6 December 1986       Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide was opened by the Prime Minister, Robert (Bob) Hawke, on 6 December 1986. The museum, in the old Bond store in Lipson Street, which houses the largest maritime collection in Australia, is part of the Port Adelaide Heritage Area which was declared in 1982. The area also included a Chandlers Store, Sail makers loft, Court House and Customs House. The museum features a collection of figureheads from old sailing ships and a full size replica of the ketch Active in dry dock. Amongst the most interesting of the exhibits are three re-created cabins from the 1840, 1910 and 1950 eras which give the visitor a real feeling of life on board ship. As well as the many other artifacts within the museum building there are a number of outside attractions including the old Port Adelaide lighthouse, built in Birmingham in the 1860s and placed strategically at the end of Commercial Road, and the steam tug Yelta and SS Nelcebee, are tied up in the river nearby. In 1988 the Museum shared the honour with the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney of being declared the best museum in Australia.   

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