Step aboard MV Steve Irwin. Listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels, she was the flagship of Animal Planet’s ‘Whale Wars’ in a decade-long campaign to stop illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean, directly saving over 6,000 whales. Tours, live music, school programs and ocean research for the inspiration and education of ocean conservation.
The story
1975: Scottish fisheries patrol vessel and emergency oil spill response. 2006–2018: flagship of Sea Shepherd, when they still engaged ‘aggressive non-violent’ methods. 2019: saved from the scrap heap and repurposed by Ship4Good.
Renewed, re-registered, rebranded and repurposed for innovative conservation.
Local innovative conservation and education. Event spaces, school programs, tours, a plant-based café and bar, and more.
Come aboard · back in April 2027
Stay tuned for new events and activities.
Venue hire & experiences
Birthdays, team days, launches and dinners for up to about 80 guests, with the Docklands skyline as your backdrop.
What we do
Curriculum-linked school programs aboard a real conservation ship, teaching courage, resilience and how one person can make a difference.
School programs →An annual floating research platform in Port Phillip Bay, studying seaweed biomass and circular-economy solutions with scientists and industry.
Innovation →Gigs, exhibitions, dinners and immersive games that bring people aboard, and keep the ship herself preserved.
What's on →Solar at Sea · Join the crew
A 15 kWh solar battery system, charged by eight Sunman 520 W panels on the helicopter hangar, will power life on board at anchor, cutting diesel, emissions and noise. Put your name on the hangar plaque from $50.
Estimates for a 4-month season at anchor, replacing the diesel generator at about 2 litres an hour. Over five years: about 29,280 litres of diesel, $73,200 in fuel and 79 tonnes of CO₂. How we worked it out
Good to know
Everything you need to know about visiting MV Steve Irwin in Docklands, Melbourne.
A historic ship built in Scotland in 1975 as a fisheries patrol and emergency oil spill response vessel. From 2006 to 2018 she was the flagship of Sea Shepherd and Animal Planet's 'Whale Wars', in campaigns that saved over 6,000 whales. In 2019 Ship4Good saved her from the scrap heap, and she is listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.
At Melbourne City Marina in Docklands, Melbourne: Level 1, 120/439 Docklands Drive, Docklands VIC 3008.
Yes. Ship tours, live music and family events run aboard, with public events returning in April 2027. Join the crew email list to hear first when tickets go on sale. Schools and private groups can enquire now.
Yes. Curriculum-linked ship tours and ocean conservation workshops for primary and secondary students, aligned with the Victorian Curriculum and run aboard the ship in Docklands.
Yes. Every visit, booking and donation supports Ship4Good Inc, a registered charity that preserves this historic conservation vessel and runs ocean conservation, citizen science and education programs in Port Phillip Bay.
Yes. MV Steve Irwin hosts birthdays, team days, launches and dinners for up to about 80 guests across six onboard spaces in Docklands.
Free. First access to events, stories from the engine room, and updates from the Bay research. One email a month.
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