Open Weekend
Innovation and Invention
10.00am – 4.00pm
Saturday 15 June & Sunday 16 June
Join us for a diverse open weekend program of talks, tours and interactive activities that explore and celebrate invention and innovation. Discover fascinating stories of Australian innovation in our new special exhibition and go behind-the-scenes on a guided tour to view some of the interesting technology objects in the Powerhouse Collection. Try your hand at computer programming to build your own ‘Incredible Machine’ or construct a Meccano masterpiece. Young engineers and their families can work together in our Oikodome activity to learn basic engineering principles and to build an amazing freeform sculpture using their imagination and the power of teamwork! Open weekend visitors aged 12+ years can take the unique opportunity to book a guided behind-the-scenes tour to view the stored transport, model and technology collections.
Unless otherwise specified, all programs offered over the two days are free with general admission.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Seven Stories of Australian Innovation
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
For our June open weekend program, we will officially open a new special exhibition featuring some little-known stories of Australian innovation. The exhibition includes the stories of the ‘black box’ flight voice recorder; the ‘integrated communication cap lamp’ which improves the safety of underground miners; the Café Bar hot drink dispensing machine; the StaySharp kitchen knife; clear ultrasound imaging, which led to routine foetal scanning; the tiny high-resolution Signos ultrasound device and microsurgery.
OBJECT SHORT TALKS
Celebrating Stories of Australian Innovation
Sunday 16 June 11.00am (Duration: 15 minutes)
Join Powerhouse Museum curator of Power Technologies, Debbie Rudder, as she shares some true stories about Australian inventors and discusses the process of innovation, the work needed to convert an invention to a useful product.
Tech Talks
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June
Join Powerhouse Discovery Centre volunteer guides for a two-day program of short floor talks to look at a range of objects in the collection with a technology and innovation focus. Hear the story of the Meccano scale model of a block setting crane, two beautifully crafted Lawrence Hargrave models that demonstrate the principles of flight, the fine art of cloisonné, the techniques used to create the luminescent glazes on Royal Doulton artware ceramics, a totalisator machine, a rocket used at the Woomera rocket testing facility and more.
MAKE-AND-DO ACTIVITIES
Oikodome
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
Take innovation and invention to a whole new level with our hands-on Oikodome building activity. Visitors of all ages will be able to participate in creating unique freeform 3D geometric sculptures using cubes, pyramids and prisms fashioned from cardboard rolls and flexible nodes. With the help of volunteer architectural and engineering students, visitors will then get the opportunity to combine their shapes with others by following templates or create their own free form structure. Suitable for 4+ years. Adult assistance and supervision essential.
The Incredible Machine Gamespace
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June10.00am—4.00pm
The Incredible Machine (a.k.a. TIM) is a series of computer games from the early 1990s originally designed and coded by Kevin Ryan and produced by Jeff Tunnell. Head to our TIM Gamespace to conquer the levels of TIM by engineering and build your own ‘machine’ to complete a task. The goal of the game is to drop and drag a given collection of objects and machine components to build a needlessly complex ‘machine’ to perform a simple task, for example, ‘put the ball into a box’ or ‘start a mixer’ or ‘turn on a fan’. Available object components range from ropes and pulleys, electrical generators, bowling balls and even cats, mice and humans! Suitable for 6+ years. Adult assistance and supervision essential.
My Invention
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
Become an inventor for the day and design and build your own machine to perform a task. Starting with craft materials such as a humble cardboard box, use our diverse range of craft and recycled materials to add knobs, dials, antennae and more. Once completed, add a swing tag to your machine, give it a name and a short description of what it can do. All inventions will be photographed and the Discovery Centre team will choose five inventions to receive a Powerhouse Discovery Centre family pass prize pack, including a copy of the fantastic new book, Australia’s Greatest Inventions and Innovations, a comprehensive guide to Australia’s most innovative inventions and their amazing creators. Suitable for 4+ years. Adult assistance and supervision essential.
Meccano Playspace
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
Back by popular demand, young engineers are invited to work in teams to create superstructures using Meccano and Junior Meccano Build and Play construction components courtesy of the Meccano Modellers Association (Sydney). Please note that this activity does not include Meccano to take home. Suitable for 4+ years. Adult assistance and supervision is essential.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS
$16 adult / $10 concession, members (includes general admission). Spaces are strictly limited to a maximum of 20 participants per tour, pre-booking is essential. Limited to visitors aged 12+ years. Conditions apply.
