Migration Museum in Gawler

Great museum with amazing stories about real people. Well worth a visit.

Really interesting....filled in the gaps from what we saw at the South Australian Museum. Very informative signage, allow plenty of time. The exhibition of Afghani clothing and culture is excellent.

Very informative and interesting. Close proximity to other places of interest. Lovely space

Little lovely museum! We went first because they hosted an animation workshop then we did the LEGO trail and had a lot fun.

There should be more lgbtq representation!

Very interesting even with the rebuilding going on

Great tour guides and exhibits

This museum is free and you can make a donation. We visit every two years because the displays change. It is a very emotional visit and it shows the incredible diversity of the Australian population. There is plenty to keep the kids amused and adults will cry at some of the exhibits. As South Australians we are and should be proud of this space. Well done 10/10

We decided to visit on a whim.To be honest, I was a little disappointed but still glad we attended.The was 3 main galleries and I think we had seen them all within an hour.

Worth a visit. Some was closed for renovation

Visited the migration museum on 27 April 22. Love how the exhibit talks about the history of migration to Australia and to some extent Adelaide. My favorite bit was the recent coverage of migrants experiences from 2000s onwards and how they felt about certain events. Really authentic interviews on how migrants felt welcomed in Aussie.Remember to visit the visitor information for a map on how to navigate the area. Unfortunately, they were renovating some of the exhibits during my visit.

Friendly and helpful staff, pleasant environment, great place to see history of different culture and lifestyle. A must to see if you are in Adelaide.

Interesting and informative displays and media that are housed in some of Adelaides beautiful and historic buildings. Well worth the visit to understand Australias important historical path and where we might be headed. Thankyou .

A very special place for history. A place of gratitude and communion amongst first Australians and all the migrants thereafter!

Currently only half open. Lots to read but not much for the kids to do.

My father is a migrant but his name is not on data base. I searched some other names but those where not there either.Seems this place is for very few nationals.

The Migration Museum is a great site to visit in Adelaide, being the only of its kind I’ve personally seen! Here you’ll see exhibitions of a variety of cases and histories about migration through Australia and South Australia. At the time of me visiting, this included two series of artworks telling stories of the Aboriginal people and the impact of European colonisation, some series of older maps of the world and such, then going into modern history such as the White Australia Policy, refugee crisis, etc.Overall a lovely place to visit to learn about some aspects of migration history here. I say “some” because while the museum does have a variety of cases of migration, most of it appears to focus onto the negative parts (White Australia Policy, refugees, colonisation, etcwhich is good to know and learn, but it might be disappointing if you were expecting more of the positive parts.

Considering it’s a free museum, one can’t complain. I would have loved more like ships logs and family history.

I had a big expectation, but turned out to be a low-level, very depressive, far from logical exhibition, with bad design (you cant read them properly,plus its stuck in the 70s design). Its rather a "migration" museum, because immigration museum should represent, how the many different nations cultures affect and make richer, diverse and complex the Australian culture, not only when and where they were coming from.I feel sorry about it, as it should be such an important museum, where people of all ages and nations can find excellent, mindblowing inspirations.But not. Its time to immigrate a new design, management, concept, and 21st century design.

A very informative museum, would love to go on my own one day! However, taking young kids (7 and underwas tricky. There’s not a lot they can do to interact - found them bored very quickly. Would definitely say this is more suited for teenagers and adults.

I generally love these sort of places but was sorely disappointed by what was on offer here. There was of course a significant amount about the White Australia Policy and the atrocities committed over the years but next to nothing about the actual hardships endured by the pioneers of Australia.

Does not have enough exhibits. Does not have much about any South Australian migrants or their family history.... The buildings were most interesting.

Museum is providing some great information about the history of migration to SA. It is great place to go if interested in how things were like 100 years ago.

We decided to visit the Migration Museum, as my friends hadnt been there & I hadnt been there for a few years. Sigh, lets just say I was hugely disappointed & so were my friends. Its changed & not for the better. My friends & I wondered what a couple if the displays had to do with migration. The things they did have that were to do with migration was excellent, but they could have more. Wont be going there again.

The Migration Museum is a social history museum located in Adelaide, South Australia. It 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, and maintains both a permanent and a rotating collection of works. Founded as an initiative of the State government in 1983, and with the museum opening on 23 November 1986, the Migration Museum in Adelaide is the oldest museum of its kind in Australia. The museum aims to promote cultural diversity and multiculturalism, which they define as including aspects of ethnicity, class, gender, age and region.The site is located on Kintore Avenue between the State Library of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the University of Adelaide, in a complex of early colonial bluestone buildings set around a courtyard, including the citys former destitute asylum (from 1850–1918). Before this, the site was the location of the "Native School", which aimed to educate aboriginal children.The Migration Museum has a full program of activities including education programs for school groups, public events and family friendly fun.

Great stories but needs an update or review. Saw more or less same some t years ago and whilst history doesnt change, renewal is always good. Would recommend to visitors viewing this for the first time as good info. Very noisy floorboards ......

