The following programs are currently available to book:

• Self-guided visit of the South Australian Maritime Museum. You can find information on exhibitions and guiding questions in our Guide for Teachers.
• Life On Board – one-hour education program designed for primary students Years 3-5.  Details are available on our website.  OR
• Encounters – one-hour education program designed for primary students Years 3-5.
• 30-minute cruise of the Port River on the historic police launch M.V. Archie Badenoch where students discover what the inner harbour of Port Adelaide was like in days gone by.  You may even spot a dolphin or two!
• 30-minute Ketch talk. Explore the well loved ship-in-a-museum, the Active II and hear stories about the important role that the ketch trade played in South Australia’s history.
• A self-guided walk around Port Adelaide’s historic precinct (walking trail maps provided)
• A joint visit with the National Railway Museum where you’ll get a ride on a real steam train as part of your visit. Both museums are located in Lipson Street and are walking distance apart.

*School groups often choose one education program (Encounters or Life on Board), an Archie cruise, a Ketch talk, and have some free time in the museum, before heading back to school.

Information about education programs can be found under the Learn tab of this website.

We recommend downloading our Visiting the South Australian Maritime Museum Guide for Teachers booklet. This guide has all the information you will need for your visit, including curriculum links and suggested activities for the classroom to extend your students’ learning experience.

Submit a booking request form via our website. After submitting the form, our team will be in contact with you to confirm and or discuss your booking.

All information we require is included on the booking request form.

Upon confirming your visit, we will provide: a risk assessment, COVIDSafe plan, our cancellation policy and your schedule for the day.  This schedule should be signed and returned to us as confirmation of the booking.  In addition, if you are going on an Archie cruise, you will be asked to complete the manifest for each trip which must be returned to confirm your booking for the cruise.

Current costs are as follows:

• Self-guided museum visit is $7 per student
• Museum visit with one education program is $10 per student
• Cruise on the Archie Badenoch is $5 per student
• Ketch talk on the Active II is  $5 per student

Adults within the following ratios (as specified by DfE) may enter free of charge

• 1:6 for preschool to year 2
• 1:10 for years 3 to 7
• 1:15 for years 8 to 12

The South Australian Maritime Museum is cashless.  Schools can either pay on the day with a credit card or a Tax Invoice can be sent to the school for the cost of the visit.

We will only invoice for the number of people who visit on the day, so we do not issue invoices in advance of the visit.  Please provide an appropriate email address for payment of the invoice.

Once a booking is made with us, we will create a schedule for your visit including recess and lunch breaks, which allows all students to participate in the chosen activities. This schedule is based on the program and activities booked, other school groups visiting that day, and staff availability. For this reason, it may be difficult to change this schedule on the day of your visit. We ask that you check your schedule prior to your visit, and ensure all staff and adults follow it to ensure your visit runs smoothly.

The museum doors opens at 10am and most schools aim to leave around 2pm.

Because of the space limitation of the areas used for our education programs, and of our historic vessel Archie Badenoch (max. capacity 24), our programs are run in smaller groups that rotate between the activities.  The maximum number that can be accommodated in a four-hour visit undertaking a one-hour program is 96 (including adults).  Larger school groups may need to plan their visit across several days.

The Archie Badenoch is a historic police launch that is surveyed to carry 24 passengers (max.) within the Port River.  For groups larger than 24, we use a rotating schedule of groups, which will be sent to you.

A manifest will be sent to you, which must be completed with the students names for each trip, to be returned prior to your visit.  Archie is an enclosed vessel so there is some shelter from the weather. All students must wear PFD’s (life jackets) when on board.  Infants and toddlers under 2 years of age are not permitted on board.

Food and drink are not permitted in any part of the museum. Suggested areas for gathering and eating include the tables outside the museum (under cover), or the shaded area adjacent to the lighthouse.

There is a secure storage area across the road from the museum, where students can leave bags on shelves. We will show you the area on arrival and provide you with a key for easy access during your excursion. Please return the key before departing.

No. The lighthouse is a confined space and due to current COVID requirements is closed to the public.

Yes, the museum building is accessible via a lift to all levels and has an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

However, the police launch Archie Badenoch is not wheelchair accessible.

There are toilets, including an accessible toilet, just inside the main entrance of the museum.

There are no toilet facilities on the Archie Badenoch.

If the temperature forecast on local news or the Bureau of Meteorology website the day before the excursion is 38 degrees or above, all port river cruises will be cancelled.

The South Australian Maritime Museum will remain open and is air conditioned inside. Shared spaces for eating are outdoors, so please consider this if the weather is very hot.

Parking in Port Adelaide requires pre-planning.  Buses are able to park in the loading bay for embarking/disembarking on the corner of Divett and Lipson St, near the museum.  It is not recommended that buses plan to park in the Port area without prior arrangement.  Possible bus parking can be negotiated with the nearby Railway or Aviation museums, or Hart’s Mill.  Private cars can park in metered car parks in the streets surrounding the museum.

Check the Port Adelaide council information on parking here.

Children under 5 years of age can enter the museum free of charge, and teachers may use discretion whether younger siblings can accompany the group.

Please note, infants and toddlers under 2 years of age are not permitted on board the Archie Badenoch.

Our Guide for Teachers has a huge range of activities and resources that can be explored in the classroom. You will find links to short videos with accompanying tasks, source analyses, and activities and quizzes to extend both Encounters and Life on Board programs.

Download your Visiting the South Australian Maritime Museum guide for teachers here.

Find all our History Trust Kahoot quizzes here.

You can explore South Australian Maritime Museum objects online here.

All other History Trust learning resources are gathered here.

Subscribe to the History Trust Education news here.

You can keep up to date with all the latest education news with our monthly email. This email from the History Trust education team covers news across our four museum sites; Migration Museum, National Motor Museum, South Australian Maritime Museum, and the Centre of Democracy.

Subscribe here.

You can also follow the History Trust and our museums on Facebook and Instagram, and join our private Facebook group, Learn with the History Trust.

• We continue to monitor, evaluate and adapt our education programs to fit government COVIDSafe guidelines and align with Department for Education recommendations, including staff and adults wearing masks when appropriate.
• Our hygiene program includes regular cleaning of exhibits and ‘touch points’ during the day and supply of hand sanitiser throughout the museum.
• 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.

In the instance that a facility has a confirmed case of COVID-19 or a confirmed close-contact among staff, students, residents, or team members which requires the facility be closed, the History Trust of South Australia and its museums will delay any bookings made by that facility for a minimum period of 14 days from the date that the case was identified. Should no further cases occur during this period the booking may be rescheduled, subject to availability. Any subsequent cases within that period will extend the period an additional 14 days, starting from the date of the last confirmed case or close contact.

• The period of 14 days in accordance with current understanding of the COVID-19 incubation period.
• No cancellation fees will be applied to any bookings cancelled or delayed due to circumstances relating to COVID-19 confirmed cases and all attempts will be made to reschedule within a reasonable timeframe.