List of museums in South Australia facts for kids
South Australia is home to many amazing museums! These special places collect and look after all sorts of interesting things, like old objects, artworks, scientific discoveries, and historical items. They let you explore and learn about the past, different cultures, and even the future. From ancient prisons to toy collections and giant trains, there's a museum for everyone to enjoy.
Contents
- Cool Museums to Explore in South Australia
- Step Back in Time at Adelaide Gaol
- See a House Made of Bottles at Andamooka
- Discover Old Toys at the Australian Museum of Childhood
- Explore the Barbed Wire Pub and Museum
- See Amazing Cars at the National Motor Museum
- Ride the Rails at the National Railway Museum
- Dig into History at the Old Timers Mine and Museum
- Soar High at the South Australian Aviation Museum
- Meet Marine Life at the South Australian Whale Centre
- Discover Puppets at the Sansouci Puppet Museum and Gallery
- More Museums to Visit in South Australia
- See also
Cool Museums to Explore in South Australia
South Australia has a fantastic range of museums. Here are some of the most exciting ones you might want to visit:
Step Back in Time at Adelaide Gaol
The Adelaide Gaol in Thebarton is a preserved historic prison. It's a fascinating place where you can learn what life was like for prisoners long ago. You can explore the old cells and imagine the stories within its walls.
See a House Made of Bottles at Andamooka
The Andamooka Dukes Bottlehouse Museum is super unique! Located in Andamooka, this museum is actually built from discarded beer bottles. Inside, you can discover the history of opal mining in the area.
Discover Old Toys at the Australian Museum of Childhood
If you love toys, you'll enjoy the Australian Museum of Childhood in Port Adelaide. This museum has a collection of Australian-made toys that date all the way back to the 1890s. It's a fun way to see how toys have changed over time!
Explore the Barbed Wire Pub and Museum
In Spalding, you'll find the Barbed Wire Pub and Museum. This unusual museum features more than 500 different examples of barbed wire! It's a surprising look at a common, but important, invention.
See Amazing Cars at the National Motor Museum
The National Motor Museum in Birdwood is a must-see for car lovers. It has a huge collection of awesome automobiles, motorcycles, and even model cars. You can see how vehicles have evolved over the years.
Ride the Rails at the National Railway Museum
All aboard for the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide! This museum is home to many locomotives, old train cars, and historic railway buildings. You can even ride on some of the trains!
Dig into History at the Old Timers Mine and Museum
In Coober Pedy, the Old Timers Mine and Museum lets you explore the world of opal mining. You can go underground and see how miners used to search for these beautiful gemstones.
Soar High at the South Australian Aviation Museum
The South Australian Aviation Museum in Port Adelaide displays aircraft and aircraft engines that are important to South Australia's history. It's a great place to learn about planes and the people who flew them.
Meet Marine Life at the South Australian Whale Centre
The South Australian Whale Centre in Victor Harbor is all about whales and other marine animals that live in the region. It's a fantastic place to learn about ocean life and conservation.
Discover Puppets at the Sansouci Puppet Museum and Gallery
The Sansouci Puppet Museum and Gallery in Wilmington is a magical place filled with puppets, marionettes, and ventriloquist dolls. It's a unique museum that celebrates the art of puppetry.
