Migration Museum
Migration Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Established in 1986 and built on the site of the former Adelaide Destitute Asylum, the Migration Museum was the first museum dedicated to the social history of migration in Australia. The Museum works towards the preservation, understanding and enjoyment of South Australia’s diverse cultures. It is a place to discover the many identities of the people of South Australia through the stories of individuals and communities. Its nine galleries, which include permanent and changing displays, trace the history and culture of Aboriginal peoples in Australia prior to colonisation, the history and impact of immigration from the nineteenth century onward, as well as the history of the site. The Museum is just a short walk down Kintore Avenue from North Terrace and is easily accessible by public transport. All of the Museum's galleries have disabled access. Entry to the Museum is free, with an optional gold coin donation. Tour groups are welcome but must book in advance. Members of the public can book a guided tour of the Migration Museum with a minimum of ten people per booking and a cost of $10 per person, concession rate $5 per person.
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- Robert D4,725 contributionsExcellent museumThe Migration Museum consists of several buildings. There is a poignant sculpture titled "The Immigrants" in the museum courtyard. The museum has several interesting exhibits about the people who immigrated to South Australia. In the exhibit "Aussies!", they had banners representing various immigrant groups. You can easily spend an hour here.Visited October 2023Travelled soloWritten 28 November 2023
- Ron MMenasha, Wisconsin585 contributionsSmall and Simple But InformativeThis is a relatively simple museum housed in some historic buildings. Entrance was free, the staff was informative and the facility was nice. They did a nice job presenting some examples of people who had migrated to Australia, their trials, tribulations, successes and contributions. All the displays were well presented, well-lit and I felt like we learned something from our visit.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 February 2024
- Global-VillagerrDenver, Colorado360 contributionsExcellent Summary of an Important SubjectOne of the best museums we’ve seen about the Australian migration. It seems each major city has one, but this was the most informative. Covering a wide swath of the Australian migration experience, including up to the current era, this museum gave us a real sense of the entire experience- good and bad.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 12 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
519 reviews
Excellent
265
Very good
195
Average
51
Poor
7
Terrible
1
Oldtable
Brisbane Region, Australia248 contributions
Jan 2020
I had been looking forward to visiting this museum, but was left rather disappointed.
Layout is not the best, we were about half way through when we found what I thought was part of the display frame turned out to be pull out screens. Four on each station, but only one could be opened at a time. If it had been busy would have been a nightmare, having to wait for the previous person to finish reading or the board being close the board part way through our own read. Fortunately it was almost deserted on our visit.
The “story“ boards lacked scope and depth in my opinion. I recall there is a great museum in Port Adelaide & I suppose I was hoping to see something similar.
This Museum was Free, we spent less than an hour there which is very unusual.
Glad the organisers tried though
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thankyou OT for your visit and honest review. I hope you'll be pleased to hear we are redeveloping the gallery you mentioned, and replacing all the old interpretation. Watch this space for an exciting new look!
Written 19 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nigel T
Rossendale, UK711 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
An interesting place to learn about how South Australia has been populated from the early Indigenous people to the waves of migrants either displaced from their countries or encouraged to migrate from their countries to SA. Also highlights the attitudes of the country and how it has adapted over the years. The museum ‘static’ it could be a lot more engaging if more thought was put into interactive displays.
Written 20 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thankyou N for your visit and honest review. you'll be pleased to hear that we're redeveloping our main galleries later this year - keep your eye on our social media for more info :-)
Written 27 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karen T
Auckland Central, New Zealand31 contributions
Feb 2020
The Migration museum is free to enter. There are guided tours at 11 and 3 or you can download their tour app in various on free wifi when you arrive. The tour app is a great idea and gives some interesting information, although we struggled to know which exhibit it was referring to. The museum is a really interesting and honest overview of the history of migration to Australia over the years. Well worth spending a couple of hours here.
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thankyou Karen for your visit and review, we're glad you enjoyed your visit with us. Thankyou also for your comments on the app, we will work to correct this mapping issue :-)
Written 5 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kate_T_K4
Brisbane, Australia409 contributions
Jan 2023
Very small museum just behind South Australian Museum and as stated by someone a good filler of a time. This museum presents art of diffrent cultures and contains only a small part of the exhibition around migrants history. The museum is free of charge but encourages $5 donation by tapping your card.
Written 7 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steven_wilkinson
Bury St. Edmunds, UK577 contributions
Feb 2020
As a migrant family we feel part of this place. I grew up in Adelaide and have great memories of my upbringing and past. Our family have invested in the bricks (a kind of mark of respect) which has given us an even greater sense of belonging here.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thankyou Steven for your contributions to the MM commmunity, we really appreciate it :-)
Written 20 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jayne D
Townsville, Australia247 contributions
Aug 2020
Great part of Australian migration history to be seen at this museum. Lucky enough to watch lots of personal stories from British migrants telling their own stories and it wasn’t all rosy. Free entrance with the convenience of tap and donate available. Definitely worth a visit.
Written 20 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nalini N
Greater Sydney, Australia698 contributions
Mar 2022
I was keen to visit the Migration Museum as have an interest in the topic. I was hoping to chat with staff on details but this did not happen.
The physical museum space if really good, looks like a lot of the exhibits were done some time ago. I enjoyed the content generally. I believe there is a virtual museum space too.
The physical museum space if really good, looks like a lot of the exhibits were done some time ago. I enjoyed the content generally. I believe there is a virtual museum space too.
Written 15 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valerie O
Perth, Australia252 contributions
Feb 2023
As others have mentioned, this was a small museum, mostly dedicated to the experiences of those who emigrated within the last hundred years. We loved the room dedicated to Commedia del Arte, and also playing the game to see whether we'd survive early colonial settlement. I was the only one who lived a long life!
Written 15 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter M
Melbourne, Australia1,293 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
The Migration Museum is a social history museum and is one of the three museums operated by the History Trust of South Australia. It deals with the immigration and settlement history of South Australia. It opened on November 23, 1986.
Written 26 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York4,725 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
The Migration Museum consists of several buildings. There is a poignant sculpture titled "The Immigrants" in the museum courtyard. The museum has several interesting exhibits about the people who immigrated to South Australia. In the exhibit "Aussies!", they had banners representing various immigrant groups. You can easily spend an hour here.
Written 28 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Migration M
Adelaide, Australia
Hi Angela, the museum is free, you can make a donation at the front desk :-)
Written 12 July 2019
Helen H
Pooraka, Australia
Is there a list of immigrants and arrivals to south Australia
Written 17 July 2018
Migration M
Adelaide, Australia
Helen, it depends on what you're looking for. Our sister museum, the SA Maritime Museum, has many passenger lists, and you can search them - you'll need to google 'passengers in history' to find the website, as adding links isn't possible in these comments!. Not all early passenger lists were published in newspapers of the day or kept by archives, so there are gaps, but there's lots of useful info in there too.
You can also search the National Archives website for later arrivals (usually after 1900 or so). Hope this is helpful :-)
Written 18 July 2018
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