Changes to our education programs in 2020

As part of the South Australian Government’s Step 3 easing of restrictions we can now accept school excursion bookings at the South Australian Maritime Museum.  We continue to adhere to federal and state government guidelines including a maximum of 1 person per 2 sqm and an increased and regular cleaning regime.

To make sure our visitors, including school groups, remain safe at all times, we have made some changes to the school programs that are available. The size of rooms and galleries in the museums mean some of our education programs have been changed, while others will not be available for the foreseeable future. Some programs use highly interactive displays and we have adapted these where we can.

We will continue to monitor, evaluate and adapt our education programs to fit government COVIDSafe guidelines and align with Department for Education recommendations. If you cannot visit us at one of our museums, we also have a range of education programs, digital and printed resources that can be used within the classroom. We are also developing a series of virtual museum visits where students can engage and interact with our curators via web conferencing platforms – watch this space!

Education programs available in Term 3

Encounters (Years 3-5)

A look at early maritime encounters including Aboriginal people, Europeans and the Macassan people, the First Fleet in 1788 and Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin’s mapping journeys and encounters off the coastline in 1802. This new program incorporates the best bits from Explorers and First Fleet, two of our most popular programs, and now features a stronger First Nations perspective.

Life on Board (Years 4-5)

This program asks students to consider the experiences of life on board for those people travelling by ship from England to South Australia in 1836; including cramped quarters, rough medicine and on board entertainment. We also discuss the development from sailing ships, steam ships and modern cruise liners, and the reasons people migrate.

Unfortunately, tours of the Port Adelaide Lighthouse and river trips on the Archie Badenoch are not available at this time due to physical distancing restraints.

Contact us to book on (08) 8207 6255 or email schools.maritime@history.sa.gov.au 

Frequently asked questions

What are you doing to keep students and other visitors safe?

• Our hygiene program includes increased cleaning of all exhibits, supply of hand sanitizer throughout the museum and specific session times to allow for deeper cleaning between sessions.
• We can allow storage of school bags for school groups only.
• Some rooms and galleries have limited capacity to retain social distancing
• We will provide cleaning in eating locations after use by each school group.
• If required, students can use our disposable gloves after being shown correct use.
• We have an approved COVIDSafe Plan available to view on request.

What do teachers need to do to arrange an excursion?

• Department for Education guidelines require teachers to complete a risk assessment for each excursion – we can provide information to teachers that will assist in completing this form.
• Be aware of our capacity limits, program changes and gallery limits.
• Contact our education team for more information or to book your visit!