More Museums to Visit in South Australia
Here is a list of other interesting museums across South Australia:
Name | Location | What You'll Find |
---|---|---|
Adelaide Lithuanian Museum | Norwood | Learn about Lithuanian life and culture. |
Architecture Museum | Adelaide | Documents and history of architecture in South Australia. |
Ardrossan Historical Museum | Ardrossan | Local history, including farm machinery like the stump-jump plough. |
Army Museum of South Australia | Keswick | Military history and artifacts, located at Keswick Barracks. |
Art Gallery of South Australia | Adelaide | Australia's largest state art collection. |
Arts Centre, Port Noarlunga | Port Noarlunga | A local art centre. |
Austbuilt Maritime Museum | Peterhead | Maritime history, operated by the Port Adelaide Historical Society. |
Axel Stenross Maritime Museum | Port Lincoln | Boats, boat building, and local maritime heritage. |
Ayers House (Adelaide) | Adelaide | A 19th-century mansion with old costumes, silverware, and furniture. |
Balaklava Museum | Balaklava | Local history of the Balaklava area. |
Barossa Museum | Tanunda | Local history of the Barossa Valley, including German heritage. |
Barossa Regional Gallery | Tanunda | Art gallery in the Barossa Valley. |
Bay Discovery Centre | Glenelg | Cultural heritage of South Australia, history, and art. |
Beachport Old Wool and Grain Store Museum | Beachport | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Bon Accord Mining Museum | Burra | Mining history, operated by the National Trust. |
Booleroo Steam & Traction Preservation Society Museum | Booleroo Centre | Steam tractors and old agriculture equipment. |
Bourne's Bird Museum | Naracoorte | Mounted birds, nests, and mammals. |
Brinkworth Historical Reserve Museum | Brinkworth | Local history of Brinkworth. |
Bublacowie Military Museum | Between Minlaton and Yorketown | Military history displays. |
Burra Regional Art Gallery | Burra | Art gallery in Burra. |
Cape Jaffa Lighthouse | Kingston SE | A furnished lighthouse you can climb, operated by the National Trust. |
Captain's Cottage Museum | Murray Bridge | Historic house museum. |
Carrick Hill | Springfield | A mid-20th century mansion with art and antiques. |
The Cedars (Australia) | Hahndorf | House and studio of famous landscape artist Hans Heysen. |
Ceduna School House Museum | Ceduna | History of education, operated by the National Trust. |
Charles Sturt Museum | Grange | The home of explorer Charles Sturt. |
Chas Roe Electronics Museum | Wallaroo | Electrical devices like telegraphs, radios, TVs, and computers. |
Clare Police Station and Courthouse | Jamestown | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Classic Jets Fighter Museum | Parafield | A museum dedicated to classic fighter jets. |
Clayton Farm Heritage Museum | Bordertown | A late 19th-century farmstead with old farm machinery. |
Cobdogla Irrigation Museum | Cobdogla | Steam pumps, locomotives, and irrigation equipment, operated by the National Trust. |
Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia | Adelaide | Features contemporary art. |
Crystal Brook Heritage Centre | Crystal Brook | Local history of Crystal Brook. |
Dingley Dell | Port MacDonnell | The home of poet Adam Lindsay Gordon. |
Edithburgh Museum | Edithburgh | Local history of Edithburgh. |
Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia Museum | Mile End | Embroidered, beaded, patchwork, and lace pieces. |
Encounter Coast Discovery Centre | Victor Harbor | Local history, located in a former Customs house. |
Enfield Heritage Museum | Regency Park | Shows town and country life in South Australia from the 1880s. |
Eudunda Family Heritage Gallery | Eudunda | Local history of Eudunda. |
Excell Blacksmith and Engineering Workshop Museum | Tumby Bay | History of blacksmithing and engineering. |
Farm Shed Museum | Kadina | Farm machinery and the role of women on farms, operated by the National Trust. |
Fayes Underground Home | Coober Pedy | A furnished dugout home, showing how people live underground. |
Flinders University Museum of Art | Adelaide | Part of Flinders University, featuring art. |
Fort Glanville Conservation Park | Semaphore South | A 19th-century fort. |
Fred Teague's Museum | Hawker | Gemstones, minerals, fossils, and antique bottles. |
Friedensberg Historic German School Museum | Springton | A historic German school museum. |
Gamble Cottage | Blackwood | A historic house operated by the National Trust. |
Gawler Old Telegraph Station Museum | Gawler | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Glencoe Woolshed | Glencoe | A 19th-century woolshed, operated by the National Trust. |
Goolwa Motor Museum | Goolwa | A collection of vintage and classic cars. |
Goolwa Museum | Goolwa | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Greenock Aviation Museum | Greenock | Preserved and replica aircraft, models, and aviation items. |
Hahndorf Academy | Hahndorf | Regional art gallery, local history, and German migration. |
Hindmarsh Fire & Folk Museum | Hindmarsh | Firefighting equipment, clothing, and vehicles. |
