What is the Migration Museum in Adelaide?
The Migration Museum in Adelaide tells the stories of people who migrated to South Australia and of the Kaurna people, the land's Traditional Owners. Opened in 1986, it was one of the first museums of its kind in the world.
The museum is located on Kintore Avenue, behind the State Library, in a building that was once the Destitute Asylum, a home for poor and homeless people in colonial Adelaide.
Its galleries explore why people came to South Australia, from early British colonists and German settlers to post-war European migrants and more recent arrivals from Asia and Africa.
Community stories
The museum works closely with migrant communities, presenting exhibitions created with them. Objects, photographs and oral histories show the challenges and achievements of migrants.
A Memorial Wall honours groups who faced persecution in their homelands. The museum also explores the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal people.
It is part of History Trust of South Australia, which also manages the National Motor Museum and the South Australian Maritime Museum. Entry is free.
Did You Know?
South Australia's German migrants of the 1830s and 1840s helped found the Barossa Valley wine industry.