Maritime Museum

HMAS Whyalla

Established in 1988, Whyalla Maritime Museum collects, researches, preserves and exhibits artifacts on World War Two Naval History, BHP Shipbuilding, Early Maritime Heritage, Natural History of Northern Spencer Gulf and Aboriginal History. The major museum vessel, HMAS Whyalla, constructed in 1941, is the first modern warship built in South Australia and the largest land locked museum ship on display in Australia.

The Whyalla Maritime Museum has now an independent website please click here

Whyalla Maritime Museum is proudly affiliated with Museums Australia, Australian Maritime Museums Council, Australian Naval Historical Society and American Historic Naval Ships Association.

Opening Times	Ship Tour Times
Museum Hours: 10am - 4pm, 7 days per week. Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day.	April to October: 10am, 11am, noon, 1pm & 2pm. November to March: 11am, noon, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm.
(NB Access to the ship is by guided tour only.)	(NB at times access to the ship may be modified or restricted due to extreme weather conditions)
Cost	Contact Details
Adult $10.00; Pensioner $8.00; Child $5.00; Family $25.00 (2 adults & 2 children, extra children $4.00 each). All prices GST inclusive.	Curator: Paul Mazourek Whyalla Maritime Museum Lincoln Highway, Whyalla 5600, South Australia Ph: (08) 8645 8900 Fax: (08) 8645 3620 Email: paul.mazourek@whyalla.sa.gov.au Website: www.maritime.org/hnsa-whyalla.htm

Displays at the Maritime Museum

World War Two Gallery
BHP Shipbuilding Gallery
Northern Spencer Gulf Gallery
Singing to the Sharks, Indigenous People of Whyalla and their Connection with the Sea
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates). Common in the Whyalla area, often observed close to the shore.
White shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Common in the Whyalla area. There were 47 sightings of White sharks in the Whyalla waters between 2005 and 2008.
Ancient aboriginal tribes performed a unique ceremony of singing to the sharks on the Whyalla shores. The indigenous people inhabited the area for at least 6,000 years.
Builders' model of HMAS Whyalla, the first ship to be constructed in Whyalla in 1941. A total of 66 vessels (warships, carriers, tankers, ferries, container ships, barges and drilling barges) were built in the BHP shipyards until 1978.
Models of the Japanese naval fleet that were actually used for planning at Yokosukanaval base during World War Two. Each ship has its name written on the bottom in Japanese.
Whyalla Maritime Museum is a home to one of the largest HO scale model railways in Australia.
The museum complex is surrounded by native Australian plants garden with a number of outdoor historic objects on display.