Artworks outside

Kaurna Greeting Stone

In 2003 Kaurna elder Lewis O'Brien of Adelaide prepared a greeting message carved in a spiral design into a large slab of Kanmantoo bluestone, placed at the entry to the Spence Wing which reads:

'Munara ngai wanggandi marni na budni Kaurna yertaanna, worttangga marni na budni State Library of South Australia. Ngaityo yungandalya ngaityo yakkanandalga padliadlu wadu.'

Translation: First I welcome you all to my Kaurna country, and next I welcome you to the State Library of South Australia. My brothers, my sisters, let's walk together in harmony.

Robbie Burns Statue

A statue of the Scottish people’s poet Robbie Burns was commissioned by the Caledonian Society of South Australia and was unveiled on 5 May 1894 in front of a vast crowd on the north-west corner of the North Terrace/Kintore Avenue intersection, where the War Memorial now stands.

North Terrace Lights

In 1920 the buildings of Adelaide were floodlit for the visit of the 26-year-old Edward, Prince of Wales, who later abdicated in 1936. From left along North Terrace can be seen the Robbie Burns statue (on the corner now occupied by the War Memorial), the Institute Building, the Public Library building, and at the far right the dome belonging to the Exhibition Building, since demolished for the plaza at the University of Adelaide.

King Edward VII Statue

Vast crowds gathered for the unveiling of the statue of King Edward VII in front of the Institute Building on 15 July 1920, attracted by the presence of the 26-year-old Edward, Prince of Wales. ;

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