To Explore the High Seas

put into restoring the historic building of

late.
The opportunities of discovery and the
exploration of our history are at the
finger-tips of all visitors who explore the
Museum. As well as the exhibits on
coastal wildlife, migration, old
aquaculture and boating, theres a gift
shop, where all your souvenir desires
can be fulfilled. A recent expansion of
the Maritime Museum is the piratethemed kids parties that are hosted
aboard the Activ ll, a life-sized replica of
the Active l, an old South Australian
fishing ketch. There are also over 15
cafes and restaurant facilities in that
immediate area. The Dolphin and River
tours, narrated by the experts, are
family-friendly and inspiring for keen
naturalists and boaters. Samples of
maritime history around Port Adelaide
include the site of the CSR refinery fire of
1926 and the 1869 opening of the Port
lighthouse and the Largs Jetty.

The exterior of the

To Explore the High

Seas
Port Adelaide is a place of many
attractions, over 40 to be exact. But the
real wealth of South Australian history
and sea-faring adventures is in the SA
Maritime Museum. Created a mere 36
years after the colonisation of South
Australia in 1836, the settlers must have
recognised the uniqueness of maritime
history.

The Migration to Australia gallery is a

glimpse into what life was really like for
the ancestors of the People in Port
Adelaide, who came here by boat. The
lighthouse is an attraction too large to
house in the museum, but is a part of a
chain of wonderful maritime-connected
heritage sites along the river. Families,
school groups, interested individuals and
learned people hoping to learn some
more will all enjoy the Museum; the
costs are a bare minimum of adults for
$10, children at $5 and families at $25.
Also, it is open from 10am to 5pm,
visitors and locals can drop by anytime.

The Maritime Museum was established in

1872 to preserve, explore and celebrate
the human history of our oceans and
rivers. On the edge of the Port River, it
was flooded many times and post to
these disasters, extra stories were added
to accommodate the artefacts and
combat the water. Samples taken from
the walls of the lowest level, the
Migration to Australia gallery, show that
the architecture is more than 100 years
old. The walls go so deep that in an
exploration of the building, archeologists
couldnt find the bottom. This indicates
that maybe there had been many rooms
below ground- level, abandoned after
flooding. In addition, great care has been

The Migration to Australia

exhibition is a permanent resident at the
Museum. It features all aspects of the
travellers who braved the high seas to
seek a new life in Australia and those
1

To Explore the High Seas

who later travelled for more
opportunities.
Walk-in models of cabins, scale replicas
of early passenger ships and the tools
and lifestyle of the people. The 1900s
came with cabins equipped with
telephones at $20 a minute and spring
filled mattress. But the first convicts and
peasants slept in meter long beds for
four months on less than 40 grams of
sugar and bread a week per person. All
this is displayed in the lowest level of
the Museum, engineered so that the
footsteps of those on the level above
can be heard clearly. Just like the
convicts below deck, listening to the
footfalls of the sailors. This is arguably
the most inclusive and thoughtprovoking exhibition in the museum.

The

Travelling by sea is a mode of transport

that in the modern day, we often take for
granted. In the 1800s, female convicts
often gave birth in chains and a
surprisingly large number of infants
survived. Food rations were tight and
children got more than adults. You were
a child until 13 years, on a ship. Disease
was common and ships doctors were
often butchers, literally, so infected
limbs were simply amputated. This
makes you appreciate modern
transportation technology. Compared to
the conditions on the earliest transports
to our coasts, our travelling is quite
luxurious!

The lighthouse,

a place of marine
navigational history, rewards climbers
with a thrilling view of all the Port.
One of the oldest collections of nautical
relics in Australia, this outstanding
structure has a history of survival
through need and is Port Adelaides icon.
After 75 steps to the top, visitors can
experience the view . . . 10 meters in the
air! The Mount Lofty Ranges, the Coast
and Adelaide city can be seen from the
tower. Conveniently provided with
information, you can research maritime
history while on the job of having fun!
This iconic building was actually relocated 3 times. The lantern was first lit
in 1869 and stood at the mouth of the
Port River, guiding transport ships and
ketches. This structure is special it was
one of the first south Australian
lighthouses to be prefabricated and sent
from England in pieces. It replaced the
old lightship Fitzjames which was
moored in the harbour. It was re-located

The Maritime
Museum was
established in 1872 to
preserve, explore and
celebrate the human
history of our oceans
and rivers

SA Maritime

To Explore the High Seas

in 1901 and the lantern installed in a
lighthouse in Wonga Shoal, off
Semaphore Jetty. Our tower was given a
new lantern, shunted to Neptune Island
but returned home here, to where it now
stands, in 1986. When you investigate
the lighthouse, also notices the unique
structure, safely designed with
supportive beams. This is an important
tourist destination when in Port Adelaide
like the Eifel Tower of Paris, France!

97% of
the

Museums stock is kept in storage. It is

constantly changing and improving for
us, the public. Every month a new
exhibition is included to keep the
knowledge circulating. The HMS Titanic,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander
prints and paintings and the coming Ship Wheel
Dolphin Festival this school holidays are
all temporary features that have and will
enrapture us. Their archives are being
updated by professionals who accept
that there is always more to be
discovered about our marine ancestry.

1900s ship bunks

In summary; great prices, an unlimited

age range, a brilliant learning experience
for scholars young and old, other
resources for the family and the
opportunity to indulge in the maritime
world of the past. Sounds like a GREAT
DAY OUT!

CONTACT
Phone: 08 8207 6255

S. Madigan, H. Goodburn & Jessie S.

Fax: 08 8207 6266

Post: 126 Lipson Street,

Port Adelaide, South
Australia 5015
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