Ayers House, Adelaide

This historic bluestone mansion on North Terrace was the long-time home of Henry Ayers, a seven-time premier of South Australia after whom Ayers Rock was once named. Expanded through the mid-nineteenth century from a modest cottage into a grand residence, it features elaborate hand-painted ceilings, ornate plasterwork and reception rooms that hosted colonial society. Now operating as a house museum, it interprets the domestic and political life of the era, and its ballroom and dining rooms are used for events.