MONTHLY OPEN DAY
Saturday 10 May
10am – 4pm
IT’S ABOUT TIME … IT’S ABOUT SPACE!
In the lead up to Sydney Observatory’s 150th anniversary in June and to celebrate the recently opened new Powerhouse Museum permanent exhibition Space: beyond this world and Zero Gravity Space Lab, we have chosen astronomy, space and timekeeping as our theme for our May Open Day. In addition to solar viewings, tours, talks and a kids workshop, the Open Day program will include a very special evening star-gazing event Stars, Planets and Pizza from 6.00pm—8.00pm.
Spiral Galaxy NGC1300. Courtesy of NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (StScI/AURA)
OPEN DAY PROGRAM
BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS
Telescopes and Timekeeping in the Powerhouse Collection: 1.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Led by Sydney Observatory curator, Dr Nick Lomb, this behind-the-scenes tour will focus on a range of collection objects rarely accessible to the public. Highlights of the tour include the Hoskins telescope—a large amateur Newtonian reflecting telescope designed by steelmaker and amateur astronomer, George Hoskins, in 1917; an astrographic telescope from 1890 that was used at both Melbourne and Sydney observatories and was designed to take photographic images of the sky for the International Astrographic catalogue project; a telescope mount designed by Henry Chamberlain Russell in the 1870s, in the same style as the horse-shoe mounting of the famous and much later 5-metre telescope on Mount Palomar near San Diego, California; a 1920s Shortt clock, the most accurate type of mechanical clock ever made, which kept time to 100th of a second per day; a 1950s Orrery (model of the Solar System) designed and constructed at Sydney Observatory; and ‘George the Speaking Clock’, which operated from the 1950s at the GPO in Martin Place, Sydney, reciting the accurate time to customers over the phone.
Tour Price: $16/$10 concession. (Includes Open Day admission to the Display Store). Limited to visitors aged 12 and over. Conditions apply.
Car Collection: 2.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Go behind-the-scenes to explore the hidden treasures in the Powerhouse Museum's car collection, including early horse-drawn vehicles, the Stanley Steamer, a Sheffield Simplex, a Model T Ford, an Australian Six, a vice-regal Rolls Royce and a Dick Smith rally car. Tour Price: $16/$10 concession. (Includes Open Day admission to the Display Store). Limited to visitors aged 12 and over. Conditions apply.
As spaces on the Behind-the-Scenes Tours are strictly limited, we strongly recommend pre-booking with the Discovery Centre on 02 9762 1300 or by e-mail to castlehill@phm.gov.au, or register on the Open Day (subject to availability).
ILLUSTRATED LECTURE
Exploring the Unseen Milky Way 11.30am
Dr Naomi McClure-Griffiths (CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility)
The great band of stars stretching across the sky every night is made up of stars in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. But there is much more to the Milky Way than meets the eye! The space between the stars is filled with gas, with temperatures ranging from near absolute zero to more than a million degrees and moving at speeds of up to a million kilometres per hour. This dynamic gas is the soup from which stars are formed. Dr McClure-Griffiths will take us on a guided tour of the Milky Way as seen in gas by the Parkes Radio Telescope (The Dish). Dr McClure-Griffiths was the recipient of the Powerhouse Wizard 2007 award sponsored by Wizard Home Loans. FREE with Display Store Open Day admission.
SOLAR TELESCOPE
Solar Viewing 11.00am—1.00pm
Weather permitting, cast an eye to the Sun in complete safety by looking at only the tiny portion of red light that passes through our telescope fitted with an H-alpha filter. There is a chance that you will see a prominence arc from the edge of the Sun; and if you are really lucky, maybe even a solar flare! FREE with Display Store Open Day admission.
KIDS’ WORKSHOP
Water Rockets 10:30am (Duration: 60 minutes)
10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Blast off!!! Explore the basics of rocket science by making your own rocket. Parents will assist you to create your rocket—hot glue guns will be used. Then test your skill by aiming and launching your rocket to see how far it will go. Suitable for 7—12 years. FREE with Display Store Open Day admission. Bookings essential as the workshop is limited to 25 maximum.
