Enjoy a Tour of the Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide

Do you love maritime history? and do you have ancestors that came out to Adelaide after 1864? Chances are they came out on the Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide, and you can see how they travelled by taking a guided tour onboard her.

Hear the stories of how they lived on the 3-month voyage to the other side of the world, and imagine taking the journey back then.

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History of The Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide.

The City of Adelaide is the oldest Clipper Ship in the world and is an older sister to the Cutty Sark, which is moored in London.

She was built in 1864 in Sunderland, UK and was a fast Clipper Ship, taking 3 months to reach Adelaide, South Australia from London.

Approximately 250,000 Australians can trace their ancestors back to arriving in Adelaide on the City of Adelaide between 1864 -1887. If you think your ancestors might have made the trip, you can search the passenger lists here.

The Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide has had a varied life from an early age. From bringing emigrants out to South Australia to returning to the UK with a cargo of copper and wool from Port Augusta, was just the start of her adventures.

After steamships came in, the City of Adelaide retired from carrying emigrants, but her life wasn’t over yet.

New Life

Sold in 1887 she then used to transport coal between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Dover. In 1888 she was sold again to begin her life transporting timber between Canada and Ireland.

In 1893 her life on the high seas was over. After a few months of rest in Glasgow, the City of Adelaide was purchased and remodelled as a hospital ship off Southampton.

Outbreaks of smallpox, typhoid scarlet fever and cholera in Europe, meant patients could be quarantined away from the population.

Before she came down from Glasgow, masts, sails, riggs etc. were auctioned off to offset the purchase. It wasn’t as though she would need them anymore, but she would have to be towed everywhere from now on.

Only one mast remained, which became a large table in the nurse’s duty room. If you’ve noticed the square windows on the sides of the ship, they were added at this time as well, to allow in more light.

During her time as a hospital isolation ship, she had 392 patients, 165 with smallpox, 178 with scarlet fever and one with the plague. No one had cholera.

Military Service

Military life, a new name, HMS Carrick, and back to Glasgow from 1923 to 1948. This time she was a training ship for the Navy.

From 1948-1990 she was used as a floating clubhouse for officers and as she was decommissioned, only known as Carrick. This was her saving grace as she was scheduled to be broken up.

By the mid-80s, the cost to keep her running was becoming too much, and while looking for new owners, fate took over. In 1989, a very low tide caused her deck to be caught under the wharf, and she was flooded. Although tragic, it would not be her last sinking, as there was another in 1991.

Restoration Rescue

Although restoration work was the plan by the Scottish Maritime Museum, there just weren’t enough funds to bring her back to her former glory.

On the positive side, South Australia wanted her ship back and raised the funds to get her where she belonged.

You will see the process of bringing back the City of Adelaide in the displayed photos, the work involved, and how she was transported to her old home.

Prince Philip formally renamed the Carrick back to the City of Adelaide at a ceremony in London, alongside her younger sister the Cutty Sark.

On the Guided Tour of the Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide

I had John as my guide, and I couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide. We had a tour for a couple of hours, where I learnt so much about the ship, her adventures, the passengers on board and how they lived.

The first part of the tour is around the outside of the ship. Here we can see the City of Adelaide up close and what she is made of.

Inside Tour of the Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide

Up the stairs, and into what would have been the 2nd class area. The deck was broken up into single males up front, families in the middle and single women in the back of the ship.

The emigrants’ booklet, Female area of the 2nd class deck and excerpts from diaries made onboard.

Livestock was kept on the deck above the 2nd class deck up front, and first class was up the back above the 2nd class. It is currently being renovated back to its former glory.

One of the incredible stories was when The City of Adelaide, lost a rudder. 80 miles due south of Kangaroo Island during heavy seas and a storm after leaving Port Augusta with copper cargo.

Under those circumstances, Captain Alston and the crew used heavy chains and trimmed sails as a way to slowly steer the ship back over 200 miles, to Adelaide.

Seven days after the storm, the City of Adelaide made it to Semaphore. She was towed to the port, repaired with a replacement rudder, and then continued the journey to the UK.

Model Ships

Afterwards, make your way back to another container, and you can look at the many model ships that were handcrafted by one person, Willie Pfeil. Entry is free and well worth the look to see the workmanship that has gone into them.

As a matter of fact, there is everything from Viking and Roman ships to more modern ships.

How To Get Here

The Clipper Ship, the City of Adelaide is located at Dock 2 on Honey Street in Port Adelaide.

By car is the best way of getting here and there is plenty of parking.

You can catch the train where there is a station in Port Adelaide. It’s then a 3 km or 40-minute walk to Dock 2. They may even give you a lift back to the train station after your tour.

Hours

The Clipper Ship is open daily including public holidays 10 am – 3 pm weather permitting.

Last entry 2.30 pm.

If the temperature is forecasted to be 36°+, she will be closed.

Please check their website or Facebook page for any changes.

During the first half of May 2023, the Clipper Ship, the City of Adelaide will be moving onto land. There won’t be any internal ship tours between 8-12 May due to the stairs being relocated.

Tours should be operational again from the 13th of May.

Prices

• Adults $20
• Couple $30
• Under 16 years free.

Adults with young children are responsible for their supervision, ensuring their safety, and for the comfort of other visitors.

There is no charge for the model ship Gallery at Info Centre.

Bookings are not required but can be made, especially for large groups.

Conclusion

Visiting the Clipper Ship, the “City of Adelaide” is a must-do when you’re in Adelaide. The history lesson alone was not only informative but painted a picture of what life was like emigrating on these ships to lands unknown on the other side of the world.

My ancestors, like so many other British and European descendants, would have come out on ships like this. Earlier emigrant ships made an even longer voyage. By visiting, you get a glimpse into the past, and what conditions would have been like for them.

Finally, I can’t recommend visiting the Clipper Ship, the “City of Adelaide” enough. Thanks for a great day to Peter and John, and to all the other wonderful volunteers that keep the “City of Adelaide” alive.

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Disclaimer: I was a guest of The Clipper Ship, The City of Adelaide. I was not asked to write a positive review; opinions are mine from visiting this attraction. 

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