First up is the Lock & Districts Heritage Museum!
The Lock Museum displays a variety of farming and household equipment, which is housed in the town’s former police station.
Other buildings on display include the Tooligie Siding School, the railway office and a machinery shed.
You can find the museum on the corner of Ettridge Street and Dearman Street in Lock, with a team of willing volunteers to open the museum on request.
It’s just a donation to enter, and you can contact them via phone on 0427891143.
Don’t forget to check out their Facebook page too!
In Port Lincoln, take some time to meet the volunteers at Mill Cottage in Flinders Park!
This old pioneer home was built in 1866 for Joseph Bishop, and for almost 100 years his family continued to live there.
The collection displays items, furniture and clothing brought from England, as well as a collection of early Port Lincoln memorabilia.
Entry fees are $8 for adults, $6 for concession, $3 for 12–16-year-olds and children under 12 are free.
The Ceduna School House Museum was built in 1912 and was also the town’s first post office and first gaol – what a mix!
Located at 2 Park Terrace, Ceduna, the museum also houses a collection of Aboriginal artefacts and artefacts related to Maralinga Village where nuclear testing was carried out in the 50s and 60s.
It also houses the skull and ribs of a Southern Right Whale!
And speaking of whales out west… you can also check out a collection of whale bones at the western end of Fowlers Bay, where an old whaling station once was.
Whaling was a key industry in the area, and Fowlers Bay only stopped operating as a station in 1843.
Keeping with the oceanic theme, the Whyalla Maritime Museum is home to the HMAS Whyalla, the first ship built in the Whyalla shipyards in 1941.
You can go aboard this ship at the museum, as it now sits 2km from the water!
The museum also includes a treasured collection of artefacts and memorabilia, a Natural History Gallery and the ‘Singing to the Sharks’ exhibition, explaining the story of the Indigenous people of Whyalla.
You’ll find the museum at the Whyalla Visitor Information Centre on the Lincoln Highway, from 10am-4pm daily.
Finally, the Koppio Smithy Museum at 1951 Koppio Road features a collection of unique buildings and artefacts that make a great place for kids to explore.
It includes the original blacksmith shop and two-bedroom cottage, the thatch cottage ‘Glenleigh’, the one-teacher schoolhouse, a 1910 Port Lincoln tailor shop, Bank of Adelaide building and more!
The schoolhouse also displays early Indigenous artefacts, while the display sheds have a whole range of farming equipment and history.
If you’re planning your visit, remember the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.