EVENING STAR-GAZING
Stars, Planets, and Pizza 6.00pm—8.00pm
Join Sydney Observatory astronomers to explore the brilliance of the southern sky with telescopic views of the beautiful ringed planet, Saturn; the Jewel Box of the Southern Cross; Omega Centauri and the deep south Milky Way. Constellations will be pointed out and sky maps will be provided. The evening includes complimentary tea, coffee and pizza.
$20/$16 concession/$60 family (2 adults + 2 children). Bookings essential as numbers for this evening event are limited.
OBJECT SHORT TALK
Trap Chat 12.00pm
Marvel at the story behind one of Australia’s most innovative backyard shed inventions—the Standfield and Co. mousetrap making machine that produced over 96 million wooden mousetraps from the 1940s until the machine was decommissioned in 1999. FREE with Display Store Open Day admission.
OUTDOOR CAR DISPLAY
Veteran Car Club of Australia (NSW):
10.00am–2.30pm
The Veteran Car Club of Australia (NSW) Inc. was formed in 1954 to encourage the preservation and restoration of veteran motor vehicles built before the end of 1918. The Club caters for cars, motor cycles or commercial vehicles manufactured prior to 1st January 1919. FREE with Display Store Open Day admission.
HIGHLIGHTS TOURS
The Display Store: 10:30am or 2:30pm (Duration: 45 minutes).
Join Discovery Centre volunteer guides for an insightful tour focusing on stories behind selected objects on exhibition in the Display Store. FREE with Display Store Open Day admission.
PARRAMATTA ROTARY
Parramatta Rotary will host a fundraising food stall (10.00am–2.30pm).
GENERAL ADMISSION PRICES
$8 adult, $5 concession / child / seniors and pensioners
$25 Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)
FREE to Powerhouse Members and children aged 4 years and under
Open Day programs are free with general admission unless otherwise stated.
The Display Store
The Display Store is the focus of the Powerhouse Discovery Centre.
Display Store
In this building, visitors can wander among the incredible range of objects we have stored here. From tin toys to double-deck buses, there are fascinating objects large and small, from the areas of decorative arts, design, science, technology, Indigenous culture and Australian history. Some are associated directly with the history of Castle Hill, the Baulkham Hills shire and the northwest Sydney area.
Downstairs there’s an impres sive array of items from the state’s transport history, including steam engines, planes, cars, trams and horse-drawn coaches – even a Harry’s Cafe de Wheels wagon from the 1940s. Upstairs, on racks and in drawers, you might discover anything from a mousetrap-making machine to a rare Royal Doulton ceramic, an 18th century shoe or the torch that Cathy Freeman used to light the cauldron at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
This is a working storage and preservation facility, rather than an exhibition centre. But throughout the Display Store you’ll find information about the Powerhouse collection and the museum’s history and work – through text panels, labels, videos and an interactive. We explain some of the things we do to look after objects in our care and give advice regarding simple techniques you can use to preserve your treasured possessions.
The Display Store is also available for hire as a venue for conferences and special events.
You can visit the Display Store on public open days or on booked group visits. To see other stores on site, a range of fully supervised tours are available.
Resource Room
All our objects have stories to tell. The Resource Room, located downstairs in the Display Store, provides a variety of resources to help you discover more about them and about the research and preservation work of the Powerhouse.
Whether you are a school student, an amateur historian, a museum professional, an enthusiast finding out more about your area of interest or someone wanting advice about caring for a family heirloom, you’ll find a range of useful publications on hand, incl uding information on collection documentation, care and management. There are also copies of curatorial research files for specific objects, which contain a host of material from historical photographs to oral histories and journal articles.
COMING SOON
MONTHLY OPEN DAYS (10.00am-4.00pm)
Saturday 14 June 2008
Music
This Open Day will feature live demonstrations of a Mastertouch piano recorder, behind-the-scenes tours of the piano, keyboard and music collection, an illustrated lecture on the Australian rock n’ roll, and a live hip hop performance by MC Wire and Choo Choo from CuzCo Productions.
Saturday 12 July 2008
Australian Icons
Celebrating Australian icons in the collection.
Saturday 9 August 2008
Design
This Open Day focuses on design in the collection as part of the Sydney Design 08 program.
JULY SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Tuesdays – Fridays
8 – 11 and 15 – 18 July (10.00am – 4.00pm)
Bookings are not required for general visits during the school holidays. Please contact us for further details on holiday programs and activities.
