To Explore the High Seas 2015

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 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 couldn’t find the bottom. This indicates that maybe there had been many rooms below ground- level, abandoned after flooding. In addition, great care has been

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, there’s a gift shop, where all your souvenir desires can be fulfilled. A recent expansion of the Maritime Museum is the pirate-themed 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 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 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

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The exterior of the Museum

To Explore the High Seas

To Explore the High Seas 2015

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 1900’s 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 thought-provoking exhibition in the museum.

Travelling by sea is a mode of transport that in the modern day, we often take for granted. In the 1800’s, 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 ship’s 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 Adelaide’s 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 re-located 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 in 1901 and the lantern installed in a

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

rivers’”

1900’s ship bunks

The Lighthouse

To Explore the High Seas 2015

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 Museum’s 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 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.

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!

S. Madigan, H. Goodburn & Jessie S.

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CONTACT

Phone: 08 8207 6255

Fax: 08 8207 6266

Post: 126 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide, South Australia 5015

Visit: Education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au.

Ship Wheel

SA Maritime Museum