Have you ever wanted to come behind the scenes and delve into our exhibitions, collections, research and resources? If so, you've found the perfect place.
If you've got a special question not answered here, send it to our experts or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to find a community of curious minds.
Collection Stories
Have you ever wondered why museums keep things, what types of things they collect, and how they are cared for? Collection Stories, the South Australian Museum’s first podcast series, features stories about our collections, what we can learn from them, and how we share them with the public.
Take a tour with our Director
Come on a tour with Mr Brian Oldman, Director of the South Australian Museum, and find out more about his favourite items on display.
#STEMyourBoredom
Learn how to create patterns on fabric from home, and how to make your very own stink bug!
National Reconciliation Week
From 27 May to 3 June our Community Programs team brought you a range of activities, from a virtual Sprigg Lecture to our much loved Young Explorer sessions.
Further resources and information, including curriculum alignment for teachers, are also available on our Teaching Resources page.
Her Story: Inspiring Women in STEM
By sharing the stories of women scientists we present visible role models who can inspire, encourage and motivate the next generation of young women to follow their dreams and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
April school holiday program
In April 2020 the South Australian Museum saw a very different school holiday program, as it was closed due to COVID-19. Instead we opened our virtual doors to bring the wonders of the South Australian Museum to you at home with our first digital school holiday program.
Each day from Monday 20 April to Friday 24 April we brought you a new school holiday program-based video to celebrate Wonders from the Earth.
Take a virtual tour
In 2016 we opened our doors to the Google Cultural Institute during the early hours of the morning. The institute used Street View technology to provide interactive panoramas from positions throughout the South Australian Museum.
Google Cultural Institute features content from over 2,000 leading museums and archives institutions to bring the world's best cultural displays to life.
Use the floor buttons to the right of your screen to navigate across the Museum. You can find out which floors your favourite galleries are on by downloading our map at https://docs.samuseum.sa.gov.au/qk8oj85dke.
Collaborate with our online collections
Our researchers are fascinated about how life on Earth began and how some life-forms have survived extreme environmental conditions, while others have not.
Explore some of the collections we have online via the Google Cultural Institute here.
Explore our exhibitions
- Dogs: a story of our best friend
- Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
- Her Story: Inspiring Women in STEM
- Opals
- Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia
- Parasites: Life under cover
Image: Cradle Mt possum (detail) by Charles Davis, New South Wales, as seen in Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2019
Continuous culture
The Museum collaborates with communities to bring Aboriginal voices and values into dialogue with mainstream narratives of Australian history, society and culture through this collection.
Most recently our team has worked with Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri, Adnyamathanha, Nukunu, Ngaanyatjarra and Yolngu people to bring the stories of this collection to life.
Research and collections
Our researchers work with others across the globe to further understanding about how to protect all animals.
The South Australian Museum's collections allow researchers to achieve this goal. This is because our scientific collections provide historical data against which researchers can assess the impacts of environmental changes and evolution, and detect previously unidentified species.
We're working with communities to secure permissions to share the Australian Aboriginal cultural collection online, and in the meantime we welcome questions about this particular collection at humanities@samuseum.sa.gov.au
Learning and fun
In the mean time, you can visit some of our timeless displays, and download resources to ignite minds of all ages.
We're aiming to create more online educational content soon, and, as always, you can send questions about your backyard findings to discovery@samuseum.sa.gov.au
Careers in sciences
The Museum holds an annual series of displays about women in science. Her Story: Inspiring Women in STEM celebrates amazing women who are blazing their own trails and encourages all girls and boys to do the same.
By sharing these stories we present visible role models who can inspire, encourage and motivate the next generation to follow their dreams and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Support
For the last three years we've placed a special focus on providing programs for people with autism, DeafBlind communities, and people living with dementia.
In 2019 you helped us fund a series of initiatives that bring the South Australian Museum alive for people with an autism spectrum diagnosis. Share in the delight with us!