No museum would exist without its collection. The Queensland Maritime Museum collection numbers many tens of thousands of items, ranging from photographs and shipping documents to the ex Royal Australian Navy frigate Diamantina and the steam tug Forceful. All items in the collection have significance in the maritime history of Queensland.

Major categories of the collection include:

• Lighthouses

• Marine Engines

• Model Ships

• Navigation Charts

• Photographs

• Shipping Documents

• Ships Plans

• Wooden Boats

• Major Vessels