South Australian State Library in North Terrace named one of the most beautiful libraries in the world

WHO says Adelaide doesn’t have any sights to offer tourists? Visitors are loving this attraction, which has just been included in a list of the 20 most beautiful places in the world.

WHO says Adelaide doesn’t have any sights to offer tourists?

The South Australian State Library in North Terrace has just been included in a top-20 list of the most beautiful libraries in the world.

The Library’s Mortlock Wing has been listed by the Travel and Leisure website alongside cutting-edge and historic greats from around the globe.

They include the Marciana Library in Venice, Oxford University’s Bodleian library, the Royal Library in Copenhagen, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt. Opened in 1884, the wing features masonry columns, two galleries, a glass-domed lantern roof, painted gold features, original furniture and a large Dent and Sons clock over the main hall.

Jo Chesher, who’s worked at the State Library for more than a decade, says the clock, which is wound weekly by a staff member, has “an audible tick” that particularly impresses school groups. “It also seems to be getting a reputation of being rather Harry Potter-esque, with an Old World and a bit of a magic feel to it,” she tells AAP.

The library is a hit with tourists.

“I would describe it as magnificent and grand, but not too big as it has an almost intimate ambience.” Students quietly go about their work at heavy timber tables, while visitors from all around the world are welcomed by one of 30 volunteer “ambassadors”.

“Visitors are gobsmacked — after first going through a very modern, glass, light and timber walkway they then literally take a step back in time.” And of course there’s lots of old books, including half-a-dozen which came out to Australia in a trunk in colony times, which can be taken out of the shelves and inspected.

Some of the first floor balcony level books are mainly from the early 1900s and were originally circulated to people in country South Australia.

The Mortlock Wing is open daily from 9 to 5 and certainly worth a visit IF YOU GO The State Library of South Australia is located on Kintore Avenue, North Terrace. Phone: [phone].

For more information visit slsa.sa.gov.au.

It’s a fascinating read.