On Friday 19th October the "Container - the box that changed the world" exhibition officially opened at Lang Park, Wollongong.
NSW Ports Chairman Paul McMcClintock AO officially opened the exhibition with Wollongong Lord Mayor Cr Gordon Bradbery and Peter Dexter AM Chairman, Australian National Maritime Museum (see picture below).
The official opening was attended by representatives of the shipping and transport industry as well as and special guests.
NSW Ports is proud to be a major sponsor of this exhibition which has seen over 250,000 visitors to date at Darling Harbour. Housed entirely within six 20-foot shipping containers, the exhibit will invite visitors to explore the technical, economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts of containerisation.
Marika Calfas, CEO NSW Ports said, “As the custodian of Port Botany and Port Kembla, import and export gateways handling people’s valued goods, we are delighted to be able to partner with industry and the Australian National Maritime Museum to bring this exhibition to life in Wollongong. Supporting this exhibition is one way we are helping the community to understand the crucial role ports play in our community and economy.”
The exhibition has spent the last 12 months at Darling Harbour, Sydney. It will be on Marine Drive, Wollongong until 20 January 2019. Entry is free.
Learn more here: http://www.visitwollongong.com.au/events/container-the-box-that-changed-the-world
About the exhibition:
The six colourful containers are scattered around Marine Drive at Wollongong and each container has a specific theme:
SHIP - Learn the history of transporting goods in crates, bales, sacks and barrels loaded by hand, and how the container now allows the world's 1.5 million seafarers to deliver 10 billion tonnes of trade each year.
CARGO - Discover the intricate world of trade, customs, and biosecurity, and how perishable goods are transported around the world in the 'cold' chain.
PORT - See the radical transformation of ports and port cities in Australia and around the world. Have a peek behind the scenes at Port Botany, one of Australia's busiest ports and the gateway for 99 per cent of New South wales' container demand.
OCEAN - Explore the challenges mass shipping poses to our oceans, including lost shipping containers, cargo spills and acoustic pollution, and the current focus on sustainable shipping.
BUILD - Be delighted by the quirky and innovative ways containers are used beyond shipping, including ‘small homes’, food trucks, art installations and even swimming pools.
THINGS - Enter a glass-fronted container demonstrating the origins of everyday objects in our homes. The total number of kilometres travelled by sea by all the products in this container is 887,082 km.