Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame and old Gaol

Tuesday, June 24:

Today it was my turn to pick what we did and I chose to visit the old Adelaide Gaol which is also the home of the  National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame.

The gaol was fascinating the men were in the back section and the women in the front. Unfortunately all the women were Aboriginal and some seemed to like it there juding by the stories told by one or two of the women.

The Hall of Fame was housed in the gaol’s former kitchen block and featured very interesting displays. The themes were Ordinary Women extraordinary Lives: Women First in the Field with over 140 women featured from all fields of endeavour – including of course Dame Nellie Melba (I provided them with information about her but I’m not sure it was used here).

Women at the Heart – pioneer women of Central Australia

Women’s Work – artifact display

Women in Aviation – a large tapestry of Australian women aviators.

Very well done but not sure too much is rotated. I asked if new exhibitions were being developed and the volunteers in the shop didn’t know.

We had lunch at the RSL and then wandered their small museum which featured mostly the camps set up during WWII.

Araluen Arts Centre

Our next stop was back to the Araluen Arts Centre to look at the rest of the complex which also houses several galleries and museums and cinema.

We wandered through the gifts shops, the Albert Namatjira gallery which features his work and that of five generations of his family. Some of his children and nephews were actually taught by Namatjira.

The next building housed a craft shop and working studio and then there was an imposing building of geology and history of the area and the Carl Strehlow a pastor and Hermannsburg Mission west of Alice who filmed and recorded many of the Aboriginal ceremonies, stories etc. these films are not for public display but were the first serious efforts to record Aboriginal life.

Wal finished off with a quick look at the small aviation museum. Then it was back to camp.

National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame, Alice Springs featuring Dame Nellie Melba. the museum is housed in the former kitchen of the Old Alice Springs Gaol.

A typical cell in the men's section of the old Alice Springs Gaol.

A beautiful mural completed by an inmate in his cell in the men's section of the old Alice Springs Gaol.