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

Louisa Norman Louisa Norman
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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

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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

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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)
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Louisa Norman

Louisa Norman

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A gourmand’s guide to eating your way around Hamilton Island

(Credit: Nikki To)

    Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
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    From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

    Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

    Catseye Pool Club

    Catseye Pool Club
    Catseye Pool Club offers stunning beach views. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

    The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

    My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

    Sails Restaurant

    Sails Restaurant hamilton island
    Settle into casual poolside dining. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

    The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

    Bommie

    cuttlefish dish at Bommie restaurant Hamilton Island Yacht Club
    Head to the Hamilton Island Yacht Club for a taste of Bommie. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

    Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

    Pebble Beach

    qualia Resort Pebble Beach
    qualia Resort guests can dine at Pebble Beach. (Credit: Lean Timms)

    Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

    The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

    Beach Club Restaurant

    Beach Club Restaurant hamilton island
    Book in advance for Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

    I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

    Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

    Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

    hamilton island Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher
    Join this immersive wine experience. (Credit Eleanor Edström)

    There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

    We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

    The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

    coca chu

    table spread at CocaChu
    Get a taste of Southeast Asian flavours. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

    Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

    Marina Cafe

    hamilton island MArina Cafe
    Take in harbour views and comfort food.

    Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

    The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

    Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.com.au.