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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National

Mysteries of ocean in shipwreck show

A scene from the Shipwreck Odyssey show at Australian National Maritime Museum. Picture by Cassandra Hannagan

Need a reason to do something different? Like a trip to Sydney?

The Australian National Maritime Museum has an exhibition titled Shipwreck Odyssey, an "interactive journey in light and movement" that depicts the "mysteries of the ocean depths".

With an environmental focus, Shipwreck Odyssey combines live storytelling, projections and immersive experiences to create "an aquatic playfield".

The Lighthouse Gallery at the museum is transformed into "a wonderland of projection and light" that shows the "beauty of our oceans", a museum statement said.

Two large-scale walls that span 25 metres by 5 metres are illuminated with interactive projections to create "a large immersive play space".

The room is fitted with projection and tracking technology that enables interaction with the aquatic images.

The show is billed as a "rich and fun experience to entrance participants to the wonders of our seas".

It's a surreal marine adventure that takes the audience from a 19th century ship voyage to "the depths of the Pacific Ocean, guided by the ghostly figurehead of one of Australia's most famous shipwrecks".

It tells the story of the Jenny Lind, a vessel named after the world's most popular singer at the time, hitting trouble on a submerged reef in 1850.

The hull was snapped and the vessel sank to the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef. The 26 passengers survived.

The vessel goes on to live another life, becoming "a wonderland where life is endless".

Join Jenny as she roams the oceans of the world on which she once sailed, exploring the call of whale song, the waltz of stingrays and vistas of plankton.

As the world of human civilisation begins to encroach from above, Jenny begins to realise she can no longer ignore the gradual ruin of her underwater sanctuary.

Will Jenny find a way to save the oceans, or is she destined to haunt the seas until the day humanity finally hears her call to action?

Shipwreck Odyssey runs daily at the Australian National Maritime Museum until January 26. Performances are daily (except Mondays) at 10.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm and 3pm.

Entry is $15 for adults and kids, or $60 for a family.

New Romance

January 1 at 6pm will be the "busiest period of the entire year for online dating in Australia", relationship experts at eharmony reckon.

Having crunched the data, they assert that the new year "heralds the highest number of singles logging on for love". [Either that, or they're sucking us in with a sneaky ad]

They predict a "huge surge in activity over the next 24 hours".

"The number of new subscriptions on Sunday are expected to be double the average day," an eharmony statement said.

"This is mirrored by activity in the UK, America and Canada."

January is the most popular for those seeking relationships, with the "number of messages sent through online dating 30 per cent higher than the average month".

Sounds like a popular new year's resolution is to look for love.

Jokes of the Day

I went to the first online dating agency I could find and within one hour had met my wife! It was love at first site.

Never date an apostrophe. They can be possessive.

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