All is good until I saw the displays talking about the western invasion to China in 1900. As a Chinese, I can say the contents in the museum are very offensive and inaccurate. First of all, the boxers are not the reason that China was invaded by 8 western nations. The real reason was money. The European colonial empires such as UK robbed nearly every nation that wasn’t a European colony back then. China was simply one of them. Even without the boxers, the war would still happen. Secondly, the boxers were not the villains. Before the 1900’s war, the western nations had started dozens of wars against China. Before 1900, they had raided astronomical amount of money out of the Chinese government and its people. And the war reparations directly caused millions of Chinese families to die of starvation, and indirectly killed over 50 million people in the civil wars triggered by them. Imagine living as a civilian in 1900, you had wonderful kids and a happy life until a few pirates came. People around you died one by one because of them, but the police was too afraid to do anything. What would you do? I’m not arguing their method was right. Some of them did kill innocent European civilians. But when a man was placed into a desperate situation like this, it’s understandable. Thirdly, I don’t understand why modern Australians want to be proud of this history. The western nations were nothing but bandits in this war. I bet that the so-called “souvenirs” were actually robbed from the bodies of an innocent Chinese family. There isn’t anything to be proud of. Additionally, the text made it clear that only 6 Australians tried to join the raid (but failed to arrive in time). So it’s really not related to Australians. Lastly, I have completely no idea why this history is displayed on a WW2 warship. The ship didn’t even exist back then!

HMAS Castlemaine is a corvette naval ship of the Royal Australian Navy from the world war 2, it is one of the only remaining ships from WW2 in Victoria and remains afloat at the gem pier in Williamstown, VIC. The museum ship is definitely worth a visit as shows the history of the ship itself, the voyages it did around Australia, New Guinea & Timor during WW2. The staff cabins, engine room, radar room & boiler room is well preserved and gives you great insight about the ship. It also has lots of information about the crew on board this ship during WW2. It’s open only of weekends and public holidays.

This is also the Williamstown dock of the tall ship 'Enterprize' on which we enjoyed a delightful hour long sail. Manned by a fully qualified ship's master and crew of volunteers, we were given a brief history of the replica vessel. It is based on that of John Pascoe Fawkner, one of the founding fathers of Melbourne, who purchased the schooner in 1835 to explore new settlement options in the early Port Phillip District of Victoria. This was followed by a pocket guide to the historic sailing techniques of the day. A fascinating, up close and personal experience of ship travel from a bygone era! Highly recommended 👌

This place is quite good to see and spend some precious time with your friends…having knowledge about a Navy Ship/Stealth frigate/Destroyer is always new for me….each and every component of this ship vintage feel and let you experience how it looks like being a sea warrior 😍

Old Navy

Very well preserved and restore WW-II destroyer. The volunteers were very knowledgeable and friendly. They patiently answered many questions from the kids and the big kids. You can access most areas of the ship and there's a information about the artefacts on display. To visit the engine room you need to be escorted by a volunteer. They even turned on one of the engine to show us how it works. Highly recommend bidding this museum/ship.

Great place to take kids to learn about battleships and sailing. Amazing technology.

Fantastic place ! The staff are nice , and equipments are well maintained . I heard there is no support from government . It’s worth to visit and support to keep such historical thing

I went on the ship just for a browse around. I was surprised about the history which I had learnt from the volunteers. The volunteers had made the experience amazing. There is lot's to see on the ship. Many artefacts and videos are shown to give you the historical view of it's time. I was told about how everything works in the engine room. The volunteers knowledge had explained a breakdown about how the steam engine works which was very fascinating. The entry admission helps go towards the ship's restoration.

Best $8 you’ll ever spend! Beautiful scenery. Plenty to see, do and learn. Staff were incredibly friendly, willing to chat and gave my boy a badge. It’ll open your eyes to what life would be like at sea during WW2

Not open alot mostly weekends and school holidays. Was about 5 dollars an adult to go on. Amazing views from the park of the boat. Also great views of the city from the boat. A few interactive turrets on the boat. Boat kept nice and clean well worth a visit.

