Fossils, sea monsters, a mummy—this guide to the South Australian Museum uncovers all it has to offer!
- Things to Know
- How to Get to the South Australian Museum
- Where to Eat
- Museum Cafe
- Exhibits and Collections to See
- World Mammals Gallery
- South Australian Biodiversity Gallery
- Pacific Cultures Gallery
- Opal Fossils Gallery
- Minerals Gallery
- Meteorites Gallery
- Megafauna Gallery
- Giant Squid
- Ediacara Fossils Gallery
- Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery
- Ancient Egypt Gallery
As a natural history and research hub, the South Australian Museum is jampacked with enough jaw-droppers and creepy crawlies to give you thrills—or chills, depending on your vibe. For us, it’s a bit of both.
We stopped by last month, and the trip was certainly far from dull, with permanent galleries displaying otherworldly meteorites, fossilized giants, and even a mummy resting inside a drop-dead gorgeous sarcophagus.
Think that’s impressive? Ha! Our team has witnessed more mind-blowing displays in the museum—and you’ll unearth them all in the guide below!
Things to Know
Address: North Terrace
Contact Details: (08) 8207 7500
Operating Hours: Daily – 10 am to 5 pm
How to Get to the South Australian Museum
By Bus: Several buses pass near the museum, like J2, 265W, and 273. The closest stops are Stop G2 Grenfell ST, A3 King William Rd, and Stop 1 Frome Rd.
By Car: There are multiple parking spaces near the museum, particularly the one on Kintore Avenue and the Wilson car park.
By Taxi: You can reach the museum via taxi companies like Suburban Taxi and Adelaide Independent Taxis. The fare depends on the time of the day.
| Tariff 1 – 6 am to 5:59 pm | |||
| Flagfall | Distance Rate | Booking Fee | Waiting Time |
| $3.70 | 1.87/km | Free | $39.30/hr |
| Tariff 2 – 6 pm to 5:59 am (including all day Saturday and Sunday) | |||
| Flagfall | Distance Rate | Booking Fee | Waiting Time |
| $4.90 | 2.16/km | $1.80 | $39.30/hr |
Where to Eat
Museum Cafe
From southaustralianmuseum
Contact Details: (08) 8207 7332
Operating Hours: Daily – 10 am to 4 pm
Think of the Museum Cafe as a tasting gallery, one that features creative dishes made from local treasures rather than relics from millennia gone by.
Early museum-goers love their toasted sourdough with smashed avo, a crunchy and creamy bite that’s perfect for fueling up in the morning. However, we prefer the smoky bacon and egg brioche, as its bolder flavors pair better with the robust coffee here.
Exhibits and Collections to See
World Mammals Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
You’d be hard-pressed to find an Adelaidean family that hasn’t swung by the World Mammals Gallery. With its wild displays of giant bones and prime location on the ground floor, it’s the first thing that catches the eye—and imagination.
The gallery is separated by several geographic regions of the Americas, Eurasia, Tropical Asia, and Africa, each flaunting its local wildlife, from tigers to bears.
One of the standouts is Miss Siam, a 100-year-old specimen of an Indian elephant. Once the Adelaide Zoo’s star attraction, Miss Siam’s skeleton now keeps kids interested in the great mammal kingdom.
South Australian Biodiversity Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
Whether you’re looking for fossilized sea giants or models of resilient desert dwellers, the South Australia Biodiversity Gallery is your all-in-one stop for all things wild and wonderful.
We hit up this section next, and let’s just say, the 12,000 models and taxidermy didn’t bore us to tears. The high-tech displays also made learning about local wildlife a breeze—just point, click, and boom, we’re all mini-experts on how these animals lived and fed.
Also, the gallery is packed with virtual tips on how to save South Australia’s natural treasures without leaving your home. This feature is perfect for sneaking in a little education for the kids, without them yawning and zoning out.
Pacific Cultures Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
The Pacific Cultures Gallery had us wandering through its halls like excited archaeologists on a dig, with over 3,000 artifacts to check, ranging from intricately carved shields to deadly spears.
This gallery is also Australia’s largest showcase of Pacific relics, so the wonders don’t just end with weapons. For instance, we stumbled upon a trove of masks, ritual items, and even utensils from places like Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Fiji.
