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Migration Museum

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A man walks past a large mural that depicts metalwork in a car workshop

Portraits of Elizabeth: migration, community, identity

Posted on Monday 05 August 2019

With photographs and text, Portraits of Elizabeth explores the migrant experience and the resilience of community through the stories of Elizabethans,...

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a large round necklace made of tiny shells

Island Welcome

Posted on Monday 05 August 2019

Island Welcome is a group exhibition exploring contemporary jewellery as a gesture of greeting, curated by Belinda Newick. Inspired by the welcome gar...

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Life, death, blood and guts! A hideous history of Adelaide

Posted on Tuesday 02 July 2019

Join us for a museum tour with a difference as we explore our heritage buildings by candlelight, and learn about life and death in the early days of t...

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Life, death, blood and guts! A hideous history of Adelaide

Posted on Tuesday 02 July 2019

Join us for a museum tour with a difference as we explore our heritage buildings by candlelight, and learn about life and death in the early days of t...

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The 57th Australian Latvian Arts Festival Exhibition: From Riga to Adelaide

Posted on Tuesday 11 December 2018

The 57th Australian Latvian Arts Festival From Riga to Adelaide, an exhibition featuring over 20 artists, photographers and artisans. Of the artists r...

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Greetings from… the power of souvenirs

Posted on Monday 15 October 2018

Greetings from… an exhibition at the Migration Museum, celebrates the power of souvenirs, from the poignant to the marvelously kitsch and eccentric...

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BELONGINGS: an interactive installation

Posted on Wednesday 12 September 2018

Created by SBS’s Digital Creative Labs using technology developed by Google’s Creative Lab, this interactive experience shares stories of people w...

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The Migration Museum – Italian Style

Posted on Monday 10 September 2018

Join us for a tour highlighting the history and contribution of Italian migration to South Australia. Learn how Italians brought their love of great f...

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Growing up Croatian in Australia: Why Memoirs Matter

Posted on Thursday 05 July 2018

Join us to hear Tom Dusevic, an award-winning journalist, political commentator, speechwriter and author of Croatian background. He has been a newsp...

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International Museum Day 18 May 2018

Posted on Thursday 12 April 2018

Join us on International Museum Day for a curator lead tours of our current exhibitions: Sym Choon, tour of Sym Choon: Changing Fortunes in White Aust...

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82 Kintore Avenue, Adelaide

Daily 10am — 5pm
Closed Christmas Day

What’s happening at the @migration_museum

  • Today, Museum Officer Tobi sheds some light on this cool object: “I have used this uranium glass in programs that deal with industry and mining in Australia, and the impact of nuclear power and weaponry on twentieth century history. Uranium glass dates back to the time of the Great Depression, when uranium was used for little else than adding a greenish tinge for ornamentation. When exposed to ultra-violet it fluoresces vividly, the light introduced being emitted from the glass in a visibly different colour. How? Well, imagine yourself getting sea-sick on board a ship. Energy is being introduced to your system as you rock back and forth, and so your system attempts to regain equilibrium by jettisoning spare material from your stomach. The uranium atoms do much the same thing, 'vomiting' light back out - perhaps that's why it's green!” – Tobi, Migration Museum Officer
  • Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Migration Museum Foundation For 20 years the Foundation family has been growing. To join the many families represented in Settlement Square, the final closing date for commemorative pavers this year is Friday 6 November. Pavers will be ready to view from the 5 December 2020. There are limited pavers available, visit: https://migration.history.sa.gov.au/get-involved/migration-museum-foundation/ and secure your paver today.
  • Our Museum officers are great story tellers and provide a gateway to learning and understanding our past and present to young and old. In the next couple of weeks, they will show us some of their favourite objects and stories. “The food drawer in the Migration Museum exhibition ‘In this place’ evokes so many childhood stories, and in particular Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. The life of children in institutions is complex, the intentions are conflicting, the outcomes mixed. And not all children in poor houses ended up like Oliver. Pros and cons – they are fed, not delicious food, but enough food; they are clothed – scratchy, heavy, uniforms; they have an education – but with it expectations of being trained into servitude; they have a bed – but with the bed come rules, routine, loss of freedom. The Destitute Asylum represents for me the long proud tradition of welfare and social justice in South Australia, but also the reverse – the failure of idealism, the loss of hope for people, the imported hierarchy between the rich and the poor, and the gender divide.” – Bec, Migration Museum Officer #MigrationMuseumCollection
  • Look at this beautiful music instrument! This is an ocarina made from porcelain. It belongs to the family of vessel instruments which have been around in different shapes and materials for over twelve thousand years around the world. The European version of this flute was invented by Italian teenager Giuseppe Donati in the 1850s who named it ocarina which means ‘little goose’ in Italian. The object in our collection came to South Australia in the late 19th century with a Danish migrant. Look out for the ocarina in our 19th Century Gallery when you visit us the next time! HT 2002.36, Ocarina Photographer: Rachel Harris, Bit Scribbly Design #MusicMonday #MigrationMuseumCollection

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