SA Maritime Museum

Purchase your SA Maritime Museum Membership and enjoy free admission all year. You will also receive special previews, updates and invitations to events and enjoy 10% discount in our gift shop. Memberships can also make a great gift for someone special (please note if you are purchasing this as a gift you will need to provide relevant details for the recipient in the form of: full name, address, email and contact number).

Purchase your museum admission tickets or become a member online, you can also but a gift certificate!

Take a cruise along the Port River on the SA Maritime Museum historic vessel Archie Badenoch. Built during WWII by General Motor Holden for the Royal Australian Navy, Archie was commissioned by the SA Police in December 1946. Named in honour of Constable Archibald Badenoch, the first SA Police Officer killed in action during World War II, the vessel was operated by the South Australian Police until 1978. Archie is now owned and operated by the SA Maritime Museum. The cruise will take approx. 1 hour and will highlight many of the historic areas and points of interest along the river. Includes same day admission to the SA Maritime Museum. All marine activities are conducted in accordance with Marine Safety Guidelines. We respect the environment and wildlife in the Port River & operate in accordance with the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and the National Parks and Wildlife (Protected Animals – Marine Mammals) Regulation 2010 and Viewing Marine Mammals regulations.

Vetter og villskap (“Spirits and wildness”) is a collaboration between Norwegian folknik Petter Attila Naessan (banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, vocals), Indigenous singer-songwriter/language revivalist Corey Theatre (guitar, vocals) and violin virtuoso Ashley Turner, who also assists with vocals. The material is an eclectic mix of new arrangements of Scandinavian folk tunes; original melodies and words; newly written Norwegian texts set to arrangements of North American folk melodies; a Scottish reel, and a rewritten English medieval ballad. This performance is a bardic series of events about vetter; powerful, mysterious, often malignant beings, how they interact with humans, and how – at times – these forces may be defeated by love, music, and knowledge.

Torrens Island Quarantine Station was built in 1879 to stop passengers bringing diseases such as smallpox into Adelaide. Today, the site is remarkably intact and evokes the experiences of passengers placed in quarantine from the 1880s to the 1960s. This fully guided tour visits the many areas of the Quarantine Station, including the bathing blocks that separated first and second class passengers, the boiler house used to power fumigation, the morgue and the isolation hospital. The character of the buildings, the history of the site and the ambience of the natural environment make visiting the Quarantine Station a moving experience. Ticket price includes entry to the SA Maritime Museum. Please note: Access to the site is by your own vehicle and includes an unsealed portion of road. There is uneven ground on site and some buildings require a small step up to access. There are no accessible toilets on site.

Explore a Port Adelaide icon – the Lighthouse is open again for visitors! First lit in 1869, the Lighthouse is still operational but did you know it has been relocated several times? Join a guided tour to learn more about the history of this landmark, climb the 75 steps to the top to see the lantern in action and step out onto the deck to view Port Adelaide from above. Day tours include same-day entry to the South Australian Maritime Museum. Night tours will receive a complimentary pass to visit the museum at a later date. Please note that the tour involves steep stairs, tight spaces, and heights. Not suitable for children under 5. All participants will be required to sign a health and safety waiver.