Scienceworks (Melbourne)

Scienceworks
Established	28 March 1992
Location	2 Brooker St, Spotswood, Melbourne, Australia
Coordinates	37°49′54″S 144°53′38″E / 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
Website	Scienceworks

Scienceworks is a science museum in Melbourne, Australia which harnesses the power of hands-on experiences, immersive spaces and sensory learning, to inspire and drive future innovation. Through animated exploration and learning, Scienceworks expresses new ideas across science, space and technology. A venue of Museums Victoria, Scienceworks was first opened on 28 March 1992 near the historic Spotswood Pumping Station^[1] constructed in 1897, whose steam engines form an associated exhibit.^[2] in Melbourne’s inner west. The original vision for Scienceworks was a place for young people to engage with science, technology, engineering and maths in new, fun wpays. Today that original vision endures and continues to be expressed through Scienceworks’ STEM-centric experiences and exhibitions.

Launched in 2018, the permanent exhibition Beyond Perception: Seeing the Unseen is a series of immersive experiences that teach teenagers about the imperceptible forces that shape our world. From gravitational waves and invisible light to sound and aerodynamics, this ground-breaking exhibition highlights the science behind the hidden mechanisms of the world around us. Equally illuminating is the Lightning Room, with a giant Tesla Coil forming the centrepiece of this high-voltage learning experience, capable of generating two million volts of electricity and producing three metre lightning bolts. Elsewhere, the Think Ahead exhibition imagines what our world will look like in decades to come.

From the expansiveness of outer space to the microscopic inner workings of the human body, Scienceworks enables mind-blowing discovery at many scales. Learn about the science of moving your body (and race against Cathy Freeman) at Sportsworks, or open your eyes to the night sky at the Melbourne Planetarium, complete with a 16-metre full-dome projection, reclining seats and a 7.1 surround sound system.

Other highlights include the tactile play space Ground Up: Building Big Ideas, Together for visitors aged five years and under; tours of the historic Pumping Station engine room and boiler house; plus a 120-seat auditorium and a series of conference rooms for events and education.

Until late 2013, the 1883 clock tower from Flinders Street station was also located at the museum.^[3]^[4] The clock had been moved to Princes Bridge station in 1905 and Spencer Street station in 1911, where it remained until sold into private ownership after the station redevelopment of 1967.^[5] The clock restored with an electric movement is now located at the Southern Cross station.

Gallery

Steam-driven pump engine
CSIRAC computer display
Spotswood Pumping Station

References

^ Pumping Station website
^ Sherratt, Tim. "SCIENCEWORKS - A REVIEW". Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 9, no. 4, December 1993, pp. 387 -388 Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Turret Clock Movement - Victorian Railways, Flinders Street Station, Victoria, 1882". Retrieved 5 May 2019.
^ "Time to return – Water Tower Clock installed at Southern Cross Station". Retrieved 5 May 2019.
^ Jenny Davies (2008). Beyond the Façade: Flinders Street, More than just a Railway Station. Publishing Solutions. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-921488-03-0.

External links

Scienceworks website

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[1] Pumping Station website

[2] Sherratt, Tim. "SCIENCEWORKS - A REVIEW". Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 9, no. 4, December 1993, pp. 387 -388 Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[3] "Turret Clock Movement - Victorian Railways, Flinders Street Station, Victoria, 1882". Retrieved 5 May 2019.

[4] "Time to return – Water Tower Clock installed at Southern Cross Station". Retrieved 5 May 2019.

[fss46-5] Jenny Davies (2008). Beyond the Façade: Flinders Street, More than just a Railway Station. Publishing Solutions. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-921488-03-0.

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