Feature Image: South Australian Museum.
Around 90 per cent of South Australia’s cultural collections are kept out of public view at any given time, and now thousands of those objects, artworks and records have a new purpose-built home.
The final items have officially been moved into the state’s new Cultural Institutions Storage Facility, completing a major relocation project that began after construction wrapped up in December 2025.
Throughout July, the last collections were transferred into the facility, which has been designed with specialised climate and atmospheric controls to protect some of South Australia’s most valuable and sensitive cultural material.
Among the objects relocated by the South Australian Museum are historically significant collections from across Australia and the Pacific, including a canoe from Melville Island acquired before 1918 and a canoe from Papua acquired in 1936.
The move also includes South Australia’s significant collection of Aboriginal cultural material, described as the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world.
Purpose-built viewing and reflection spaces have been incorporated into the facility to improve access for Aboriginal communities and strengthen connections with the collections.
The Art Gallery of South Australia has transferred thousands of works, ranging from paintings, ceramics and sculpture to particularly sensitive pieces including historic textiles and Aboriginal bark paintings.
The State Library and History Trust have also moved material into the new facility, including rare manuscripts, photographs, maps, archives and objects documenting almost 200 years of South Australian history.
Deputy Premier and Arts Minister Kyam Maher said the facility would help preserve the state’s collections for future generations.
“The delivery of this new purpose-built facility will ensure our state’s invaluable cultural collections and heritage are preserved for South Australians now and into the future,” he said.
South Australian Museum Director Dr Samantha Hamilton said the new storage areas would also make collections easier to access and share with researchers, educators and communities.
The project involved representatives from the Art Gallery of South Australia, South Australian Museum, State Library, History Trust, Artlab Australia and State Government agencies, alongside an Aboriginal Reference Group.
Brown Falconer, Rider Levett Bucknall and Sarah Constructions were involved in the design and delivery of the facility.
