Managed by the ETSA Past Employees Association and situated at the former Kurralta Park Depot, the Museum is dedicated to the collection of machinery and apparatus used by the Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) and previously the Adelaide Electric Supply Company (AESCo), in the generation, distribution and use of electricity in South Australia.
The museum also has a collection of commercial appliances and electrical equipment, such as stoves, washing machines, radios, toasters and kettles, which used electrical energy spanning over 800 exhibits dating from the late 1890s and throughout the 20th century. The collection also includes a comprehensive range of electrical test instruments and energy meters covering early d.c. equipment used extensively in the late 1800s through to the latest electronic instruments. It also houses a large collection of photographs of various AESCo and ETSA power stations, buildings, transport and activities along with house magazines from the first edition in 1925 until the last of the “Adelects” printed.
A highlight of a tour of the museum is seeing the Tesla coil in operation, generating a huge million volt spark between two electrodes.
The Governor of South Australia, Sir Eric Neal, officially opened the Museum on Sunday 1 September 1996. The dedicated volunteer museum team regularly meet at Kurralta Park on Tuesdays and members enjoy working with former colleagues and reminiscing about earlier times with ETSA.