(Translated by Google) Beautiful boat, comfortable dock. After visiting the Warribee Zoo, you can actually have dinner at Williamstown and take a tour of it. There are very friendly and kind volunteers in the ship. Lovely ship and lovely pier. After visiting Werribee Zoo with kids, it can be a good idea to visit Williamstown to have a dinner, and have a brief stroll here. They have wonderful volunteers for the museum. (Original) 漂亮的船，舒服的碼頭。在參觀完Warribee動物園後，其實可以到Williamstown吃個晚餐、並稍為遊覧一下這裡。艦內有非常友善親切的義工。 Lovely ship and lovely pier. After visiting Werribee Zoo with kids, it can be a good idea to visit Williamstown to have a dinner, and have a brief stroll here. They have wonderful volunteers for the museum.

This is a great historical museum that has been well maintained by a Maritime Trust of Australia local branch. It was open on the day I attended, ANZAC day, and is well worth the time if you are in the area. Its a World War Two corvette built in Melbourne, 1942. It has been docked at the Gem Pier Williamstown for a long period of time. There are public toilets near by

Very good experience on board a naval ship. Lots to see and read up history. Recommend for all parents of under 12 yr old

HMAS Castlemaine is fantastic - the vessel is beautifully restored and maintained, and houses an engaging museum with splendid ship models. Highlight for me is the engine room with triple-expansion steam engines in marvellous condition and able to turn as a demonstration. The volunteers were wonderfully friendly and eager to share information, such as the fascinating minesweeping process. Kids generally delighted. We spent 1.5hrs, so the free 2hr parking spots off the main street are adequate. Train station is walking distance.

Awesome experience for $10.

up to 45 minutes required to see all, kitchen not really original.

Absolutely fantastic. A must see. I've lived in Melbourne my whole life and I can't believe it took me this long to see it.

A hidden gem, and well worth putting aside an hour to look over this piece of Australian naval history. An absolute credit to the team of enthusiasts that devote their time and energy into bringing this warship back to the public. Like a number of other locations around Melbourne, the only option for paid parking in the area is using the "EasyPark" app on your phone. Don't be fooled by the signs that point to the ticket vending machine.

Beautiful suburb of Melbourne and a beautiful spot to visit. We received great service by the gentlemen on board the HMAS Castlemaine. They were friendly and more than happy to give my young son an abundance of information and a guided tour for parts of the ship explaining the many great things to see. They've done an amazing job restoring this beauty and take a lot of pride in it also, which is wonderful to see. Lots of steps and climbing to get up and down the decks but worth a visit.

Pros: Great sailing experience and friendly staff. Able to change the ticket date if needs be by emailing them. Cons: Limited place to sit if you are with kids or elderly person. Paid off street parking.

Way better than the ones in Sydney harbour alot more details and access to different areas of ship

A hidden treasure In Melbourne's military history. Well worth spending a couple of hours going through the ship and exploring the history of its venture through WWII. The volunteers are very helpful and knowledgeable.

Good place

A great old war ship from another time. Well worth the walk around and inside of the ship. And cheap to. $6 an adult. Worth the look

Really enjoyed the visit. Great intro from the retired sailors

Very well restored corvette/ minesweeper ship. Great for exploring and experiencing life on a ww2 boat. So many details and informative guides. Would highly recommend a visit!

Not open for public all the time but very friendly and informative staff. You can learn a lot about WW2 by doing a tour of this ship. It's not a very large ship but nicely restored back to its former glory.

The people making the tour were lovely and friendly! The place is very interesting to visit!

Amazing place to visit very well maintained ship and full of stories.

A really great museum ship with a large and very interesting collection of artefacts and memorabilia. A visit to both here and the nearby Seaworks, will make for a very enjoyable trip to Williamstown.

HMS Castlemaine is worth a visit if you are into our naval and maritime history. Lots to explore, sea and read. The staff are extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. A short 5-10 minwalk from the Train station, or 20-30 min drive from the Melbourne CBD.

