Welcome to the Historical Society of South Australia Website

The Historical Society of South Australia Inc. (HSSA) covers many aspects of South Australia’s history and offers stories of diverse South Australians who have added to our state’s quality of life, progress and heritage.

Since its foundation in 1974 the Society has stimulated public awareness of our history and heritage through engagement in public debates, a program of monthly lectures, bi-monthly newsletters and our academically refereed annual journal.

In 2024 we launched a youtube channel of videos of past history talks, celebrated our 50th anniversary with a high tea and published a history of the society, An Audience with History, which is available for $25 plus postage. 

In 2025 our program was a showcase of our state’s rich shared histories, of the rich heritage of our multicultural state and of its stature, local, nationally and internationally. It gave opportunities to explore unfamiliar and untold stories that displayed the significance of South Australian characters and how they contributed to the economic, intellectual, social and spiritual development and progress of South Australia. 

By adding other layers of narrative to the dominant narratives we understand the richness in the stories of our state’s history and characters and thus increase how we value our heritage.  Members can share remarkable South Australian stories by nominating a book and its author for the Maurice Keain Medal in 2026. New scholarly stories are continually shared in our HSSA newsletter and added on the Society’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HistoricalSocietySA. 

Inquiries are welcome, using the contact tab above. If you have requests regarding help with research or donation of historic materials, please see the ‘Frequently Asked Questions‘ tab before submitting your request. 

The HSSA Council is looking forward to meeting again with our members and guests, armed with curiosity, queries and new stories, in 2026.