A guide to the must-visit Adelaide art galleries and museums

Louisa Norman Louisa Norman
hero media
For a small city Adelaide has serious cultural clout.

Adelaide punches above its weight with an array of museums and galleries from cutting-edge space innovation to spooky cells. Along North Terrace is the perfect place to kickstart a day of arts experiences before continuing toward the West End for more museums.

Here’s a guide to a few of the must-visit Adelaide art galleries and museums to visit during your stay in the city of churches.

1. Art Gallery of South Australia

Just a 10-minute walk from the Botanic Gardens on North Terrace, the Art Gallery of South Australia showcases an exciting range of rotating visual arts exhibitions.

the front facade of the Art Gallery of South Australia
Pop into the Art Gallery of South Australia. (Image: Leo Hiraga)

Tarnanthi Festival of Indigenous Arts is a highlight in AGSA’s cultural calendar. AGSA is home to one of Australia’s largest collections comprising 47,000 works of art spanning 2000 years.

a look inside the Art Gallery of South Australia
AGSA features over 47,000 works of art. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

The immersive site-specific commission by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a spellbinding web for visitors so don’t miss a visit to the Melrose Wing. Join the Tuesday lunchtime talks where experts delve deeper into the current exhibitions. Time a visit on the first Friday of the month when AGSA opens late and you can welcome the weekend with live music and the local arts crowd.

people flock outside the light-filled Art Gallery of South Australia during the Tarnanthi Festival of Indigenous Arts
Tarnanthi Festival of Indigenous Arts is one of AGSA’s main drawcards. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Address: North Terrace, Adelaide

2. MOD Museum of Discovery

Further down North Terrace on Adelaide’s cultural corridor is MOD Museum of Discovery, a future-focused space at the intersection of science, art and innovation.

guests looking at an interactive future exhibition at MOD Museum of Discovery
MOD Museum of Discovery takes on a futuristic approach.

Ideal for older children 12+ and curious adults, MOD features interactive exhibitions on big topics from climate crisis to democracy inviting visitors to engage their imagination and critical thinking.

people exploring a planetarium inside the MOD Museum of Discovery
Play with your imagination at MOD Museum of Discovery.

Address: Kaurna Country, University of South Australia, North Tce adjacent to the Morphett St Bridge, Adelaide

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

3. Australian Space Discovery Centre

The small but mighty Australia Space Discovery Centre is found in Lot 14, Adelaide’s technology and innovation district next to the Botanic Gardens and Art Gallery of South Australia.

Talks from astronauts and space scientists will spark visitors’ curiosity, showing how much we rely on space in our day-to-day lives. Drive a Mars Rover simulator or track space junk with hands-on exhibits that combine technology and play. Visitors can also sneak a peek into the first publicly viewable Mission Control Centre in Australia.

Address: Lot Fourteen Ground floor, McEwin Building Cnr Frome Road and, North Terrace, Adelaide

4. Adelaide Gaol

For lovers of dark histories, the Adelaide Gaol built in 1881 is the perfect window into South Australia’s criminal past. An easy walk from Bonython Park tram stop, visitors can choose a self-guided experience or a tour.

the front facade of Adelaide Gaol
Adelaide Gaol is one of the country’s oldest prisons with the most horrifying history.

Are you brave enough for a night-time paranormal investigation? Or maybe an Escape Cell adventure, with three levels of difficulty on offer.

between the walls of the hanging tower at Adelaide Gaol
Glimpse into South Australia’s criminal past.

The new Mugshots exhibition will bring the ghosts to life with a moving insight into inmates’ lives.

the exterior of Adelaide Gaol
Explore the iconic Adelaide Gaol on a self-guided tour.

Address: 18 Gaol Rd, Adelaide

5. JamFactory

This contemporary art and design space has two galleries showcasing a revolving selection of artists from silversmiths to furniture makers.

ceramics on display at Jam Factory, Adelaide
JamFactory showcases high-quality ceramics in different patterns and designs.

Go during the week to see artists at work, including their impressive glassblowing or peruse the gift shop for exquisite designer objects. If you want to stretch your own creative muscles why not enrol in a workshop.

pottery making at Jam Factory, Adelaide
Get your hands dirty at the pottery wheel.