A fascinating look at a WW2 era Aussie minesweeper. Many interactive displays and partially operational equipment. Souvenirs available from the friendly staff at entry/exit.

Excellent condition, heaps to see with a museum inside. Well worth $10 adult and way better then HMAS Vampire in Sydney

Helpful staff. They'll start the engine for you if you ask. Heaps of memorabilia.

Nice piece of historical ships, photo worthy

Great guides on board and the ship is kept in great condition and with good information. Fun for kids on the moving guns!

A wonderful historic naval ship, well worth a visit. Maintained by volunteers.

Great experience. All staff have great knowledge and are more than willing to take the time to explain the day in a life of the HMAS Castlemaine. So glad I spent the $8 to come aboard.

I was a very enjoyable experience. I found it fascinating and educational. Lots to look at and learn about some of our war history. There is lots to see and read as you walk around the ship and the volunteers that work there are lovely. Recommend you and your family see this.

Good chance to see naval history- loved it!

Great volunteers and tour, our kids and family thoroughly enjoyed it, would be even better with some interactive equipment

Terrific for the kids and adults too.

Fantastic visit

Nice place

An awesome experience to honestly see a part of Australian maritime history and how our servicemen lived together during the war. Thank you so much for all the work done to restore this beautiful attraction and for continuing to maintain it over the years.

A great experience with the kids... 7 & 8. A boy and a girl... had an awesome time playing around on the ship... got some great shots of the kids in helmets manning the guns... (priceless)

Was fantastic my 5 yr old boy absolutely loved it the staff were sensational very friendly was great experience and totally recommend a visit it's a step back into the past and a little glimpse into what our fighting men when thru in days of war.

Great historical artifacts on vessel and self guided tour is fun. Mementos of visit can be purchased at reasonable prices.

Great activity to do with the kids. Cool photo opportunities!

Cool museum. Knowledgable tour guides.

An incredible ship to visit. Awesome volunteers running it and awesome free access around the boat to view all its intricacies. A must visit!!

A must see in Williamstown. We decided to have a look because our son is into war related toys, etc. He had a great time and so did we! There is so much to see onboard the ship and you are able to learn a lot about the history of the ship and it's links to Williamstown. There's even a guided tour of the engine room, which is a great experience I would recommend, since it is optional.

A quiet treasure of the bay, jam-packed with historical items and beautiful displays. There is enough lovingly restored fittings aboard to keep an entire family entertained for an afternoon. Staff incredibly generous, kind, and helpful. An exceptionally good value museum.

Loved It. Staff very informative and helpful. Great exploring. Great for kids and adults..

Was closed when I got there @ 2: 45 so can n' t really say much even tho the Website states open til 4

Well worth the visit for young and old highly recommend.

Very interesting. Very cheap.

Interesting

An old navy minesweeper. Can visit almost all of the ship. Very good experience.

Brilliant piece of history, definitely recommend for a great day out!

My grandaughter liked it because how the captain's room is bigger than all the other rooms in the ship.

Fascinating, highly recommended, if you’re bored here there’s no hope for you. We arrived close to closing time so they let us look around for free:) usually $8 an adult or $20 for a family, which is cheap anyway

Lovely ship lots of history

Love the boat

its just a boat

Top place for history buffs, great for families

Visited recently..very well preserved piece from history..lot of things inside to see.. I really felt bad how manufacturing depreciated over 50 years in Australia..most parts of the ship are manufactured in Australia at that time..

Wow! It was really fantastic to tour this wonderful piece of history! Thank you to the two gentlemen for giving us a well informed tour of this amazing mine sweeper! Well Done !

Well worth a visit if Naval History is your thing.

Worth every cent of only $8 to get in! Volunteers are friendly and knowledgeable. There is a good museum if naval history is your thing or just explore every nook and cranny of this lovingly restored WWII ship, from the wheelhouse to the engine room. Do yourself a favour and visit.

Great views across the bay.