In this gallery, you will delve into the sweeping changes that shaped South Australia—and the nation as a whole—throughout the twentieth century, a period defined by ambitious mass migration programs that laid the foundation for the multicultural society we know today.

Through an engaging, large-scale graphic timeline, you can continue your chronological exploration of South Australia’s migration history, tracing the personal and collective journeys of those who arrived during this transformative era. Richly layered displays weave together personal stories, archival materials, and artefacts to illuminate how shifting government policies impacted everyday lives—often in profound and lasting ways.

The exhibition highlights key moments and movements, from the alienation experienced under the ‘White Australia’ policy, to the experiences of child migrants, displaced persons arriving in the aftermath of the Second World War, and the influx of British families under various migration schemes. It also explores life in migrant hostels and the complex transition from the enforced conformity of assimilation to the more inclusive, though still evolving, ideals of integration and multiculturalism that define Australian identity today.