Migration Museum

The Migration Museum in Adelaide, South Australia, is a social history museum located on Kintore Avenue in the city centre, between the State Library and South Australian Museum. Established in 1986 and housed in the former Adelaide Destitute Asylum buildings dating from the 1850s, it explores the history and cultural diversity of migration to South Australia. It presents personal stories, artefacts, and exhibitions documenting settlement from early colonial times to recent arrivals.

Visitors can expect a compact museum complex set around a central courtyard and historic bluestone buildings of the former Adelaide Destitute Asylum. Inside, galleries display permanent and temporary exhibitions with personal stories, photographs, documents and objects tracing migration to South Australia. Visitors can explore indoor exhibition spaces, the Settlement Square with commemorative paving, and a courtyard garden, with interpretive displays and guided tours available.

The museum occupies the former Adelaide Destitute Asylum, built from 1851 to 1856 as a government institution to house destitute men, women and children. The complex later served various government uses. The Migration Museum was established in 1986 by the History Trust of South Australia as one of Australia's first museums dedicated to migration history, preserving the heritage-listed buildings while documenting settlement history.

The museum documents and celebrates the cultural diversity of South Australia through stories of Aboriginal people, early European settlers, and successive waves of migrants and refugees. It serves as a centre for community engagement, cultural heritage and education, highlighting contributions of diverse communities to the state's social fabric.