HMAS Castlemaine — Attraction in Victoria

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...

HMAS Castlemaine is one of the sixty Australian-built Bathurst Class corvettes to serve throughout World War II, and is the last such vessel still afloat, having been restored by volunteers over four decades.

HMAS Castlemaine is owned, preserved and operated as a museum ship by the Maritime Trust of Australia Inc. (MTA). The MTA is an all-volunteer not for profit organisation. Membership of the MTA is open to anybody.

Visitors can see how crews lived and worked during the war years, witness the original main engines turning over, and view a wide range of artifacts documenting Australian maritime history.

HMAS Castlemaine is located at Gem Pier in the heart of Williamstown, near the information centre in Commonwealth Reserve, Nelson Place. The ship is close to cafes, playgrounds and heritage sites: Scienceworks and the Newport Rail Museum are both within a ten-minute drive, and Seaworks is just a...

We had an incredible day in Williamstown celebrating Luke’s birthday, highlighted by a visit to the historic HMAS Castlemaine. This remarkable WWII Corvette Class ship served with distinction as a minesweeper across the Pacific Ocean, carrying out dangerous missions that included clearing minefields, escorting vital troop convoys, and supporting major Pacific operations.

Walking through the decks offered a real sense of the challenges faced by her crew and the pivotal role she played during the war. For Luke—who spends countless hours commanding fleets online in World of Warships—this experience was the perfect way to connect his passion for naval history and gaming with a tangible piece of living history. A truly memorable and fitting way to mark his...