Archives: Discovery Centres

The National Mineral and Fossil Collections at Geoscience Australia have over 15 000 mineral and 43 000 fossil specimens. More than 600 items are on permanent display in the foyer of the building. There are also exhibits about satellite imaging, bathymetry, and the geothermal system used to heat and cool the building. The Geological Timewalk…

The Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve was established in 1936. Soon after, a koala enclosure was built and the park has since been expanded to cover 54 sq km. The reserve includes Hanging Rock, where excavations have found that Indigenous occupation of the area dates back at least 16 000 years. The reserve has an endangered species…

Brambuk – The National Park and Cultural Centre is the gateway to the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park. It is owned and run by five Indigenous communities. The Centre runs Indigenous cultural activities and walks for visitors and has informative displays about the six distinct seasons of the region. There is a giftshop and a cafe…

Healesville Sanctuary is a feral animal proof enclosure with woodland and wetland areas provided for their native marsupials, birds, and reptiles. The Sanctuary is one of only two facilities globally to have a successful platypus breeding program. There are a large number of ranger talks each day, focussing on particular animals and habitats. Closeup encounters…

The Adelaide Desalination Plant opened in 2013 and can provide half of Adelaide’s water supply. The plant uses reverse osmosis to produce fresh drinking water from seawater. A visit to the plant gives students an understanding of sustainable water management and how seawater is treated to become safe, clean drinking water. Students will also learn…

The Daisy Hill Koala Centre opened in 1995 and was refurbished in 2018. The Centre has information displays and a theatrette, as well as live koalas visible from a raised boardwalk. Each day there are ranger talks about the koalas and local conservation efforts. Visitors can also go for a bushwalk, cycle or horseride in…

The Museum houses the collection of the local Historical Society, including displays featuring local goldmining operations dating from 1891 and some of the sets from the Rabbit Proof Fence movie. The Boolgardie State Battery, a historic ore crushing facility, has been rebuilt onsite. The Museum is open seven days per week from April to October,…

Take a bus into the heart of the mine, sharing roads with giant trucks to an internal lookout on the south eastern side of the Super Pit. The Super Pit is 3.5 km long and over 600 m deep. The mine started as a number of underground mines that were joined up as an open cut…

The Bunbury Dolphin Discovery is on the shore of the Koombana Bay. Dolphins were first hand-fed in the area from 1960, and they have been the subject of research since 1989. The redeveloped  Discovery Centre opened in 2018. As well as the displays and aquariums in the interpretive centre, visitors can see the dolphins up…

The Eyre Bird Observatory was established in 1977 by Birds, on the site of the Telegraph Station that was built in the 1890s. The caretakers conduct daily bird observations and weekly counts along the nearby beach. There are special programs and courses as well as dune regeneration projects. Bookings are essential and access is difficult….