Urrbrae House Historic Precinct

Home
Australia
Adelaide, SA
Urrbrae House Historic Precinct

Urrbrae House is located on Kaurna Country at the Waite Campus of Adelaide University and is an accredited museum with the History Trust of South Australia.

Urrbrae House is located on Kaurna Country at the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus and is an accredited museum with the History Trust of South Australia. The Urrbrae House Historic Precinct welcomes visitors from the public. Please check our website for visitor information and opening times. The house museum may be closed on occasion due to University activities and on days of extreme heat/fi

re danger. The museum precinct includes Urrbrae House (built in 1891), its gardens, Battery House, Peter Waite's Garage and Coach House. Visitors may park in the Urrbrae House carpark; enter off Fullarton Road onto Walter Young Avenue, Urrbrae. The Urrbrae estate was gifted by Peter Waite to the University in 1914 to be used in the future as 1) an agricultural research and teaching facility and 2) a public park or garden. The estate was handed over to the University in February 1923 after the deaths of Peter and Matilda Waite in 1922.

31/08/2026

A chance to look into the history of footwear in South Australia at Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum on 20 September https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ELUbQgSRv/

27/08/2026

Looking for a day out in the sunshine to learn about new reforestation methods? You’re in luck. Join an upcoming open day at the Miyawaki Mini Forest within the Waite Arboretum.

Date: Saturday, 12 September 2026 from 10am
Location: The Miyawaki Forest, Waite Arboretum (north-east corner, accessible from Sir Walter Young Ave, off Fullarton Road), Urrbrae

So what is a Miyawaki Forest? As Claire Shoubridge from the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine/Waite Arboretum explains:

"It’s a method of planting that uses locally native trees planted at very high densities to create fast-growing and biodiverse pocket forests. These forests are useful in parks, schools, private land, and reforestation projects, or wherever you need quick canopy cover and greenery. But which density is best to use? That’s what our project set out to discover. In September 2025, we planted six mini forests at different densities (from 1 plant per square metre, all the way to 6 plants per square metre), and now that the trees are 1 year old, we’re hosting an open day to showcase the progress so far.

Which density do you think has grown the tallest? Are the plants competing with one another in the high-density forests, or are they collaborating to support one another’s growth? Come along to find out.

We’ll have some hands-on work helping with site maintenance and weeding, a chance to meet other folk involved with the project, and then lunch offered at the newly rebuilt Waite Gatehouse."

This is a free event. For any queries and to RSVP, please contact Claire at [email protected]

Please note that those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/caregiver.

26/08/2026

The sky is on fire. Stunning sunset tonight seen from the Urrbrae House balcony.

25/08/2026

A small gang of sulphur crested cockatoos decided to drop by this afternoon to check out the balcony views and have a snack in the gardens.

07/08/2026

We were delighted to have SALA Chair, Alexandrea Cannon OAM (seen here with the exhibition curator, Julie Strawinski) visit the “Traces” exhibition by the Bittondi Printmakers at Urrbrae House this week. Works on display include these beautiful, amazingly detailed artworks by Kim Horn who has perfectly captured the theme of the exhibition.

Art || Antiques || Jewelry || The Phoenix Room

03/08/2026

From yesterday’s launch of the “Traces” exhibition by the Bittondi Printmakers at Urrbrae House. Many thanks to all who contributed to a special afternoon including the talented artists, curator Julie Strawinski (with help from Jo Mildenhall) and City of Adelaide Councillor Phillip Martin who officially opened the exhibition and spoke about the importance of the SALA Festival to South Australia. Thanks also to Nepenthe Wines for their generous sponsorship of the launch.
Allan, Lynette and Nina from the Urrbrae House team were on hand to welcome guests throughout the afternoon.

01/08/2026

Ready to open our doors to visitors next Monday for the SALA Festival in the Urrbrae House Drawing Room.
The “Traces” exhibition by the Bittondi Printmakers will be open free to the public from 3-26 August 2026,
Monday-Thursday, 10am-3pm, Sunday 1pm-4pm.
Exhibiting artists: Camilo ESPARZA, Geoff GIBBONS, Kim HORN, Helen KAVANAGH, Jenny KNIGHT, Michele LANE, Jo MILDENHALL, Mary MOORE, Janette NICHOLLS, Cheryl NOLAN, Annie NOONAN, Mary PULFORD, Julie STRAWINSKI, Rebecca ZANKER
Includes works inspired by historic Urrbrae House and the Waite Arboretum

Address

Walter Young Avenue
Adelaide, SA
5064

Telephone

+61883137497

Website

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/waite-historic/urrbrae-house-precinct

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Urrbrae House Historic Precinct posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Adelaide?