Not only does the gallery boast an incredible collection, but its architecture is also a feast for the eyes. It flaunts a well-preserved, 19th-century design and striking Victorian lantern ceiling—a room as beautiful as the treasures it keeps.
Opal Fossils Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
Glitzy monsters—that’s basically the essence of the Opal Fossils Gallery. For clarity’s sake, the collection here consists of opalized fossils, one that can put your local gem store or antique shop to shame.
The crown jewel of the gallery is the Addyman Plesiosaur’s opalized skeleton. This awe-inspiring, 6-meter-long specimen was unearthed in 1969 from one of Andamooka’s mines, and it’s considered the best-opalized fossil in the entire world.
To top it off, the gallery has opalized shells lounging on a prehistoric seabed, fossils from Coober Pedy‘s moon plain, and Australia’s biggest ammonite, which was hilariously confused for a truck tire when it first rolled in.
Minerals Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
On the topic of shiny treasures, the Minerals Gallery has a plethora of those. Specifically, this spot has over 35,000 specimens—the largest mineral collection in Australia that’s still growing as you’re reading this.
You’ll find minerals of different colors, sizes, and shapes, but amid the kaleidoscopic colors, it’s the Fire of Australia that stole our attention. With its deep green, fiery yellow, and dark red hues, this gem never fails to strike wonder.
The dazzling 998-gram mineral, discovered in 1946 by Water Bartman, also holds the crown as the Earth’s finest uncut opal. This extraordinary quality combined with its other regal features resulted in a staggering value of over $9,000,000.
Meteorites Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
Since the Yardea meteorite crash-landed in the Gawler Ranges back in 1875, South Australia has been rolling out the cosmic red carpet. This museum’s Meteorites Gallery is living proof.
The cosmic display here rocked our world, showcasing actual meteorites that made it past their explosive entries. And the best part? We got to touch them, and you can too!
When it comes to highlights, though, the Shergotty, Nakhla, and Murchison are the stars of the show. The first two are Martian meteorites, while the last is famed for its acid-bearing quality.
Megafauna Gallery
From josephiliadis
True to its name, this gallery showcases some seriously hefty animals—birds, reptiles, mammals, you get the picture. Fossils are the main draw, but the models shouldn’t be overlooked, too.
However, the must-see giants are the Procoptodon and Wonambi; the former was a gigantic kangaroo while the latter was a six-meter-long snake. The Genyornis also deserves your curiosity and attention, as it was a hulking version of an emu.
Oh, and you can’t leave without checking out the Procoptodon and Wonambi. The Procoptodon was a kangaroo that would make regular ones look like pocket-sized pets, and Wonambi was a six-meter-long snake that would send shivers down our spine.
Giant Squid
From southaustralianmuseum
The 11-meter-long model is probably the biggest reason kids beg to come to the South Australian Museum.
The said model is a nod to the Architeuthis dux, a giant squid that was found in the waters of New Zealand and recognized as the largest ever recorded in history.
But if you’re hunting for something that truly wandered the waters, swing by the museum’s Science Center for a real specimen. The interactive screens are there to help you learn a thing or two while you gaze at the giant.
Ediacara Fossils Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
The Ediacara Fossils Gallery is the spot to hit if you want to time-travel back 635 million years ago. Evolution takes center stage here, allowing you to witness and learn how complex, multicellular organisms evolved and thrived.
You’ll dig into the past by inspecting a wall of ancient seabed, which is still a key resource for paleontologists. This seabed is packed with soft-bodied critters, all left behind after being buried by layers of sand.
Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
Covering two floors, the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery is an extensive collection that honors Australia’s Aboriginal people, who just happen to be the oldest living culture on the planet.
The Aboriginals’ way of life is what this gallery shows and tells, with a collection of over 3,000 relics. These include the likes of boomerangs, shields, maps, and bark paintings—you know, some of the most creative innovations known to man.
Ancient Egypt Gallery
From southaustralianmuseum
Last but not least, we have the Ancient Egypt Gallery, which is one of the museum’s most famous and loved sections. Since 1939, its old-world aesthetics and ambiance have held up beautifully, giving visitors a nostalgic glimpse into the past.
In terms of content, the gallery is all about the religious, daily, and burial practices of Ancient Egypt.
What’s the main attraction? The original sarcophagus and mummy of Renpit-Nefert, a head-turner that has been dropping jaws and raising hair for over 100 years.
