South Australian Museum

South Australian Museum

Founded in 1856, the Museum holds collections of natural and cultural history which are among the finest in Australia. Natural history displays of fossils, animals and minerals have an emphasis on South Australian specimens. The Museum's cultural history collections are renowned and include Australian Aboriginal, early Pacific and Ancient Egyptian cultures. The Museum Shop stocks quality merchandise, including Museum publications.

South Australian Museum
South Australian Museum

Collections include fossils, animals and minerals with an emphasis on South Australian specimens. The museum's cultural history collections are renowned and include Australian Aboriginal, early Pacific and Ancient Egyptian cultures. The Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery is the largest in the world. The Museum Shop stocks quality merchandise, including publications written and contributed to by SA Museum scientists.

Address: 
North Terrace, Adelaide, SA
Tel: 
0882077500
Hours: 
Monday - Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm. Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Website: 
http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/
Email: 
sam.marketing@saugov.sa.gov.au
Admission: 
Free though charges sometimes apply for special exhibitions.
Facilities: 
Wheelchair access, Disabled Toilets, Guided Tours, Shop.
Collection: 
The collection at the South Australian Museum has 3,000,000 natural science specimens, 446,000 library items, 100,000 anthropological items, 800 shelf metres of archived documents and over 90,000 photographs.

Subject:

Items

Boomerang

Wyrie Swamp Boomerang

Creator:
Ngarrindjeri people
Description:
One of the oldest boomerangs in the world, wooden, small, thin. Found in 1973. Possibly used to hunt waterfowl.
Date:
8-10,000 years
Item Id Number:
FS 34.1.3

Cloak

Wallaby Skin Cloak

Creator:
Louisa of the Narangga people, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Description:
Wallabies snared in swamp. Louisa used a stick as a gouge and used back of kitchen knife, instead of flat stone as creaser.
Date:
circa 1900
Item Id Number:
A6409

Doors

Yuendumu Doors

Creator:
Warlpiri Artists, Warlukurlangu Artists Association
Description:
School doors depicting graphic designs of Warlpiri Dreamings. Warlpiri artists began painting commercially soon after these doors became famous.
Date:
1983

Mask

Sulka Hemlaut Mask, "Lopela"

Creator:
Sulka people, New Britain, Central South Coast Papua New Guinea
Description:
Mask, rare type, designed to be danced by two men simultaneously. Design on underside of umbrella represents claws of freshwater crayfish.
Date:
circa 1919
Item Id Number:
A7416

Plaque

Benin Bronze Plaque

Creator:
People of Benin, West Africa
Description:
Plaque, bronze, cast, depicting three male figures.
Date:
circa 1890s
Item Id Number:
A41812