The rides of our lives
Visit the National Motor Museum these school holidays and race your family and friends on our large Scalextric slot car track.
Sessions are available during the holidays, and they are FREE with Museum Admission.
Dates:
Sunday 27 September
Wednesday 30 September
Friday 2 October
Sunday 4 October
Wednesday 7 October
Sunday 11 October
Sessions held between 11am and 2:15pm
LEGO TRAIL: Then and Now
Discover the progression and changes to Australia’s motoring history over time with our new lego trail!
Find the LEGO mini-figures and reveal the secret word. Those who complete the trail and enter have a chance to win some great LEGO® prizes!
Date: Saturday 26 September to Sunday 11 October 2026
Time: 10am to 5pm daily
Cost: Free with paid museum admission
A walking tour showcasing the history of Birdwood (formerly Blumberg).
Beginning at the Old Mill complex, home of the National Motor Museum, take a relaxed stroll around Birdwood and discover key sites related to the town’s development.
Hear stories about the heritage, from the early days of Lutheran settlement to a thriving village that now hosts the nation’s premier collection of motoring history and one of the world’s great historic motoring events — the RAA Bay to Birdwood!
Sunday 3 May 2026 & Sunday 24 May 2026 11am – 12:30pm
Bookings required online. Tour participants will meet at the National Motor Museum reception desk. Tickets for the walking tour include museum admission.
The All Japan Day Classic (AJDC) is back! Join us for a display celebrating Japanese vehicles built in 1995 or earlier on Sunday 30 November.
All museum visitors are welcome to enjoy the event free with museum admission.
Why not beat the queue and pre-purchase your museum admission ticket online: National Motor Museum Admission Tickets, National Motor Museum, Birdwood | TryBooking Australia
FREE with child admission – book online now to secure your spot.
These school holidays we are offering Lego Car Robotics workshops at the National Motor Museum and they are available FREE with Museum admission. We are partnering with Learn With Bricks to provide these engaging Lego sessions which will promote exploration, discovery, creativity and confidence.
In these hands-on sessions, students will build and program their own machines and robots while exploring the basics of coding. Through interactive challenges, we’ll investigate how to control our creations using simple code, and bring them to life with sounds, lights, and sensors. Perfect for curious minds ready to discover the power of technology and creative problem-solving!
Please book online to secure your spot.
Discover the achievements of one of Australia’s most remarkable but little-known historical figures, Sir George Hubert Wilkins. Featuring Wilkins’ 1939 Chevrolet “Woody” and polar exploration sled, this exhibition recognises his incredible achievements as a South Australian-born polar explorer, aviator, war photographer, submariner, and all-round adventurer.
About Sir George Hubert Wilkins:
Born at Mt Bryan, South Australia, on 31 October 1888, Wilkins lived through the infamous Federation Drought, and its devastating effect on the family farm inspired him to develop a method for forecasting such events. His obsession with what is now called ‘climate science’ became an ambition for his life’s work, which took him to the far reaches of the Earth.
Before completing his university studies in music and engineering, he stowed away on a ship destined for Sydney to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking. His reputation as a talented cameraman, willing to take risks, took him to Europe. There, he became the first person to film flying from an airplane, and on assignment during the first Balkan conflict, he was the first to film a battle. During the First World War, he was selected to join the AIF photographic Corps, receiving military honours.
Wilkins is best known for his Polar exploration, especially his pioneering use of technology. In April 1928, with pilot Ben Eielson, Wilkins completed the first flight across the Arctic, from Alaska to Spitzbergen, for which he received a knighthood from King George V of England. Later that year, Wilkins and Eielson completed a 600-mile aerial reconnaissance of Antarctica, the first time a plane had flown on that continent. In 1931, instead of soaring high above the ice, Wilkins dived below it in ‘Nautilus’ a surplus WWI submarine. The voyage demonstrated that submarines could function under the Arctic polar ice cap and be used for scientific research.
Garage Girls: a night of storytelling magic with five actors playing many colourful characters.
Meet Alice Anderson. Mechanic. Trailblazer. Entrepreneur. She’s the girl who knows her way around a Hups, Dodge and Austin better than anyone.
Imagine… it’s the 1920’s! Society reels from the aftermath of war and a second wave of Spanish flu wreaks havoc on the streets. Women’s fashion sets startling trends and the city hums with the music of the motor car. One small woman defies convention and makes her mark.
Inspired by Alice Anderson’s short but eventful life, Garage Girls will take you from Melbourne’s mysterious underbelly to the remote deserts of Alice Springs. An energetic and fast-paced 70 minute theatrical romp, showcasing dynamic sound design – Garage Girls is a rollicking ride celebrating an Australian icon.
Garage Girls is a show for car-lovers, story-lovers, history-lovers and audiences young and old.
Welcome to Miss Anderson’s All Girl Garage!
Garage Girls is presented by Three Birds Theatre and The Shift Theatre. Three Birds Theatre is a Green Room Award-nominated, independent theatre company established in 2015 by Candace Miles, Madelaine Nunn and Anna Rodway. Three Birds has swiftly gained recognition as exciting innovators of sharp, comedy driven theatre, devoted to bringing female focused stories to the stage. The Shift Theatre is focused on presenting dynamic works with strong roles for women, both from existing texts and in the development of new works. Since 2009, we have produced acclaimed works of longevity with a solid touring history proven regionally, nationally and internationally.
We are pleased to welcome Golding Wines as an event partner, enabling our audience to experience and enjoy beautiful Adelaide hills wines on the night.
Calling all French car enthusiasts! Club Citroen SA are visiting the museum providing an opportunity to see these unique vehicles whilst visiting the museum.
Free with general museum admission.
A rare chance to see these beautiful vehicles up close when they visit the museum this winter. ❄️
Free with normal museum admission.
The SA Branch of the MG Club of Australia is hosting the 2026 National rally.
As part of the event there will be a display of MG vehicles on the grounds of the National Motor Museum from participants across Australia.
See all these vehicles on display free with normal paid Museum admission.
The MG emerged as a specialised sporty version of the Morris Motors brand. MG, standing for Morris Garages, was owned by William Morris. Established in 1923 in Oxford, the brand grew exponentially after introducing Henry Ford’s mass-production methods. The MG outlived its founding company, Morris Motors, with MGs still being produced. Today, MG is a major contributor to the EV market.
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