Powerhouse Museum

Taking inspiration from the worlds of science, technology, art, design and popular culture, the Powerhouse Museum is a celebration of creativity and human ingenuity. Wherever your interests lie, among the Powerhouse Museum’s 350,000 or so objects in its 12 permanent exhibits, you’re sure to find a thing or two to captivate your mind and senses.

The Powerhouse is one of Australia’s largest and most popular museums, and it owes its success not just to it’s crowd-pleasing collections (which span from space exploration to revolutionary fashion design) but the intuitive, creative and interactive ways they are displayed.

One of the most precious and impressive of the museum’s treasures can be found right in the foyer. “Locomotive No. 1” was NSW’s very first steam train, making its very first journey back in 1855. Other popular permanent attractions include “Cyberworld”, which looks at the world’s earliest computing machines then moves on to explore our modern day relationship with computers, and “Experimentations”, a science exhibition with interactive displays demonstrating the basic workings of magnetism, light, motion and the senses.

Ultra hands-on, and featuring a state-of-the-art playground in the courtyard, the Powerhouse is one of Sydney’s most kid-friendly museums – as fun as it is educational.

The temporary exhibitions often focus on contemporary icons and ground-breaking pop culture (previous events have reeled in fans of Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings). The museum also regularly runs tours, demonstrations, workshops and activity programs for kids – keep an eye on their website for news on upcoming events and exhibitions.