The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Greater Adelaide, South Australia

Adelaide’s newest museum! Tells the story of Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first Saint: pioneering educator, social reformer - now a cultural icon - and those who have followed in her footsteps. Located at the historic Mary MacKillop Precinct, Kensington SA, where Mary lived from 1872 to 1883. - Offers an interactive visitor experience using contemporary storytelling devices. - Translated texts available in Italian, Chinese, and Vietnamese. - Disabled friendly. The museum also features a gift shop, a soon-to-be-opened cafe that’s set in beautiful surroundings adjacent to Mary MacKillop Park and Memorial Rose Garden and Saint Joseph’s Chapel (open to the public). This is a story for everyone, regardless of age, cultural or religious background! Come, be inspired, find peace! You’re invited ... A warm welcome awaits you!

Explore the history of Australian railways in this engaging museum. You will encounter numerous displays of various railway artifacts and see steam and diesel trains at work.

What's big and beautiful and goes broom-broom? The National Motor Museum - located less than an hour from the centre of Adelaide, in the picturesque Adelaide Hills. The Museum features over 300 vehicles spanning over 100 years of Australian motoring history,from a steam carriage built in 1899 to modern hybrid cars. A diverse collection including motorcycles, cars, commercial vehicles, motoring curios and even a road train. The Museum is also home to the historic finish event of the famous Bay to Birdwood and holds the annual Rock & Roll Rendezvous every April with great live bands, stalls and hundreds of cars and motorbikes on show. There are lots of fun trails and interactives for families and visitors. The Museum can also cater to group bookings such as schools, car clubs, social groups and other events. It is the must see attraction in the Adelaide Hills.

The Hahndorf Academy is a place where creativity, contemporary culture and heritage meet. Based in a charming 150-year-old building, the Academy incorporates art galleries, retail shop, museum and art classes. ART GALLERIES Contemporary art, dazzling and different, is found in galleries at the Hahndorf Academy. A wide variety of exhibitions are held throughout the year, showcasing both prestigious and upcoming artists with a focus on local talent. SHOP The Academy Shop has artwork and gifts for sale all made by South Australian artists and makers. Choose from paintings and prints, photographs and cards, glassworks and ceramics, books and toys, vases and sculptures, handcrafted woollens, linens and distinctive jewellery. MUSEUM The Hahndorf Academy museum preserves and cherishes artefacts and irreplaceable collections that reflect the culture and lifestyle since the early Prussian migrants and settlers in 1839. WORKSHOPS & ART CLASSES Unleash your creative talents at the Hahndorf Academy with art classes and workshops. Try your hand at jewellery making, painting, weaving, knitting and more. We even have a yoga class! EVENTS The Hahndorf Academy events include a Winter Lantern Festival, a Christmas Market, Artist Markets throughout the year and pop-up art classes.

The Heritage-listed Willunga Courthouse complex (with cells, stable and police residence) was built from 1855 to 1872 and stands in a picturesque setting by a creek.The Courthouse Museum is an authentic Courtroom with displays, and family and district records available for research. Groups can enjoy a guided tour and possibly an entertaining courtroom re-enactment (bookings essential) The grounds are a popular venue for outdoor weddings and community events. The stables behind the courthouse now house the Slate Museum, the only one of its kind in Australia. This museum gives you a glimpse of how slate shaped Willunga. Find out about the dangers and enterprise in the slate quarries, discover the legacy of the Willunga slate carvers, and how life was lived in this fascinating place.