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 Image of the West End Brewery, photograph taken by Toby Woolley.

The West End Brewery archive

The stories that make us.

When the gates closed at the West End Brewery site in Adelaide in June 2021, the State Library received a donation offer for the business...

Behind the scenes History Hotels and pubs
Watch the Maria Gandy talk

Written Out – Maria Gandy: Colonel Light’s lady, Dr Mayo’s wife

The stories that make us.

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...

Biography History Stories on-demand
Johnny and Romano Marchioro with the new Chevrolet truck

The story of an Italian market gardening family

The stories that makes us

It’s 1949, on the banks of the River Torrens at Lockleys, and two young boys are milking a cow so their mother can make cheese...

History
Port Gawler Map, hero image. SLSA: C 1191

Port Gawler Land Release: The scandal of 1839

The stories that make us.
Crime and infamy History Stories from the stacks
Watch the Menus in the collection talk

Double-cut fritz and sauce roll and a cup of tea please

The stories that make us.

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...

History Hotels and pubs Stories on-demand
A cropped version of WH Edmunds map of Adelaide. SLSA C228/1

WH Edmunds: The magnificent mapmaker

The stories that make us.

The following saying has never been more true than for WH Edmunds. His maps are the jewels in the crown of the Map Collection of...

Magnetic reel tapes of the ABC radio show: From the Library Shelf.

From the Library Shelf

The stories that make us.

Did you attend school in the mid to late 1960s in South Australia? Chances are you might remember the radio program ‘ From the Library...

Behind the scenes Children Literature
Illuminated manuscript Paris 1500 Verso rbr122694675

The ruined medieval manuscript...

Fragmentarium is an international, online research laboratory for uploading digital copies of fragments from hand-written medieval books, known as manuscripts. This landmark project started at...

History
Fuscous Honeyeater. Ptilotis fuscus J. and E. Gould del. et lith. Plate number 44, volume IV, The birds of Australia, 1848. SLSA: rbri11743785/004/pl 44

From nature, to stone, to paper: Gould's birds of Australia

The stories that make us.

Do you love to catch a flash of bright colour when you hear a parrot above? Or perhaps you like to spy a little grey...

Art, design, fashion History
View the full advert here for some of the recipes for ‘sandwiches without butter! ‘Advertising’, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 5 May 1945, NLA: Trove article 4727255.

Everything old is new again

The stories that make us.

During World War One, the Bank of Thrift was set up on North Terrace to teach South Australians, including children, how to save and contribute...

A still from the tourism film, Adelaide and a taste of South Australia, 1985. SLSA: ZV 592

Days we’ll remember in South Australia: a brief history of tourism ads 

The stories that make us.

What better way to celebrate  World Day for Audiovisual Heritage , than showcasing some film, video, and audio gems in the State Library’s collection. This year...

History
Telegraph Office located in King William St, Adelaide, circa 1872. SLSA: B 8026

How the Overland Telegraph Line changed journalism in South Australia

The stories that make us

The biggest changes brought about by the completion of the Overland Telegraph were within the newspaper industry. The ability to receive almost instantaneous news from...

History Innovation
Coloured version of the stetck by Babbage of Camp Ockindean Flat, with an illustration of the OTL across the landscape. SLSA: PRG 404/19/3/64

‘Kookaburra sits on the telegraph wire…’

The stories that make us

How did Australian children experience the Overland Telegraph Line? The State Library has delved into the collections and discovered a story that explores the Australian...

Children History Innovation Stories from the stacks
Stories from the stacks

Great Air Race of 1919: Curator talks

The stories that make us.

Watch episodes of Stories from the Stacks featuring items from the Sir Ross and Keith Smith collection . Presented by Carolyn Spooner, Librarian at the...

Behind the scenes Biography History Stories from the stacks
Our princesses and their dogs

Honouring Her Majesty

With the loss of Queen Elizabeth II after a reign of 70 years we look back at her role in the South Australian community including...

History
Heroes of the skies, Ross and Keith Smith exhibition

Heroes of the Skies

The stories that make us

Discover the amazing story of the England to Australia air race of 1919, won by two of South Australia’s favourite sons, Captain Ross and Lieutenant...

Biography History Stories from the stacks
Flying over Adelaide, 1914. B 285_crop

Sensational end of a magnificent flight

Englishman Arthur Jones had undertaken flights in other parts of Australia before venturing to Adelaide to thrill us with the magic of powered flight. He...

History Innovation
Port Adelaide, 1890. B 4414

An unsuspecting countryman

The British Hotel on North Parade holds the oldest 'most continuous' licence in Port Adelaide. Established in 1847, with James Wakeling as the first publican...

Crime and infamy History Hotels and pubs Shipping
Littering. It isn't worth the shame of a $20 fine. Poster circa. 1980

Signs of the times

The stories that make us

Since antiquity, the practice of posting up hand-drawn public notices has been a major source of communication. Even in the internet age, posters continue to...

Imperial Hotel, 1957. SLSA: PRG 1662/9/59

Gunman robs city hotels

It was an eventful afternoon in Adelaide one Thursday in October 1952. Port Pirie Recorder , 17 October 1952, p1 Oriental Hotel, corner Gawler Place...

Architecture Crime and infamy History Hotels and pubs