Opposite the Jamfactory is Nexus Art Gallery a multi-cultural visual arts and music space that is well worth exploring too.

a gallery inside JamFactory, Adelaide
This contemporary museum has two galleries worth exploring.

Address: 19 Morphett St, Adelaide

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

6. ILA | Immersive Light and Art

Immersive Light Adelaide, or ILA, fuses creativity and technology to create immersive experiences in gallery exhibitions that rotate throughout the year. Downstairs in the Lab, you might catch a live musician or late-night DJ, making ILA a truly multi-art form space.

The Aurora restaurant next door offers seasonal sharing plates in an elegant setting or for something more casual, drinks and snacks are available in the Lab Garden.

 Address: 63 Light Square, Adelaide

Museums in Port Adelaide

Whether you’re curious about boats, trains or planes, Port Adelaide has something for everyone, with a range of museums within easy walking distance. A 30-minute train ride from the CBD makes Port Adelaide an accessible and inspiring day trip.

guests browsing inside the Maritime Museum in Adelaide
Visit the Maritime Museum to learn about South Australia’s rich seafaring history. (Image: City of Port Adelaide Enfield)

South Australia’s rich seafaring history is celebrated at the Maritime Museum situated in an 1850s bond store while the Railway Museum has over 100 exhibits and a ride-on train for kids, and big kids at heart. Aviation enthusiasts will love seeing a Spitfire up close while listening to passionate tour guides at the SA Aviation Museum. Discounts are available if you visit more than one museum within a month.

Maritime Museum 

National Railway Museum 

South Australian Aviation Museum 

a statue of a seafarer in Maritime Museum, Adelaide
The Maritime Museum has historic seafarer collections. (Image: City of Port Adelaide Enfield)
Discover Adelaide accommodation for every budget.
Louisa Norman

Louisa Norman

View profile and articles
Monarto safari
Adelaide

This new SA luxe glamping experience allows you to wake up with zebras

Who said you need to travel to Africa to go on safari? Especially now Monarto Safari Park just opened new, luxurious glamping options.

Read more
Titan arum or Amorphophallus Titanum at the botanical garden
Adelaide

Adelaide’s corpse flower is about to bloom – and thousands are expected to line up for the smell

One year on from Putricia’s bloom, Adelaide is officially on corpse flower watch.

Read more
This new bathhouse in Adelaide is focused on community
Adelaide

This new bathhouse in Adelaide is focused on community

Adelaide just got a new bathhouse, and it's all about community and connection.

Read more
Witton Bluff Base Trail
Adelaide

This new coastal walk connects two of Adelaide’s most popular beaches

Adelaide welcomes Witton Bluff Base Trail, a brand-new accessible track that follows the coast between two popular beaches.

Read more
hero media

The road trips and trails you need to experience in Victoria now

    Kellie Floyd Kellie Floyd
    Continue
    Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow. 

    There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.  

    Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur, is one of my favourite road trips. 

    The Black Spur 

    The Black Spur drive
    Through the forested canopy of The Black Spur drive that winds from Healesville to Narbethong. (Image: Neisha Breen)

    Location: Yarra Ranges
    Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes 

    The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.  

    In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn, a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.   

    Victoria’s Silo Art Trail 

    Silo Art Trail
    The Silo Art Trail in the Wimmera Mallee region. (Image: Visit Victoria/Anne Morely)

    Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
    Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days  

    What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.  

    The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud, making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.   

    Metung to Mallacoota  

    Gippsland lakes
    Gippsland Lakes. (Image: Visit Victoria/Josie Withers)

    Location: Gippsland
    Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours  

    The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance, where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch. 

    Lakes Entrance
    Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

    Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea. 

    Great Ocean Road 

    12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road
    The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

    Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
    Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days  

    Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.  

    Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast. 

    Bellarine Taste Trail 

    Terindah Estate
    Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Location: Bellarine Peninsula
    Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours  

    The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.  

    You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate, sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours. 

    O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote 

    Pink Cliffs Reserve
    Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Location: Central Victoria
    Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling 

    Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail. The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.  

    The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular. 

    Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo 

    Location: Central Victoria
    Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling  

    The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.  

    As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.