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The Sheep's Back Museum

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Naracoorte, SA
The Sheep's Back Museum

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Sheep's Back Museum, Tourist Information Center, 36 MacDonnell Street, Naracoorte.

Wool played a large role in Naracoorte's History, but the Museum also covers flora, fauna and geology in natural history, and has transport, social and cultural exhibits as well.

04/06/2026

🚂 Save the Date – Sunday 27 September

Celebrating 150 Years of the Naracoorte–Kingston Railway

Mark Sunday 27 September in your diary
This is the day we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first passenger rail trips between Naracoorte and Kingston!

To honour this milestone, we’re inviting the community to join a convoy travelling from Kingston to Naracoorte, following the path of the old railway line. Along the way, there will be stops with stories, history, and moments from the original railway, bringing the journey to life.

There will also be:
• Optional lunch at Lucindale
• Dinner in Naracoorte** to finish the day together

Tickets and full details will be available soon, but for now, SAVE THE DATE and start gathering your travelling companions. It’s going to be a wonderful way to celebrate our shared history.

01/06/2026

🌙 Night Shift at the Museum tonight from 7pm to 9pm

Whether you're a tech whiz or just curious, come lend a hand and 🤝 Connect with fellow volunteers and museum lovers

No experience needed—just bring your enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. Let’s make our exhibits even more engaging together!

📍 Location: Bottom of Cameron Street
🕖 Time: Mondays, 7pm–9pm

We hope to see you there 😊

29/05/2026

Naracoorte - a meeting place of the people of the South East.

Aboriginal Artist Tanya Hartman tells a story of movement, connection, and Country. Her artwork created within the meeting circle represents a map of the South East. Throughout the design, you can see a network of campsites and waterholes all leading toward the central tribal meeting area, represented by the four‑armed campsite symbol. Campsites without people seated around them represent places used for overnight stays on multi‑day walks.

Male and female symbols line the circle to represent a shared meeting place, a space for gathering, listening and connection. A larger female symbol represents Queen Ethel Watson, a respected Aboriginal woman who passed away in 1954. Her presence on the map honours her connection to Country and the stories carried forward through community.

Near the meeting circle, 44 stepping stones, each carry a unique Aboriginal symbol bringing more depth, culture, and meaning to this shared space. The first three stepping stones represent man, woman, and elder, marking the beginning of a pathway. The stepping stones will lead to a native garden (yet to be completed).
The artwork is located at the Sheep’s Back Museum & Visitor Information Centre, where the friendly staff can provide you with a map and list of symbols to bring the depth of this story to life.

This is a project of the National Trust & The Sheep’s Back Museum, proudly supported by the Partnership between Naracoorte Lucindale Council & Country Arts SA. Marsden Szwarcboard Foundation generously contributed to the materials and preparation behind the scenes. The National Trust hopes this artwork becomes a place of gathering, learning, and shared community for many years to come.

The artist is Tanya Hartman.

29/05/2026

🐑 Are You Thinking of Volunteering? Here’s What’s Happening at the Museum

A lot is happening at The Sheep’s Back Museum, and we’re always happy to welcome people who’d like to help, even just for one project.

Here are some of the projects currently planned or underway:

• Repairing and repainting Simpson’s Mill
• Artwork and signage for the First Nations Trail
• New exhibition areas for geology and First Nations history
• Updated editions of "A History of Naracoorte"
• A sequel covering 1973–2023
• Celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Naracoorte–Kingston railway
• Planning a new building for local history and temporary displays
• Creating a directory of district history sources
• Researching the history of the Naracoorte Saleyards
• Upgrading displays with interactive elements and animatronics
• A virtual 3D model of Naracoorte across different eras
• Cooperative promotion with other Limestone Coast museums
• A working windmill display
• A song‑line for the First Nations Trail
• A rejuvenated museum website
• Recording local oral histories
• School‑based historical displays
• More QR codes for deeper visitor information

And that’s on top of the weekly repairs, gardening, cleaning, cataloguing and general care that keep the museum running.

