Museums of Port Adelaide
Explore the Aviation, Maritime and Railway Museums of Port Adelaide
If it is aircraft, railways or all things maritime that grabs your fancy, this tour is for you. Port Adelaide is often referred to as the museum capital of South Australia being home to the National Railway Museum, the South Australian Aviation Museum and the SA Maritime Museum, all surrounded by the heritage area of the wharfs and wool stores of the Port.
Highlights
Journey through the Streets of Adelaide and past the historic Adelaide Railway Station as we make our way towards the Adelaide Parklands and onward to Port Adelaide.
Take the opportunity to visit all three museums during the day, all located a short drive from each other. You can decide on the day to spend more time at two museums and missing out on the third or shortening the visit to the third museum to see more at the others...It is really up to you. We are flexible and happy to work in with what you want to experience.
Enjoy lunch at one of the many eateries, hotels or restaurants overlooking the Port River.
We will return to Adelaide following the coastline along from Semaphore to Glenelg, the birthplace of South Australia and terminus of the iconic Glenelg tram. Learn the history of Glenelg prior to heading back to Adelaide, or take the option to stay for dinner and enjoy sunset over the water and travel back to Adelaide on the tram.
Tour Details
Pricing
2 guests $ 235 pp
3 guests $ 205 pp
4 guests $ 165 pp
5 guests $ 140 pp
6 guests $ 125 pp
Tour code
RP08C
To make a booking for 1 person, please contact us via email here.
Departs
Daily on request
9:15 am
Adelaide hotel pickups from 9:00 am
Adelaide Cruise Ship Terminal from Outer Harbour
(Times may vary)
Returns
5:15 pm
What's included
Intimate, small group touring with no more than 6 guests*, morning pickup and post tour drop off from selected Adelaide Hotels, informative commentary by a local driver/ guide, bottled water.
Regions visited
Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Glenelg and Adelaide Coast from Semaphore
Notes
This tour is a private tour but can be conducted for groups larger than 6 people.
If you are representing a larger group, we can tailor an itinerary to suit your group size and budget. We can supply larger vehicles for groups with the following capacity:12, 20, 24 and 50 guests. Please contact us for more information.
Other pickup locations away from Adelaide City and Outer Harbour CruiseShip Terminal may incur additional fees.
Guests are required to purchase their own tickets into the museums and also their own lunch. Guests can receive 25% discounted entrance fees into the second and third museums after visiting the first museum and collecting a stamp for their additional entrance discounts.
Adult, concession and child entrance fees are applicable at all museums.
There are many different eateries and lunch options at different budgets in the Port Adelaide area. Please ask us for more information.
A surcharge may apply on public holidays and Sundays dependant on the size of the group travelling.
Museums of Port Adelaide
What to Bring
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Comfortable walking shoes
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sunglasses
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hat
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camera
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warm/ wet weather clothing through the cooler months of the year.
Our other tours you may like
Information about the Museums
National Railway Museum
Take a journey into railway history at Australia’s largest undercover railway museum.
Step up into the cabs of giant steam engines, walk through elegant carriages and enjoy free train rides. There are plenty of interactive and educational displays, including the iconic Tea and Sugar train that ploughed its way across the Nullarbor for decades.
You’ll find over 100 exhibits; so much more than just trains including a signal cabin, locomotive number and name plates, a ticket printing press, even a coffin trolley!
Make sure you check out the railway books, DVDs and souvenirs at the Break of Gauge shop.
The National Railway Museum also runs the Semaphore to Fort Glanville Tourist Railway, a delightful seaside train ride operated by the National Railway Museum.
A full list of the railway museum's collection can be discovered here.
The museum also conducts special events and driver experiences throughout the year. More information on their events can be found here.
South Australian Aviation Museum
This is your opportunity to not just look at, but also sit inside some of Australia’s finest heritage aircraft.
The South Australian Aviation Museum (SAAM) displays aircraft and aircraft engines of relevance to the State of South Australia and aviation Nationally.
The flight simulator, Pilot Tester, air traffic control station, engines, propellers, gun turret, and Woomera rocket display are all sure to entertain and educate.
Special exhibits cover the history of aviation in South Australia dating back to 1910, the Australian Women Pilots’ Association and more.
Did you know the museum’s major acquisition in 2022 included a F/A-18 Hornet?
You can also view a F-111 which is also on display in one of the museum's hangars.
A full list of the museum collection can be found here.
SA Maritime Museum
Come and see the oldest nautical collection in the country, started way back in 1872.
Climb aboard the ketch Active II, lie down in the cramped sleeping quarters endured by sailors of yesteryear, or research your ancestors on the passenger databases which date back to 1836. Explore interactive exhibits over three floors of an 1850s bond store.
Nautical instruments, bathing costumes, shipwreck artefacts, paintings, model ships, photographs and more, including the largest collection of ships’ figureheads in the southern hemisphere.
There's also a fun new way to explore Port Adelaide’s colonial history with “Living in the Port” - the South Australian Maritime Museum’s exciting new, free walking tour app of the Port’s historic precinct. Not just another suburb, Port Adelaide is a place with a distinct history, character and community.
You can also take a cruise along the Port River on the SA Maritime Museum historic vessel Archie Badenoch. Archie was operated by the South Australian Police as the number 1 Water Police Launch until 1978.
*The Archie's Port River Cruise will take approximately 1 hour with stops along the way at many of the historical areas and points of interest along the Port River.
This cruise operates on specific days throughout the year. Please make contact with us to find out more information including the days of the year the cruise is available.