Archives: Discovery Centres

The Murray 2 Power Station is hosting a temporary visitor centre while Murray 1 is being renovated. Visitors can see the power station from a viewing gallery on inspections that are conducted daily. Covered footwear must be worn and cameras are not allowed. The power station receives water that has already passed through Murray 1,…

Located in the former Penrith Power Station, the Museum of Fire commemorates firefighters and fire fighting equipment in New South Wales going back to the late 18th century. Changes in technology, from vehicles to protective clothing and communications, are obvious and tell the story of protecting the community from an ever present danger. Exhibits include…

Learn how sugarcane is grown and harvested before it is crushed to produce sugar crystals in the miniature sugar mill at the Sarina Sugar Shed. There is also historic cane harvesting and sugar production machinery on display. The sugar is combined with other local produce to make a range of products on site, including marinades,…

Mulligans Flat is a 485 ha nature reserve on the edge of suburban Canberra. The reserve is enclosed by a predator proof fence that protects  reintroduced native species including eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus), bush-stone curlews (Burhinus grallarius), the new holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae), brown treecreepers (Climacteris picumnus) and eastern bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi). Mulligans’ most famous…

Mt Stromlo Observatory Visitor Centre has a range of historic artefacts and interactive exhibits. There is also a heliostat projecting a large image of the Sun onto a table for observing sunspots and solar flares. You can also find out about the history of the Observatory and its tragic destruction in the January 2003 bushfire….

The Margaret River region in south west Western Australia is dotted with limestone caves. The 300 m walk down into Calgardup Cave reveals curtain formations, crystals, stalactites and stalagmites. Reflections of stalactites in the seasonal lake are beautiful, hinting that the water is much deeper than just a few centimetres. The cave is open everyday except…

The Axel Stenross Maritime Museum features exhibits about the square rigged windjammers that took grain from the Eyre Peninsula to Europe in the 1800s, as well as displaying the boat building workshops and slipway that have been on the site since 1940. The Museum is maintained and operated by a team of dedicated volunteers. Alex…

Buchan Caves are formed in 380 million year old limestone that was laid down when the area was covered by a shallow sea. Fossilised sea creatures are visible embedded in the walls of the caves. The caves include almost four kilometers of underground passages and chambers leading to six entrances. Local wildlife includes lyrebirds, boobook…

Update: the observatory in Rotary Park has now closed, and a new Port Macquarie Astronomy Science Centre will open 2024. In the interim, society open nights will be held on Friday evenings at the CWA, 11 Horton Street. An evening with the Port Macquarie Astronomical Association begins with talk about the objects in the night…

Experience the truly dark skies of the Australian outback from the Andamooka Observatory. Astrophotography workshops are available and there is an onsite bookshop. Andamooka is an opal mining settlement 30 km east of Roxby Downs in northern South Australia. The observatory is open from 5.30 – 9.30 pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am – 1pm Saturday….