If you’re thinking about volunteering, whether it’s for a single project or something small behind the scenes,we’d love to hear from you.
If you don’t have time to volunteer, simply "visiting" the museum is a wonderful way to support us. Bring a friend, explore what’s new, and help keep Naracoorte’s history alive.

We’re open weekdays 9–5 and weekends 10–4.

21/05/2026

🐑 What’s Been Happening at The Sheep’s Back Museum

There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes lately. We’ve had major repairs to Simpson’s Mill after galah damage, specialist stonemasons and carpenters have been hard at work, which was costly, but a worthwhile project for the preservation of the building.

On the brighter side, Marion Patterson has refreshed our Bird Room displays, and Crocker Engineering helped us install new information panels for our farming equipment.

Our current volunteers, many of whom are older locals, give so much of their time. We’d love to welcome a few new faces to help share the load as we move toward more project‑based volunteering.

We’ll soon share a full update on the many projects planned and underway to keep the museum strong for the future.

18/05/2026

🌙 Night Shift Reminder
Just a quick note for our wonderful volunteers,
night shift is on tonight.

Thank you, as always, for the time and care you bring to the museum. Every shift helps keep our stories alive.

And keep an eye on this page…
we’ve had a few interesting things happening around the museum lately, and we’ll be sharing a peek very soon.

15/05/2026

🚂 THIS SUNDAY | ALL ABOARD FOR LOCAL HISTORY 🚂

The countdown is on for our special South Australian History Festival event celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Kingston to Naracoorte Railway.

Join us this Sunday afternoon as we explore the story of the railway that changed the South East forever, connecting Kingston’s port with Naracoorte’s growing agricultural region from 1876.

📸 Historic photographs
🧳 Fascinating memorabilia
🗣 Guided stories from passionate local volunteers

📅 Sunday, 17th May
🕜 1.30pm – 4pm
📍 Kingston SE National Trust Museum
23 Cooke Street, Kingston SE

🎟 Adults $10 | Children $5

There’s something pretty special about uncovering the stories of the people, places and progress that built our region. Come along and be part of it.

15/05/2026

🐑 History Month has arrived in South Australia, and its time to celebrate Connections.
Throughout May, the Sheep’s Back Museum will be highlighting the relationships, stories, and shared experiences that tie our community to its wool and farming past.

There are also some wonderful local events happening across our region:
• Celebrating 150 years of the Kingston-Naracoorte Railway Sunday May 17, 1.30 - 4pm, Kingston SE National Trust Museum, 23 Cooke Street.
• Take a Walk Down Memory Lane at the Naracoorte Library, Wednesday May 20, 7pm (Free event)
• Sharing of Local Stories at the Narracoorte Homestead, Tuesday May 26, 7pm.
You can explore these events, and the full statewide program through the South Australian History Festival website: festivalhistory.sa.gov.au

We look forward to sharing this special month of storytelling and connection with you.

13/05/2026

🚂 History Month Highlight: Celebrating 150 Years of the Kingston–Naracoorte Railway

This Sunday, our neighbours in Kingston SE are marking a wonderful milestone, 150 years since the opening of the Kingston–Naracoorte Railway, the very line that helped shape the South East’s early wool and agricultural industries.

The railway played a huge role in connecting our region’s farms, stations, and communities to the wider world. It’s a story close to the heart of places like the Sheep’s Back Museum, where we celebrate the people and industries that built the Limestone Coast.

If you’re heading towards the coast this weekend, the Kingston SE National Trust Museum will have a special display of photographs and memorabilia open for History Month.

📅 Sunday 17 May
🕜 1.30pm – 4pm
📍 Kingston SE National Trust Museum, 23 Cooke St
🔗 Event details: https://festival.history.sa.gov.au/events/celebrating-the-150th-anniversary-of-kingston-to-naracoorte-railway/

A lovely way to honour our shared history across the region.

Address

36 MacDonnell Street
Naracoorte, SA
5271

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+61887621399

Website

http://thesheepsbackmuseum.org.au/

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