Scienceworks (Melbourne)
Science museum in Melbourne, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scienceworks is one of Australia’s leading science museums[1] located in Spotswood, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. It is one of three museums operated by Museums Victoria.[2] Displays and activities offered by the museum include hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and tours.
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| Established | March 27, 1992 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2 Booker St, Spotswood, Melbourne, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37.831582°S 144.89394°E |
| Type | Science Centre |
| Accreditation | Asia Pacific Network of Science & Technology Centres (ASPAC) |
| President | Leon Kempler |
| CEO | Lynley Crosswell |
| Owner | Museums Victoria |
Public transit access |  Spotswood |
| Website | Scienceworks |
Scienceworks is housed in a purpose-built building "styled along industrial lines" near the historic Spotswood Pumping Station,[3] constructed in 1897, whose steam engines form an associated exhibit.[4] The pumping station forms part of the museum complex.[5] Being built on a site shared by the 125-year-old engineering marvel, Scienceworks links Melbourne’s industry, heritage, and applied technology[6]
Scienceworks was built to accommodate 250,000 visitors but pre-pandemic was attracting 500,000 visitors annually.[7]
History
Scienceworks opened on 27 March 1992 while Joan Kirner was premier of Victoria.[8][9] Its first permanent exhibitions were Inventions, Energy, Travel and Materials.[8][4] In 1999, the Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks opened.[8] It was the first in the Southern Hemisphere to have a digital star projector, as well as digital projection capabilities.[10]
From 1997–2013, the Water Tower Clock, built in 1882, a relic from the original Flinders Street Station was on display at the museum.[11] and later installed at the Southern Cross Station in 2014.[12][11]
In 2018, the CSIRAC (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Automatic Computer) was transferred from the Melbourne Museum to the Think Ahead exhibit.[13]
Museum
Facilities
The Melbourne Planetarium is housed on site.[14] On Friday nights, movies are shown in the planetarium.[15][16]
The "lightning Theatre" is a 120-seat auditorium where demonstrations about electricity feature a giant Tesla Coil, capable of generating two million volts of electricity, producing three metre lightning bolts.[17]
Exhibit Halls
There are both permanent and temporary exhibits at Scienceworks. Permanent exhibits at Scienceworks include
- Think Ahead (opened 5 December 2013),[18] which is about advances in science and the speculative future,[19] Using multiple touch screens and large projections, Melbourne interactive design firm ENESS' future car project encourages users to build a car and all its accoutrements: choices range from amphibious fins, wings, a bamboo chassis or perhaps an invisibility cloak.[20]
- Sportsworks (opened <2000),[8] which is about the science of sports and the movement of the body.[21] Visitors are invited to pit themselves against a simulation of the Olympic 400m gold medallist Cathy Freeman on a 10m dual-lane track.[22]
- Beyond Perception: Seeing the Unseen (opened 2018)[23] is about invisible forces.[24] Upon seeing this exhibit, Dr Kendall Ackley, a member of the team of scientists who discovered gravitational waves in 2016 remarked. “This is unbelievable. It’s everything that I could’ve wanted to show about how this work goes.”[25]
- Ground Up: Building Big Ideas, Together (opened 4 December 2017)[26] is a sensory exhibit for babies to 5-year-olds.[27]
Temporary exhibits in 2026 include
Other
The Spotswood Pumping Station, built in the 1890's[30], and on the Victorian Heritage Register showcases enormous steam engines and boilers, inside a gorgeous building reminiscent of a French mansion.[31]
Autism Friendly Museum
Scienceworks is an autism friendly museum with social scripts and maps showing high and low sensory spaces in the museum available on their website[32].
Gallery
Steam-driven pump engine
CSIRAC computer display
Sundial - Melbourne Planetarium
Copy of MDW01606
Melbourne astronomical telescope
Water Rocket ScienceWorks Museum- CSIRAC display at Scienceworks, Melbourne
Spotswood Pumping Station
