Journey of a Lifetime
A Chance Encounter That Changed Everything Fernard Robichaud's involvement in the La Balsas Expedition was almost serendipitous. While enjoying a weekend off in Montreal, he stumbled upon an article about Marc Modena, who had previously made a similar expedition across the
A Living Link to the La Balsas Expedition
As we gear up for the 50th Anniversary of the La Balsas Expedition, we are honoured to announce that Fernard Robichaud, an original crew member, will be gracing the event with his presence. This is a rare opportunity to connect
The Crew of the La Balsas Expedition
An Adventurous Pot of Cultures and Skills Under Spanish Leadership: Vital Alsar, was the Guiding Force Vital Alsar, a Spanish navigator and explorer, was the linchpin of the La Balsas Expedition. His leadership qualities were evident not just in his navigational skills
Epic Journeys and Timeless Tales
50 Years of the La Balsas Expedition @ The Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum Imagine standing on the shores of Ballina, New South Wales, as the sun dips below the horizon. The salty air fills your lungs, and the rhythmic sound of
Ship Wrecks
As our national anthem proclaims, “our home is girt by sea” in fact Australia's area of maritime responsibility is some fourteen million square kilometres or twice the area of our land mass. Given our geographic position in the world surrounded
Sailors Pass Times
While there may be times in the life of a sailor that are perilous and demand hours of hard work in miserable conditions equally there are hours when not on watch that are made interminable by boredom. Ship’s masters were
Pirates
When most of us think of pirates our thoughts go to the likes of Black Beard, Black Bart and Thomas Tew names which come to us from a time when piracy on the sea was at a peak. The blood
Paddle Wheel
Some visitors to the museum this week were surprised to see paddle wheel vessels on display. Coming from area around the Murray River which forms the boarder between much of Victoria and NSW and were used to seeing paddle-wheelers but
Our Visitors
It is surprising the number of visitors from Ballina Shire who visit our museum and comment that they have lived here for years had never visited before. Equally surprising are those who say that they didn’t know we had a
Models Museum
The old adage, “a photo is worth a thousand words” is certainly true. Even if in today’s world of computerised editing and software that can manipulate images almost seamlessly makes telling truth from fiction a little more difficult and in
