Stories

Step into the intriguing world of Adelaide’s early coffee rooms, teashops, and cafés. Explore their vital role in shaping politics and society from the 1870s...

General Motors Holden (GMH) frequently asserted that workplace safety was the company’s priority. Yet, in its factories, major accidents did occur, and many workers were...

Watch a conversation between Pip Williams, author of the internationally acclaimed novels The dictionary of lost words and The bookbinder of Jericho, and Peter Zajicek...

Crime pays. Or it did for Australian fiction writers when reading was a major form of entertainment. From the colonial era, local magazines and newspapers...

Join us for a captivating talk where we delve into the timeless treasure trove of postcards and letters donated to the State Library. These seemingly...

Watch Maria Zagala, Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Art Gallery of South Australia, as she delves into the artistic evolution of Joseph...

Delve into the intriguing world of tattooing, as we uncover the history, symbolism, and evolution of this timeless art form, showcased through items held within...

Explore the history of Adelaide pubs that were once vibrant, bustling places but are now silent witnesses to the past. Known as the city of...

We invited journalist Walter Marsh to piece together the story of young Rupert Murdoch’s early battles against Adelaide’s conservative establishment. He explores how these formative...

Trees have always provided humankind with food, shelter, timber, and respite from summer heat. Over millennia, they have also served as community meeting places and...

Hear stories of strength, resilience and longevity of a group of migrants from the Italian region of Veneto who settled in the western suburbs of...

Learn what a recent unusual discovery, by one of our long-term volunteers, tells us about twentieth-century LGBTIQA+ writers in our collections. It was revealed that...

Take you for a stroll through South Australian gardens from colonisation to the 1930s. Early gardening emphasised subsistence but British landscaping styles were soon introduced...

Hear how a lady writer and a fiery preacher raised a ruckus in the City of Churches. You'll discover tales of lavish lifestyles, a riot...

Revealed through diaries, newspapers and memorabilia held in State Library collections, discover the early days of a little known but living faith, Unitarianism. Its motto...

Something to warm the cockles in the depths of winter. Three presenters put three quirky topics under the spotlight to reveal the diversity of State...

Taxidermy was part of the 19 th century interest in natural science sparked by discoveries of scientists such as Charles Darwin. It became something of...

Maria Gandy was companion to South Australia’s first Surveyor-General and founder of Adelaide, Colonel William Light. She was referred to publicly as his housekeeper and...

What was on the dinner menu at Government House in 1867? Take a look into the history of the wonderful gastronomic world of South Australian...