Unley’s colourful cosmopolitan community is made up of people from all over the globe; past and present. 
 
Get to know some pioneering families, settlers and recent arrivals, where they came from, what they did, and what happened to them.
 
Uncover stories and experiences through photographs, film, coveted mementoes and more.

Winner of the 2016 MAGNA and IA Award of Excellence. Tracing two centuries of change from the original inhabitants, the Kaurna People to Unley today. The exhibition is packed with interactive displays, touchable and useable objects, videos, photographs and objects that uncover the stories that have shaped our city.

 

Mystery, murder, fire and floods this exhibition explores Unley’s dark secrets and strange occurrences. Try your hand a lock picking, crack the safe code and try to solve an Unley mystery in this interactive display.

World War I timeline of local and global events with objects from the collection. Try your hand at Morse Code, play our war strategy game and relax in a 1920s den.

Our exciting hands-on education programs are aligned to the national education curriculum.

To discuss tailored programs contact the Museum Curator at museum@unley.sa.gov.au or 8372 5117.

If you are a teacher who would like to arrange a class to visit the Museum, please complete our online enquiry form.

Research 

Are you researching your family history, curious about the name of your suburb, interested in who owned the local bakery, or doing a school project? The Unley Museum has resources such as photographs, books, oral history tapes and historical records that you can use for research and information purposes.

Resources are available to view at the Museum. 

The Museum can conduct some research on your behalf for a fee of $15-30 (depending upon complexity).
 

Photograph Reproductions

We can provide hard copy photographic reproductions for a minimum fee of $25 per photograph.
 

Publications

The Museum sells a range of local history publications, cards and mementoes. 

 

The City of Unley has created Discover Historic Goodwood, a free self-guided walking tour app which will take you on a journey of Goodwood like no other before. 
 
For details on the project and how to download the app, visit our Discover Historic Goodwood page.

If you are interested in the stories behind the old buildings around the Unley Civic Centre, download our newest self-guided walking tour Discover Historic Unley. A hard copy of the brochure is available at the Unley Libraries and Civic Centre and Museum. Just ask a staff member!
 

Discover Historic Unley

 

You can discover all about your house and its past owners through the Museum's House History research service. And it will only cost you $35.

Who slept in your bedroom? Who cooked in your kitchen?

To request a House History, fill in the form or contact the museum on 8372 5117.

Please allow for approximately 2 months turn around.

The City of Unley Family History collection provides access to a range of resources including birth, death and marriage certificates, South Australian and interstate indexes and access to the vast international online repository, Ancestry Library Edition (available at the Unley Libraries).

The collection and service is housed in the Unley Museum, 80 Edmund Avenue, Unley, and is available Wednesdays, 10am - 4pm, and Thursdays, 10am - 6pm.

Complete a Research Request Form or phone 8372 5117 or email familyhistory@unley.sa.gov.au

The Collection includes:

• Birth, death and marriage certificates for the historical District of Adelaide
• Births July 1856–1922 (plus indexes to 1928)
• Deaths July 1864–1967 (plus indexes to 1972)
• Marriages March 1868–1937
• Index of South Australian births, deaths and marriages
• Biographical index of South Australians
• South Australia 1841 census and biographies
• Northern Territory Australia deaths 1824–2004 (part 1)
• South Australian almanacs and directories
• South Australian pre-civil births, deaths and marriages
• Victorian birth, death and marriage indexes
• Tasmanian Pioneer and Federation indexes (births, deaths, and marriages)
• Access to Ancestry Library Edition (only available onsite at Unley Civic and Goodwood Libraries)
• Many more publications of a more specific nature

If you live overseas, interstate, country South Australia or you are unable to visit the collection during open hours, our volunteers may be able to provide assistance for birth, death and marriage certificate searches.

To request this service please complete a Research Request Form and email to familyhistory@unley.sa.gov.au

The estimated turnaround time for search requests is 28 days (dependent on available resources and the number of requests received). No more than three requests per person can be made at any one time.
 

Other local resources

South Australian Genealogy and Heraldry Society (SAGHS)

A central library run by volunteers providing access to South Australian, Australian and international genealogical and heraldry information.

Please note that SAGHS does charge for some services.

Tuesdays, 10.30am-9pm,
Wednesdays, Thursday and Saturdays, 10.30am- 4.30pm and
Every 2nd and 4th Sunday, 1-4.30pm
201 Unley Road, Unley SA 5061
Phone 8272 4222 or email saghs.admin@saghs.org.au or visit the Genealogy SA website


State Library of South Australia (SLSA)

Holds a large genealogical collection including South Australian, interstate and international resources.

Monday–Wednesday, 10am-8pm,
Thursdays and Fridays, 10am-6pm
Saturdays and Sundays 10am-5pm

Cnr North Terrace and Kintore Avenue, Adelaide SA 5000
Phone 8207 7250 or email info@slsa.sa.gov.au or visit the State Library of South Australia website

 

You can search the Museum's collection through the Unley Libraries' online catalogue from the catalogue computers in the library or from your home computer.

To search, simply select the Advanced Search option and type in your desired keywords then select Loc: Unley Museum from the Limits box and click on the red arrow to submit your search. If you want to view all of the Museum's holdings just put a * in the keywords Search By box and select Loc: Unley Museum from the Limits box then click on the red arrow to submit your search. Please note that as it will bring back every holding for the Museum the list will be very long!

It is important that you note the shelf location for the item that you are interested in viewing. Photographs are available to view at the Museum during open hours. If you are interested in viewing other items in the collection, please make a time with the Curator, by ringing 8372 5117.

If you have an item you would like to donate to the Museum, contact the curator on 8372 5117.

The museum accepts donations that are:
 

• Associated with people, events, places and themes in Unley's history
• Valued by sections of the Unley community for social, economic, cultural, religious or spiritual reasons
• Demonstrate important social customs in Unley
• Were once commonly available and represent changing trends in the daily lives of people in Unley
• Designed, manufactured or used in Unley
• Demonstrate important social or technological changes in Unley
• Reflect personal histories of Unley residents

The more of these categories that the item can fit into, the better it is for the museum and its collection. In deciding to accept an item the Unley Museum must ensure that:
 

• The intending donor has legal title
• It is free of encumbrances
• It has clearly established provenance
• It has potential for research, interpretation and exhibition
• It has definitive documentation and/or relationships to other objects within the collection
• The condition consists of minor wear or damage, minimal staining and no insects
• It does not duplicate other material within the collection

Since ALL of the above must be confirmed, items generally cannot be accepted when they are initially brought to our attention. Research and comparison to the collection can take time.

If you are thinking of donating an item, contact the curator by phone on 8372 5117, to discuss your donation and make an appointment during open hours: Monday - Wednesday 10am-4pm and Sunday 1.30-4.30pm.