Popular Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex, South Africa

Traveling exhibitions are from time to time sourced from other museums and displayed at Dias Museum for a couple of months. All the staff members at Dias Museum are mandated to check the displayed collection all the time to ensure that artifacts are safe. The public access to the museum collection has improved as a monthly temporary display programme allows visitors to see also the stored artifacts. There are regular new additions to the collection of small marine animals in the museum's aquarium. The Caravel Post Office Tree Aquarium and the museum's ethno botanical garden and Braille trail are some of the most popular exhibits amongst visitors of all ages. The Dias Museum is privileged to include a large indigenous garden with amazing views of the sea. On site public programmes: The museum's management realized that collecting exhibiting and preserving the material evidence of the educational and enjoyment benefits of the current generation is not enough if a museum is a dead space with no programmes projects activities and events that are attractive to the public.


Curriculum orientated education and outreach programmes are designed at the museum and presented to learners from the local schools. In collaboration with local governmental and non governmental organizations the Dias Museum host eight commemorative days celebrations per year. Shell Museum and Aquarium: The Shell Museum and Aquarium's theme is shells and molluscs(snails) their ecology including live molluscs in aquaria how molluscs and shells are used by mankind etc.

Shell Museum is the largest shell museum in Africa. In the same building there is also an aquarium of small sea animals. The Munro cottages are used as offices of international archaeological researchers. Maritime Museum: The theme for the Maritime Museum is the Portuguese maritime history from 1488 and their connection with the English and Dutch explorers. Cultural History Museum: The heritage of Mossel Bay the district and its people from pre historic times until today.The maritime Museum has exhibition displays which narrate about the history of early European sea voyagers who discovered sea routes. The local history 19th century artifacts and 20th century photographs are also displayed in this building.The building houses a life size replica of the ship that was used by Bartolomeu Dias and his crew when they landed in Mossel Bay 1488. The ship was built in Portugal and it was brought to Mossel Bay in 1988.