Perhaps the best tap water Ive ever had.I like that they glamorise immigration as well. I left feeling like Mr. Fabulous the Glamorous. Next time somebody makes a racism joke at me I will just clap three times and scream MIGRATION MUSEUM. Its an Engineering joke.

Very good and informative museum, albeit small.A must for every local history buffs and a fantastic place to take the kids, to teach them about the settlement of South Australia

The South Australia Migration Museum is such a great place to visit and learn about the history and see different kinds of arts and story in each block of the building. A wonderful place to bring kids to see fake animals (but they looked like real ones), so then they know what they called for came from in the world.We had experienced and fun there. THANKS MUSEUM

The Migration Museum is Australia‘s oldest museum for immigration promoting the cultural diversity of SA and supporting its understanding. It showcases the history of the people in South Australia and impresses with its beautiful collection and easy approach to the topic. Entrance is free, donations are welcome.

It should not be called an immigration museum. The contents are a bit messy, except that Australia, as an immigrant country, is inclusive of the people of the world.

Nice free museum to spend an hour or two. Panels are a little dated but they run on donations, so do keep up the good work!

An interesting memorial to the hardships & adaptations of historical migrations. Lacks information about what people were leaving - the drivers & losses of leaving home - but has much fun nostalgia about the communities they built. I saw nothing about those they displaced but might have overlooked it. Would like to see more contemporary material too.

Interesting and confronting insight into an undesirable part of our history. Well worth the time to visit. Gold coin donation for entry. Photos welcome as long as flash is not used. The videos in the Indigenous Australian section are worth the time to watch. Recommended.

A great museum to discover the history and culture of almost all Australians. There are three different displays within the museum and only one of the displays is permanent. The museum also has items which are part of the Australian Commonwealth Government.

A great museum with wonderful and extraordinary stories. This is museum of people whom are wasnt success to rich Australia as well .I have a visit with my son and remained him that he is one of immigration nation.

Good and needed to show case how most of immigration has happened.

A free museum that is informative and thought provoking. The exhibits are interactive, really well thought out, and change every so often so you see new things everytime you go.I recommend everyone who visits Adelaide (or lives hereto see it!

We literally had this as #2 thing to do in Adelaide. We had read the “Our Australian Girl” series and my 2 daughters and I were excited to see and hear more.Oh my gosh it was such a let down! Kids so not considered in the layout and display, only 1 of the interactive items worked although it would put most people to sleep. An attempt with a booklet for kids was cute but the layout is too boring to engage most people... please Migration Museum, close down for 6 months, get in someone great and start again. We need to feel what migration was like not just look at some old artefacts.

The migration museum does a really good job at showing the history of where immigrants have come from during different periods of time, how our policies have changed towards immigrants over the years, and how the cultures brought into Australia influenced our nation to make it the multicultural society it is today.Great effort was made to set this museum up, and the entry fee is small.Toilet facilities are available.

This a very insightful point of attraction for people from all walks of life as the exhibits detail many reasons for immigration.The souvenirs section touches on objects that incite feelings of nostalgia while the latter part of the museum goes through the period of colonisation and beyond.I also thoroughly enjoyed the outer building that goes through the history of the buildings when they used to be lying in homes for women young and old.Children will love the interactive displays while adults immerse themselves in this history of migration both locally and domestically.

Interesting find, a must see for visitors to Adelaide ..

This museum is a hidden treasure! It is so interesting. May be small in size but the displays are interesting and the staff and volunteers are very knowledgable and only too happy to answer questions. Spent an entire afternoon here...just taking it all in. Highly recommend.

It was OK but I dont recommend it for young children because there is quite a lot of reading involved. I recommend it for adults, and if your Croatian you might see someone you know or even yourself.😆

It is indeed a very small museum but has lots of information about Adelaide history. What I really liked about it is that it tells you stories of real people from both points of view, invasion and immigration. It was extremely touching and moving to see all the bricks with people names and countries of origins in front of the museum. I will definitely come back and have more careful look at exhibition.

The story of South Australia, good and bad, within some of Adelaides Original Buildings.I thoroughly enjoyed the displays and gleaning through the information available.I had an hour to kill before work and believe I was only one/fifth of the way through the displays, I shall return to continue!Entry is free, with the option to donate.

A great peak into recent history, this museum is very grounded in the local area. Free temporary exhibitions are always interesting and the main exhibition is good with some interactive options for the kids.

This museum was a real eye opener for Australian as well as international guests. The museum tells the interesting tales of migration to South Australia in particular but also of all Australia more broadly since collinization. A lot of hard truths in evidence here and certainly would change some peoples worldview. Highly recommend a visit to this venue. Free entry and takes 1 to 2 hours to take it all in.

Free admission. I really liked the small size of the museum. Im the kind of person that reads all the historical information so Im happy that everything was concise and essential. I spent around 1.5h and I think that its hard to spend more time there. For its size its very well made, maintained, and accurate. Go learn about how Adelaide came to be!

Adelaide should be proud to have the worlds first museum dedicated to migration. Tis a great place, filled with friendly people and interesting exhibits.