Holdfast Bay History Centre | Brighton | Local history of the Holdfast Bay area. |
Hope Cottage Museum | Kingscote | A mid-19th century cottage with local history displays, operated by the National Trust. |
Jamestown Railway Station and Goods Shed Museum | Jamestown | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Jill and Vic Fauser's Private Museum | Port Neill | Stationary engines, a blacksmith shop, shells, and historic household items. |
Kapunda Community Gallery | Kapunda | An art gallery in Kapunda. |
Kapunda Museum | Kapunda | Local history of Kapunda. |
Kerry Packer Civic Gallery | Adelaide | Part of the University of South Australia, featuring art. |
Kimba Historical Museum | Kimba | An open-air museum with historical displays. |
Kingston Historic House | Kingston Park | The mid-19th century home of George Strickland Kingston. |
Kingston National Trust Museum | Kingston SE | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Koppio Smithy Museum | Koppio | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Lobethal Archives and Historical Museum | Lobethal | German and English pioneer heritage. |
Lochend | Cambelltown | The mid-19th century home of Campbelltown's founder. |
Louise Flierl Mission Museum | Hahndorf | History of the Lutheran Church's mission work. |
Loxton Historical Village | Loxton | An open-air village with old shops, a bank, a school, and more. |
Lucindale Agricultural and Folk Museum | Lucindale | Local history, operated by the Lucindale Historical Society. |
Mallala Museum | Mallala | Local history of Mallala. |
Mallee Tourist and Heritage Centre | Pinnaroo | Dryland farming, farm machinery, and printing history. |
Malowen Lowarth Cottage | Burra | A mid-19th century stone cottage, operated by the National Trust. |
Mannum Dock Museum Of River History | Mannum | River history, including a paddle steamer and local exhibits. |
Market Square Museum | Burra | A late 19th-century general store and shopkeeper's residence. |
Martindale Hall | Mintaro | A historic house owned by the University of Adelaide. |
Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre | Penola | Based on the life and achievements of Mary MacKillop. |
Mary MacKillop Museum Adelaide | Kensington | Life and work of Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph. |
Melrose Courthouse Heritage Centre | Melrose | Local history of Melrose. |
Meningie Cheese Factory Museum | Meningie | Local history, possibly related to cheese making. |
Migration Museum, Adelaide | Adelaide | History of immigration and settlement in South Australia. |
Milang Historic Railway Museum | Milang | Displays about South Australian railways. |
Mill Cottage Museum | Port Lincoln | A historic house museum. |
Millicent Living History Museum | Millicent | Local history of Millicent. |
Millicent Museum | Millicent | Restored buggies, carriages, and machinery, operated by the National Trust. |
Minlaton Museum | Minlaton | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
MOD. Museum | Adelaide | A museum about the future, located at the University of South Australia. |
Moonta Mining Museum | Moonta | Life of copper miners, operated by the National Trust. |
Moonta Wheal Hughes Copper Mine | Moonta | A tour of a former copper mine, operated by the National Trust. |
Morgan Museum | Morgan | Farming, riverboat trade, and the pumping station for the Morgan to Whyalla pipeline. |
Morphetts Enginehouse Museum | Burra | A restored mining engine house. |
Mount Dutton Bay Woolshed | Wangary | Shearing, farming, and fishing tools. |
Mount Gambier Courthouse Museum | Mount Gambier | Law enforcement history, operated by the National Trust. |
Mount Laura Homestead Museum | Whyalla | An early 20th-century homestead, telecommunications museum, operated by the National Trust. |
Murray Bridge Regional Gallery | Murray Bridge | An art gallery in Murray Bridge. |
Museum of Classical Archaeology, Adelaide | Adelaide | Archaeology of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria, part of the University of Adelaide. |
Nangwarry Forestry & Logging Museum | Nangwarry | History of forestry and logging. |
Naracoorte Art Gallery | Naracoorte | Traditional and contemporary visual arts. |
Naracoorte Caves National Park | Naracoorte | Fossils found in the caves are on display. |
National Military Vehicle Museum | Salisbury | Trucks, tanks, uniforms, and artillery. |
National Trust Agricultural and Folk Museum | Cleve | Agriculture, operated by the National Trust. |
Old Government House, South Australia | Belair National Park | Former summer residence of the Governors of South Australia. |
Olivewood | Renmark | An 1880s period house with an orangery and olive trees, operated by the National Trust. |
Onkaparinga Woollen Mill Museum | Lobethal | History of the Onkaparinga Woollen Mill. |
Parndana Soldier Settlement Museum | Parndana | History of the soldier settlement scheme after World War II. |
Penneshaw Maritime and Folk Museum | Penneshaw | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Peterborough Motorcycle and Antique Museum | Peterborough | Rare and interesting motorcycles and artifacts. |
