Curated by Professor Francisco Mellén, President of the Spanish Association of Pacific Studies, the exhibition was brought to Australia by the State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX) as part of the 4th centenary celebrations of the South Pacific voyages.
Spanish Expeditions to the South Pacific from the 16th to 18th centuries marks the 400th anniversary of the voyages of Pedro Fernández de Quirós and of Luis Váez de Torres, who was the first European to navigate the reef-strewn passage now known as Torres Strait.
"Two hundred years prior to the voyages of Captain Cook, the Spanish expeditions established important ties between Spain and the Pacific region," said Craddock Morton, Director of the National Museum.
The search for Terra Australis Incognita is mapped out across a series of richly illustrated story panels. The display also features tales of the perils of early maritime exploration including storms, shipwrecks, scurvy and fevers which claimed the lives of many of the Spanish seamen.
Spanish Expeditions is organised by the State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad, with the assistance of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Spanish Embassy in Australia and Casa Asia.
The display is on show in the Hall at the National Museum until September 2, 2007. Entry is free. -- www.nma.gov.au
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