SEA TALES
WHERE: Australian National Maritime Museum
COST: Free – no bookings required
AGES: 4–12 years and families
TWO SESSIONS EACH DAY: session start times 11.30am and 12.30pm

We are “girt by sea.” How does this affect us as Australians?

Embark on an oceanic spoken-word musical journey – encompassing whaling, lighthouses, and refugees – with Miles Merrill, a crew of poets and multi-instrumentalist Trevor Brown.

On this nautical adventure, these seafaring artists answer the question, “If we've got super-jets and inter-space flight for millionaires, why float in an oversized tub on the bouncing current?”

Take a trip to 1927 to visit Cape Bowling Green, a spit in Far North Queensland. You’ll meet a dancing lighthouse that does the can-can in a storm, packs up and moves several times, and now lives at Darling Harbour.

Join the Sea Tales voyagers to investigate the reasons why we journey by sea: for love, work, migration – and to see dragons, of course!

For a grand finale, the audience turns into a humpback whale: breaching, diving and pushing fountains from its spout. Trevor Brown plays nine instruments, layering them with pedals and effects to create a soundscape for rich characters and inspiring stories.

HOST: Miles Merrill
MUSIC: Trevor Brown

With more artists and musicians to be announced.

SEA TALES sessions take place at 11.30am and 12.30pm on Friday 4 October, Saturday 5 October, Sunday 6 October, Wednesday 9 October, Thursday 10 October and Friday 11 October.

Sea tales is presented in partnership with Australian National Maritime Museum and Word Travels’ Story Week – an annual celebration of poetry slams, workshops and storytelling events.

APS 2023 artwork: 2023 Australian Poetry Slam Champions Rob Waters and K.J. Hayward – Photo Credits: Jacquie Manning. Design: Rachel Stone Designs. Concept: Miles Merrill and the Word Travels team.