The Salvation Army Australia Museum
+ Add to ItineraryDescription
The site at 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne, is a historic 1889 Victorian-era building originally constructed for the YMCA and purchased by The Salvation Army in 1895.
The former Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters, it currently houses the Project 614 ministry, a museum, and administrative offices.
The Salvation Army Australia Museum's Melbourne site preserves and presents Salvation Army history. It tracks its Australian origins, its role in various wars and its little-known, but significant, contributions to Australia's film industry. It features artefacts, photos, and records, including the pioneering Limelight Department film studios operated by the Salvation Army at the start of the 20th century, wartime items, social welfare history, uniforms, books, photos, souvenirs of early outback aircraft ministries, and brass band paraphernalia including tambourines and cornets etc...
At the Limelight Studios many Salvation Army silent movies were produced, including Soldiers of the Cross, which was the world's first multimedia presentation of silent movie clips, lantern slides and live music in 1900.
What's On
Both the museum and Limelight Studios will be open to the public on levels four and five.
At the Salvation Army Australia Museum, we honour the rich legacy of our founders and reflect on the stories, people, and artefacts that shaped the Salvation Army in Australia, while also celebrating how their bold vision continues to guide our mission and ministry today.
We invite you to experience this story in person, with tours conducted by the museum specialist.
Children's Activities
Come along on a museum scavenger hunt! This engaging, interactive activity is designed to encourage exploration, observation, and learning for visitors of all ages (primarily from five- to twelve-years-old)! Find specific objects, answer trivia questions, or solve some puzzles.
There will also be a costume dress-up zone and colouring pages.
Images: (1) 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne, a historic 1890 Victorian-era building and home of The Salvation Army Australia Museum. (2) Some of the many colourised slides that were used to make the film ’Soldiers of the Cross’. (3) A visitor to the museum standing next to the display of a Limelight Department camera crew man. (4-5) Artefacts on display at the museum. All photos: courtesy Salvation Army Australia Museum.
