FARM SHED MUSEUM

You will find something for everyone in The Farm Shed Museum. Matta House was the mine manager’s house for Wallaroo Mines, where Copper was discovered in 1859 and mining ceased in 1923, and is in its original location.

Over a century of Australian farming history is also on show across half a hectare of undercover exhibition space. The interpretive displays bring together the stories and farming collection to which the Yorke Peninsula is well known.

The museum is owned and managed by the Kadina Branch of the National Trust of South Australia. Lays claim to the country’s most comprehensive collection of dryland farming equipment. Visitors can take a self-guided tour through the centre. Guided tours for group bookings are also available.

GROUP BOOKING FORM (PDF) or SCHOOL BOOKING FORM (PDF)

Entrance Fees

Adults: $10
Children: $3
Family (2+3): $25
Under School Age: Free
National Trust Members: Free

Farm Shed Museum Displays

Matta House

Built in 1863 as a residence for Edward Austin Horn, the manager of Matta Mine. It was home to a succession of families before it became a museum. The historic bungalow with its shingle roof is refurbished to the Late Victorian period when the local copper mining industry was at its peak.

Kadina’s Story

Depicts the social history of the town. From the founding of Kadina in 1861, it traces a century of development using thematic and photographic displays. The life-size model of an underground mine is a spectacular feature.

School Room

This 1950’s schoolroom was moved to the museum shortly after the school closed. The school house is furnished as a typical rural schoolroom of the era. It will scare many, how familiar the school room is and intrigue the young with its lack of computer gadgets.

Farming

Pioneer lifestyle displays feature shearing, dairying, blacksmithing and farm horses.

Land Clearing

Learn about the invention of the stump jump plough and how it changed farming forever.

Her Side of the Story

This display explores the contribution of women on the dryland farms and the social impacts farming had on families.

Stationary Engines

Marvel at the large engines which once upon a time powered saws, chaff cutters and assisted pumping water.

Printing Press

A separate collection of huge machines from pre-computer era.

Rural Transport

Don’t miss the varied vintage farm vehicles, horse drawn and motor powered.

Telephone Exchange

A great example of a country telephone exchange, this building from Cunliffe, serves as a reminder of the importance of communications in rural communities.