The South Australian Museum is a museum on North Terrace in Adelaide, South Australia, with free general entry and collections spanning natural history and cultures. Its five floors sit in Adelaide’s cultural precinct, making it easy to pair a museum visit with the State Library and other North Terrace institutions.
- Location: North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000
- General entry: Free
- Typical opening hours: Open daily
Where is the South Australian Museum on North Terrace?
The South Australian Museum is on North Terrace in Adelaide’s cultural precinct. The museum and the State Library are among the cultural institutions lining the terrace, so you can include both in a walk through the area.
The museum’s origins trace to an embryo museum within the South Australian Institute in the late 1850s. Today, the five-floor institution holds over four million specimens and material cultural items.
What can you see in the museum’s collections?
Permanent displays at the South Australian Museum cover Aboriginal and Pacific cultures, Australian natural history, fossils and minerals. The range makes it possible to move between cultural collections and natural science under one roof.
Named galleries include Australian Aboriginal Cultures, Pacific Cultures, Ancient Egypt and Australian Polar Collections. Other permanent displays focus on South Australian Biodiversity, Ediacaran fossils, Megafauna, Minerals, Meteorites and Opal Fossils.
The Discovery Centre has its own weekly opening pattern: it is open from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For a longer Adelaide plan, a one-day city-centre itinerary can help you fit cultural stops into the day.
When is the museum open, and is admission free?
General entry is free. It closes on Good Friday and Christmas Day, and opens on Anzac Day, 25 April. Hours and holiday arrangements can change, so check the official site before you go.
Opening hours
- Monday to Sunday: 10:00–17:00
Last checked November 2026. Hours can change on holidays and for special events.
The Museum Café is open daily from 10am to 4pm, and the Museum Shop from 10am to 4:45pm. The Coffee Caravan operates from 8am Monday to Friday.
How do you get to the museum?
From a motel in Adelaide, the South Australian Museum is about a 6-minute drive or a 28-minute walk.
If you are coming by train, Adelaide Railway Station is also on North Terrace, about a 10-minute walk from the museum. The museum does not currently offer group or guided tours or accommodate external tour groups; staff can recommend self-guided options.
What access and family facilities are available?
The museum is wheelchair accessible, with lifts serving all levels. Wheelchairs and walkers are available to borrow at the front desk, subject to availability and photo ID. There are two public entrances; the North Terrace entrance has automatic doors and is recommended for visitors using larger mobility devices.
Accessible toilets are on the Ground floor, and a Parents Room on Level 1 has a microwave, seating, a toilet and baby-change facilities. Prams are welcome throughout the museum, with public pram parking beside the red staircase in the North Foyer. Accredited assistance dogs are welcome, and sensory backpacks are available to borrow on request at the front desk.
One accessible parking space is behind the museum, available first-come, first-served to visitors displaying a valid disability parking permit.
FAQs
Is entry to the South Australian Museum free?
Yes. General entry is free.
How long does a visit take?
The museum has five floors and permanent displays across cultural collections, fossils, biodiversity and minerals. Choose the galleries that interest you to shape the length of your visit.
Can you join a guided tour?
The museum does not currently offer group or guided tours or accommodate external tour groups. Staff can recommend self-guided options.
Is the museum accessible to wheelchair users?
Yes. Lifts serve all levels, and wheelchairs and walkers can be borrowed at the front desk subject to availability and photo ID.