Polish Hill River Church Museum | Sevenhill | The contribution of Polish migrants to South Australia. |
Port Elliot National Trust Historic Railway and Seaport Centre | Port Elliot | Railway history, operated by the National Trust. |
Port Lincoln Railway Museum | Port Lincoln | Railway history of Port Lincoln. |
Port MacDonnell and District Museum | Port MacDonnell | Local history of Port MacDonnell. |
Port Milang Museum | Milang | Local history of Port Milang. |
Port Pirie Historic and Folk Museum | Port Pirie | Mining history, operated by the National Trust. |
Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery | Port Pirie | An art gallery in Port Pirie. |
Port Pirie RSL & Military Museum | Port Pirie | Military history in Port Pirie. |
Port Victoria Maritime Museum | Minlaton | Sailing ships, crews, and shipwrecks. |
Prospect Hill Historical Museum | Meadows | Local history of Prospect Hill. |
Radium Hill Museum | Olary | History of the Radium Hill uranium mine. |
Ray Robinson Memorial Military Museum | Kadina | Military history. |
Redruth Gaol | Burra | A mid-19th century prison, operated by the National Trust. |
Riddoch Art Gallery | Mount Gambier | An art gallery in Mount Gambier. |
River Dolls of Goolwa | Goolwa | Dolls, bears, and toys from the 20th century. |
R.M. Williams Outback Heritage Museum | Prospect | The life of R. M. Williams and his company's products. |
Robe Customs House | Robe | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Roseworthy Agricultural Museum | Roseworthy | History and development of agricultural machinery. |
The Round House | Murray Bridge | A homestead museum documenting the early development of Murray Bridge. |
Ruston's Classic Car Museum | Renmark | Vintage and historic racing cars. |
Samstag Museum of Art | Adelaide | Contemporary art, part of the University of South Australia. |
Santos Museum of Economic Botany | Adelaide | Botanical specimens and art, part of Adelaide Botanic Garden. |
Sheep's Back Museum | Naracoorte | Sheep raising and the wool industry, operated by the National Trust. |
South Australian Maritime Museum | Port Adelaide | Immigration to South Australia, maritime history, and historic ships. |
South Australian Museum | Adelaide | A natural history museum and research institution. |
South Australia Police Historical Society | Thebarton | History of the South Australia Police and law enforcement. |
South Coast Regional Arts Centre | Goolwa | An art centre in Goolwa. |
Stangate House and Garden | Aldgate | A 1940s house with camellia gardens, operated by the National Trust. |
Stansbury Museum | Stansbury | 1910 period rooms, clothing, gemstones, and dolls. |
SteamRanger | Adelaide Hills | A heritage railway using broad gauge steam locomotives. |
Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre | Peterborough | A railway heritage centre. |
Strathalbyn and District Heritage Centre | Strathalbyn | A 19th-century police station and courthouse with Victorian rooms. |
Streaky Bay Museum | Streaky Bay | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
St John Ambulance Historical Society of South Australia | Unley | History of St John Ambulance in South Australia. |
Swan Reach Museum | Swan Reach | Local history of Swan Reach. |
Tailem Rail Museum | Tailem Bend | Railway history. |
Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum | Tea Tree Gully | Lifestyles of residents from the 1850s to 1950s, operated by the National Trust. |
Tate Museum | Adelaide | A large collection of geological and paleontological samples. |
Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute | Adelaide | Specialises in Indigenous Australian art, music, and storytelling. |
Terowie Pioneer Gallery and Museums | Terowie | Local history. |
Tramway Museum, St Kilda | St Kilda | A large collection of trams, some of which carry visitors. |
Tumby Bay Branch Museum | Tumby Bay | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Ukrainian Museum (Australia) | Hindmarsh | Ukrainian history and artisan traditions. |
Uleybury School Museum | One Tree Hill | History of education. |
Umoona Opal Mine and Museum | Coober Pedy | Opal mining, fossils, Aboriginal heritage, and dugout homes. |
Unley Museum | Unley | Local history of Unley. |
Urlwin Park Agricultural Museum | Balaklava | Farm tractors, equipment, tools, and vehicles. |
Urrbrae House | Urrbrae | A late 19th-century mansion, operated by the University of Adelaide. |
Wallaroo Heritage and Nautical Museum | Wallaroo | Local and nautical history, operated by the National Trust. |
Willunga Courthouse Museum | Willunga | A courthouse complex with cells and a police residence, operated by the National Trust. |
Willunga Slate Museum | Willunga | History of area slate mining, located in the Courthouse Museum stables. |
Winn's Bakehouse | Coromandel Valley | Local history, operated by the National Trust. |
Whyalla Maritime Museum | Whyalla | Includes the landlocked ship HMAS Whyalla, a museum ship. |
Yankalilla District Historical Museum | Yankalilla | Local history of Yankalilla. |