If you enjoy the way buildings look and you like to see blueprints, if you are fascinated with the…read moreephemera surrounding the interior design world or the area of architecture; maybe you want to do some research into who lived in what building in historic Adelaide? Possibly you are interested in engravings, photographs, diaries and notebooks all concerning architecture. If you are that way inclined then call the Collections manager Dr Julie Collins and make a date to visit this most delightful museum. If you have time on your hands and are looking for something to do that is truly fascinating this is a very interesting way to spend some time. I become quite enthralled with the drawings and pictures and I'm not an architect nor have I ever had any ambition to become one, but I do like looking at interesting things. Take yourself for a day out and I suspect you will want to make a return visit just to continue looking at the greater part of the iceberg you will have observed the tip of. It is a free service based in the school of design and architecture as part of the University of South Australia, but it is also a public museum and a total treat for anyone with interests in history, research and obviously buildings; town planning and social development students even set design students will also find this really interesting and if you are one of the rare breed who want to etch, mark metal as an artistic pursuit and print etchings that you can ask people to come up and see... as in "come up and see my etchings..." this is an unmissable cache of treasures you will take great delight in. Costs nothing but the phone call to warn Dr Julie you are on your way; and she will be pleased as a punch drunk bricklayer believe me. Oh and don't worry, Dr Julie will not hang over you as if you shouldn't be there - she loves visitors to her pride and joy. Best collection of materials on architecture you could hope for in the state.

RiAus stands for (the) Royal Institution of Australia, and they are residents at The Science…read moreExchange which used to be the Adelaide Stock Exchange, so it is a beautiful historic building to start with, and you are welcome to go and wander about checking out its beauty. That's the first bit of great news because the second bit is this is all free so far so good! Now the next bit of great news is that The Science Exchange is a venue you can hire; well actually there are several spaces inside the historic building here you can hire. The Thinking Room, The Theatre, a Science Room - each have a great deal of character and that's just too easy for me to say - you must go and look for yourself. Start by checking out my photographs of the place and you will see what I'm getting at. Talk about a beautiful place! The next (there is more) thing that is truly wonderful is that RiAUS are really concerned about making science and maths and thinking a really cool accessible thing to all people but especially young people. So they hold all sorts of events and happenings and create programs that engage community in a vast array of really fascinating things, and most of the time it costs nothing to be involved or to go and look at whatever it is - check out the knitted or crocheted reef in the photos I took. It has an informative website where you can get a lot more complete detail that will blow your mind. It's blown my mind. I love going in and just wandering around. There is always something wonderful but get involved and you will be really astonished at how truly great it really is. One significant word of warning. The office workers from the surrounding high rise buildings do come down to the courtyard behind The Science Exchange to have their cigarettes, so if you are a non smoker like myself you need to be aware that there's a lot of smokers around the various approach ways from Grenfell Street in particular. Not right outside the RiAUS building directly, but a few meters away at most approach ways; I was horrified to encounter the filthy and stinky smokers chattering away and puffing away at their cancer sticks. A big yuck against the area, but what can you do other than be aware particularly if you are a school teacher bringing kids into RiAUS which wouldn't be an unusual thing. Maybe just case the joint and chose your entry from the street carefully so as not to have to walk in between so many people hell bent on costing the health system and themselves dearly at the whim of a blooming' multinational corporation growing addictive drugs. Just don't smoke folk! Check out RiAUS at The Science Exchange - you will love it. I think if you head in towards it from Pirie Street you are likely to encounter fewer smokers because there are a couple of eating places in the lane way you'd be walking down... just a thought.

Up until 1991 this building was the Adelaide Stock Exchange. Now it's the 'Science Exchange'…read morehousing the RiAus, a charitable science institution. As Dave J. mentions, they host a holy-shit-they're-crazy number of cool events, which are often free to attend. Built in an 'Arts and Crafts' style the building is a fascinating historical nugget of Adelaide. It has a spire. Not on a main road, it's buried between Grenfell and Pirie Streets having been completely boxed in by sky scrappers. Best accessed through a pedestrian path running between the Adelaide City Council and James Place. I saw a local TED Talk (TEDx) here in 2011. It was clear the RiAus was a robust choice of venue; the auditorium felt intimate yet held 150 people or so. The presentations were also live streamed to stragglers in the basement (overflow room) and online. They've succeeded in creating a modern and comfortable environment that works hard to focus the crowd's attention on the speaker, the ideas, etc. A very professional venue. Vivacious website - visit for upcoming events.