Due to its popularity, Pacific Predators has been extended for a second year, giving visitors another chance to glimpse the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean and learn more about the predators lurking there.
The exhibition illustrates the world of the tiger shark, sperm whale and colossal squid hidden beneath the waves, along with their relationship with humans both today and in Captain Cook’s time.
At the time that Cook was making his voyages, so little was known about these awe-inspiring predators that they were both feared and respected, and in some cultures even revered as gods or the spirits of ancestors.
New for 2016 is Walkabout: Australian Aboriginal Life and Legend, which explores and celebrates the vibrant and enormously diverse cultures of ancient Australian Aboriginal society.
In 1770 when Captain Cook arrived in what he called New South Wales, he would have been unaware that he was visiting a culture dating back around 65,000 years.
At this time about 600 clan groups – speaking 250 separate languages – lived across the continent’s many varied environments.
The exhibition covers all aspects of life, including living beneath simple shelters made of branches covered with leaves, diets featuring sea birds, reptiles and ants, and hunting tools including spears and clubs.
Plus, find out what the original use of a boomerang was and why Aboriginal people wear such brightly coloured and fascinating headdresses and necklaces during ceremonial gatherings.
Senior Museums Curator Phil Philo said: “We had such fantastic feedback on Pacific Predators that we decided to continue it for another year to give even more people a chance to see it, or to see it again.
“Our new exhibition celebrates the people Cook would have encountered when he visited Australia during his first voyage, and is a great opportunity to learn more about a relatively unknown culture.”
The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum reopens on Tuesday, March 22 for a season running until Sunday, October 30.
Entry to the Walkabout exhibition is included in the standard museum admission charge.
Entry to the Pacific Predators exhibition is free.
For more details, contact Phil Philo on 01642 358103 or 01642 515634 or via email to phil_philo@middlesbrough.gov.uk