National Motor Museum

Since 1965 millions of people have enjoyed discovering their motoring heritage at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood, South Australia. As an international centre for the collection, research, preservation, education and display of Australian road transport history, the National Motor Museum is much more than a collection of vehicles. It is a social history of the way we were, the way we are now and the way of the future.

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Image: car seen from above with Indigenous Australian Artwork painted on the body

Bush Mechanics – AR Survival Kit

Recently the National Motor Museum launched an exhibition showcasing the vehicles and content of the Bush Mechanics television series. It is a travelling exhibition and is showing at the National Motor Museum...

Introducing Matt

Matthew Lombard, or Matt, has worked as a curator at the National Motor Museum since 2002. Asked about how he ended up working in this area Matt told us: I was young and liked old things, strange eh! I guess my parents were relatively old when they had me – compared...

Image: woman standing at desk with motor museum sign behind her

Introducing Deb

Deb is one of the team at the National Motor Museum. I have been a Museum Officer at the National Motor Museum for nearly 3 years, a job that I absolutely love. I am employed on a casual basis but as I live in Birdwood I can be called up...

Introducing Paul

Paul Rees is Director of the National Motor Museum. He decided to work in the museum sector after spending time at Arts SA as the Manager of Cultural Heritage. This role exposed me to the world of museums and collections and I sort of fell in love with the sector. I love...

Image: Head and shoulders shot of three women standing together

Introducing Sue

Sue Wheeler is the Business Manager at the National Motor Museum. I decided to become a Business Manager as my career and interest has always been in Administration, with a particular emphasis on Business and Finance. The Business Manager position at the National Motor Museum therefore, I feel is a...

Introducing Pauline

Pauline Renner has worked at the National Motor Museum since 1994 when she was first employed as a casual guide and then education presenter. Current role Pauline is now the Events Coordinator at the Museum: I was asked to assist with the inaugural Birdwood Classic in 1997 about six weeks before...

Image: two young men with a dog and hunting equipment in open top old car

Motor Museum Memories

My brainwave for the opening of the Holden Pavilion of Australian Motoring was fine – as long as nothing went wrong. I had been Director of the National Motor Museum for just eighteen months and was about to benefit from a decade of lobbying by my predecessor, John Cashen, for...

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No Halloween please, we’re Australian!

Thinking on the wider issue of new culture and celebrations and my colleagues at History SA and their connection to communities and the cultural celebrations of those communities, led me to reflecting on Halloween once again. Are festivals such as Halloween part of our business in museums? Are they simply...

Ute-opia revisited

In 2011 the National Motor Museum celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Holden ute with an exhibition called Ute-opia. This video was developed then in partnership with Ash Starkey.