I have waxed lyrical elsewhere about some of the hidden secrets of North Terrace. There are many fine buildings along that stretch of road10, 11 & 12 Elder Hall & Bonython Hall at the University of Adelaide and the Barr Smith Library is as good a University Library as you might get anywhere in the world.
But the real treasures are the cultural institutions
13. The Art Gallery of SA has an interesting collection of colonial art and an excellent smattering of other works. Its modern collection is growing and the aboriginal works both traditional and modern are well worth the effort. I have particularly drawn your attention to Patricia Piccinini's "Big Mother" which is just wonderful. Quite confronting but an excellent acquisition
14 & 15 SA Museum. In the way of colonial museums there is a curious collection of all sorts of things....masses of fauna collected by early enthusiasts. Copies of European artefacts (all sorts of Egyptian stuff) a lot of South Pacific memorabilia (and one wonders why) but I was wowed last year byt the quality of the entries for the Natural History Art competition...The Waterhouse Prize...and if you can see this then do (usually shows up to very early September)
16 Of great significance in the Museum collection is the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery. It is easy for those of us who live here to overlook what we live alongside every day, but this is of course of great interest worldwide. I remember the visit of my beloved uncle two decades ago and his great joy at seeing this display.
It needs to be kept more up to date and not allowed to lapse into decrepitude. It is, after all, one of the definitive aspects of Australian society.
17 If going down the Terrace it would be easy to overlook the small City Gallery of Flinders University which is in the precinct of the State Library. This small exhibition is always intriguing and well worth a visit. It changes a fair bit, and is well worth a visit.
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