Adelaide House Museum

Adelaide House on Todd Mall is a beautifully preserved 1926 mission building that served as Alice Springs's first proper hospital and a hub for the Inland Mission's medical and social services in the remote centre. Designed by Reverend John Flynn — the founding father of both the Inland Mission and the Royal Flying Doctor Service — the building is now a museum interpreting the early history of healthcare and settlement in Central Australia.

The exhibits cover Flynn's life and work, the role of the Inland Mission, and the stories of early white settlers in the Red Centre. The building itself, with its thick stone walls and innovative passive cooling system, is as interesting as the displays inside. It is a good complement to the Royal Flying Doctor Service visitor centre nearby.

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A story
Adelaide House was the first purpose-built hospital in Central Australia, completed in 1926 to a design by the Reverend John Flynn — the same Flynn who went on to found the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The building included a rudimentary form of air conditioning: air was drawn through wet hessian bags in the roof cavity to reduce interior temperatures, an ingenious solution in a town without electricity.

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