Highlights from the Technology Collection
Saturday 15 June 12.00pm or 2.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Sunday 16 June 11.00am or 1.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Come behind the scenes for this new tour that focuses on objects showcasing stories of technology and innovation. Highlights of the tour include George the speaking clock; the Australian-made Both Pty Ltd respirator commonly known as an ‘iron lung’, which saved many lives during polio epidemics; a surf life-saving reel from the South Curl Curl Surf Club; an early Australian gold washing cradle; a World War I Eagle aero engine manufactured by Rolls Royce; replica satellites from the USSR/Russian Academy of Sciences and a truly Australian innovation, the Super Sopper water removal device.
Magnificent Models and their Makers
Saturday 15 June 10.30am or 12.30pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Sunday 16 June 12.30pm or 2.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Model making is a very meticulous process, and it can take years to complete one single scale model. Come behind-the-scenes to view highlights of the Powerhouse Museum’s extensive, world-class collection of models stored at Castle Hill. The collection includes a wide range of models of engines designed for industrial and agricultural applications, as well as transport-related models including ship, aircraft, and locomotives, architectural models and rare late 19th century botanical and zoological models.
Stories from the Transport Collection
Saturday 15 June 11.00am or 12.00pm or 1.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Sunday 16 June 11.00am or 12.00pm or 2.00pm (Duration: 60 minutes)
Trains, planes and automobiles! Come behind the scenes for a guided tour revealing the fascinating stories of some of the iconic objects in the Powerhouse Museum’s Transport Collection. Highlights include a barouche from the 1840s; a beautifully restored, locally built Vial and Sons park drag, which is a significant example of a traditional English horse-drawn passenger vehicle; an early 20th century Stanley Steamer; a mid-century electric-powered Prefect motor car that belonged to the Doring family; the Australian designed and built Nota Fang sports car and a selection of bicycles, including early Penny Farthings and an Olympic Superbike.
DISPLAYS & DEMONSTRATIONS
Sojourner: The First Mars Rover
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
The first rover to land on the planet Mars was named Sojourner. Mars Pathfinder and its precious cargo, Sojourner, entered the Mars atmosphere on July 4th 1997, travelling at nearly 7,300 miles per second. Join us to learn more about this milestone space voyage and experience first-hand the remote-controlled scale model of the Mars rover, Sojourner, built by staff from the Powerhouse Museum, as its undertakes its mission to explore the Discovery Centre.
Full Steam Ahead: Steam Power Touch Trolley
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
The innovation of steam power revolutionised transport and manufacturing. Join Discovery Centre volunteer guides to learn how steam was used as a source of power and how a steam engine actually works.
FUN ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG DISCOVERERS
Discovery Trails
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 10.00am—4.00pm
Enjoy our self-completion activity trails that take young visitors on a journey of discovery through the Discovery Centre, focused on critters and creatures, wheels, wings, squiggles, flowers and things that fly in the sky. Older children can also complete our code-cracking cipher wheel trail and our youngest visitors can try our ‘toddler trail’. Suitable for various age levels.
FOOD & DRINK
Rotary Club of Winston Hills Saturday 15 June, 10.00am—2.00pm
Rotary Club of Castle Hill Sunday 16 June, 10.00am—2.00pm
Support the fundraising projects of local Rotarians by purchasing your lunch or snack from our open weekend barbeques.
OPENING HOURS
10.00am—4.00pm
GENERAL ADMISSION
$8 adult, $5 concession + child, $25 family (2 adults + 2 children). Free entry to Powerhouse Members and children aged 3 and under. Additional charges apply for behind-the-scenes tours.
Pre-book your tickets online for priority entry! Jump the queues, book now
Debit and credit card fees: As part of a NSW Government requirement, from 1 July 2012 the Powerhouse Discovery Centre will apply a surcharge on all transactions made by debit or credit cards. Surcharge rates are determined on a cost-recovery basis only. No surcharge will be incurred when paying with EFTPOS, cheque or cash. Payments made on VISA and Mastercard will attract 0.40% and American Express 2.75%.
PARKING AND ACCESS
Vehicle and pedestrian entry via 172 Showground Road, Castle Hill. Alternate entry is also available via TAFE driveway on Green Road. On-site parking available. Please note that there are no food facilities available at the Discovery Centre.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS
Please contact us on 02 9762 1300.