The office houses tomes of enormous books and ancient records. It is where researchers go to ply their craft and citizens search for their past. Until the announcement earlier this week, it was all to be moved interstate.

Director-General of National Archives of Australia Ross Gibbs resolved late last year to close not only the Adelaide office, but also those in Darwin and Hobart. The Federal Government had told him to cut the archives budget by $700,000 in the first year and then $1.4 million every year after that.

A diverse range of voices cried out after the announcement. Prominent among them was South Australian historian Peter Knife.

He said closing the office would have effectively stopped any “serious research” being done in SA.

“Though they’re national archives there is a lot of state-based records held there and it is likely those who need to access those records come from South Australia,” he said.

Protests like Mr Knife’s were taken to parliament by politicians from across the political spectrum. Last November, Greens leader Bob Brown and Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young moved a motion in the senate to block the closures. Earlier this month, Liberal member for Mayo Jamie Briggs moved a similar motion in the House of Representatives.

Labor’s Kate Ellis, the Member for Adelaide, was lobbying within her own party.

"Kate has heard the concerns of many local people on this issue. She has been active in ensuring that these views have been heard by the Minister responsible and will continue to put forward those views," said a spokesperson from Ms Ellis’s office last week.

On Tuesday, the Federal Government back-flipped, saying community pressure had forced it to rethink.

“Each of these offices contains documents of particular significance to local historians, including Australian Antarctic missions in Tasmania and Colonial papers and migrant arrivals in South Australia,” said the Minister responsible for National Archives Joe Ludwig.