South Australian Museum
The Basics
The South Australian Museum has 11 galleries, with exhibits titled Australian Aboriginal Cultures, Pacific Cultures, Megafauna, Ediacaran Fossils, South Australian Biodiversity, and Minerals and Meteorites. There is also a Discovery Center, where interactive exhibits include a microEye video microscope, a live bee hive, and expert talks. Explore the museum on a guided or self-guided tour.
Things to Know Before You Go
Entrance to the museum is free, but there is sometimes a charge for special events and temporary exhibits.
On-site facilities include restrooms, a cloakroom, a café, and a gift shop.
The museum is fully accessible for wheelchair users.
How to Get There
The South Australian Museum is located along the North Terrace in downtown Adelaide, next door to the Art Gallery of South Australia. It’s a short walk from the shopping boulevard of Rundle Mall, and the free City Loop bus 99C stops right outside.
Trip ideas
When to Get There
The museum is open daily, year-round. The quietest time to visit is on weekday mornings.
Exhibition Highlights
Marvel at the whale skeleton in the Whale and Dolphin Gallery; see a model of a 36-foot (11-meter) long Architeuthis dux squid; follow Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson in the Australian Polar Collection; and see fossils up to 550 million years old. In the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery, the collection includes ancient paintings, maps, boomerangs, and bark canoes, while the Pacific Cultures Gallery has weaponry, masks, and ritual objects.
- Things to do in South Australia
- Things to do in Ballarat
- Things to do in Melbourne
- Things to do in Yarra Valley
- Things to do in Victoria
- Things to do in Tasmania
- Things to do in New South Wales
- Things to do in Queensland
- Things to do in Northern Territory
- Things to do in Western Australia
- Things to do in South Island
- State Library of South Australia (SLSA)
- Art Gallery of South Australia
- Migration Museum
- Parliament House
- Rundle Mall
- Adelaide Zoo
- Adelaide Oval
- Victoria Square
- St. Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide
- National Wine Centre of Australia
- Adelaide Central Market
- Light's Vision
- Adelaide Gaol
- Haigh’s Chocolates Visitor Centre
- River Torrens Linear Park Trail