South Australian Maritime Museum — Attraction in Adelaide

The South Australian Maritime Museum is a state government museum, part of the History Trust of South Australia. The Museum opened in 1986 in a collection of historic buildings in the heart of Port Adelaide, South Australia’s first heritage precinct.

The Museum presents exhibitions in a pair of adjoining stone bond stores, built in the 1850s. It offers visitors the opportunity to climb the Port Adelaide lighthouse that was built in 1869 and originally stood at the entrance to the Port River. Cruises are provided for school groups in the naval launch Archie Badenoch (built 1942) and periodically for the public in the steam tug Yelta (built 1949). The Museum presents an active program of changing exhibitions, tours of the museum and of the Torrens Island Quarantine Station, vacation performances, schools programs and events including historic dinners, music and theatre. It has a reputation as an interactive museum that delivers imaginative programming.

Exhibitions focus on the exploration of the southern coast and the voyages of Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, the experiences of immigrants coming to Australia in the 1830s, 1910s and 1950s, health and medicine at sea, the colonial navy of South Australia of the 19th century, the world wars of the 20th century, the ketch traders that served southern ports from the 19th century to the 1960s, life in port, and the ecology of the Port River dolphins.

The Maritime Museum also preserves the Weman Sailmakers loft (1864), and has its offices in the former Commercial Bank building (1888), both in Lipson Street, across...

Well boy howdy what a merry old time at the maritime museum. An informative, interactive, interesting study of South Australia's maritime history. The Keffer is always a joy to shimmy up and down, spreading out on the bunks and to and fro-ing below deck. Many interesting facts about Aboriginal maritime culture, and the local Port Adelaide history of trade. Learn devastating facts about dolphins and the heinously destructive nature of humans on the environment (we're never free from that knowledge amiright). Top level has some games, and interactive displays for learning about tracking the sun, tides / navigation. Bottom level has cool and creepy displays of the various socio-economic cabins/bunks for those making the trek from Europe to Australia in the 1800s. Good stuff. Great place, a little shabby but overall well kept,...

The museum is housed in a beautiful old heritage building, which made it an ideal location to learn about maritime history. This history focused on the poor working and passenger conditions, as well as the ordeal of migration by ship. Like most maritime museums in Australia, a significant portion of the content relates to migration, both before and after World War II.

My mother and family migrated to Australia aboard one of these vessels (although they arrived in Perth, not Adelaide). Therefore, looking at the mockup of the cabins was an intriguing exercise in understanding how their journey must have been. I couldn’t help but imagine how monotonous 45 to 70 days at sea must have been in these cramped cabins. The next exhibit was dedicated to boredom, and it perfectly captured...