Major military vehicles collection by volunteer owners in museum at the defence precinct north of Adelaide

National Military Vehicle Museum's huge collection ranges from tanks and half-track vehicles, through to armoured cars, trucks, scout cars, a hovercraft, a former US Army Willys Jeep, and other special-purpose military hardware.
Image courtesy National Military Vehicle Museum

A rare World War II gun tractor made in Adelaide by Holden’s rounded off the vehicle collection of the National Military Vehicle Museum in the northern Adelaide suburb of Edinburgh Parks.

Holden's connection with the war effort was preserved at the museum with vehicle exhibits kept in working order and driven in events such as the Anzac Day parade. The museum, in part of the World War II Salisbury explosives factory at Edinburgh Park in the defence industry precinct, was used for top secret military projects including assembling Blue Steel missiles in the 1950s to servicing Rapier missiles in the 1980s.

The National Military Vehicle Museum, operated on by volunteer members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Society of South Australia, one of many military vehicle clubs across Australia and throughout the world.

Originally opened in 1993 at the old Messenger Press building at Port Adelaide, the museum had vehicles mostly privately owned by society members with members responsible for their own vehicles. The vehicles were rebuilt to authentic running condition with most road registered and driven regularly. Military vehicles and items ranged from the World War I to the 21st Century.

The huge collection of military vehicles ranges from tanks and half-track vehicles, through to armoured cars, trucks, scout cars, a hovercraft, a former US Army Willys Jeep, and other special-purpose items of military hardware. All of the military vehicles on display have interpretive signs to explain their origin and role.

The museum also had insights such as the electronics inside a mobile radar unit, on loan from the defence science and technology organisation (DSTO); a big floodlight used to illuminate an airfield, and a top secret chart from the Maralinga village used for the atomic bomb tests. There are several dioramas depicting full size wartime scenes, such as a field hospital with nurses and patient, and a camp kitchen with cook and associated militaria.