Scienceworks has prepared a Winter School Holiday program this year with exciting new shows at the Melbourne Planetarium, a curious augmented reality experience, exclusive on-site tours, and interactive workshops with air and aerodynamics at Air Playground, back by popular demand.
Scienceworks WINTER School Holiday Program
1. Air Playground
Air Playground welcomes curious kids and their families to play with air, the amazing invisible force, and experience the science of aerodynamics. Whoosh, swirl, gust, squish, flow, float and more!
Float objects in mid-air, place material in fast-moving air-jets, squish a giant inflatable tentacle sculpture with your body, launch balls sky-high with compressed air, craft paper planes to soar and more.
Air Playground, 30 March 2024 – 6 October 2024 | Daily | 10:00am – 4:30pm | Adult $25, Senior $20, Child $10, Concession $10, Member $8 | Includes Scienceworks entry
2. Air-Palooza
Immerse yourself in the wonders of air at a free 20-minute live science show, Air-Palooza.
Uncover these secrets of invisible forces, witness levitation demonstrations, and explore the fascinating power of air pressure through interactive experiments.
Air-Palooza 29 June 2024 – 14 July 2024 | Daily | 12:00pm and 2:00pm | Included with Scienceworks entry
3. Guided Highlights Tour
For the first time ever, visitors can explore the museum on a guided tour!
With a knowledgeable guide, encounter some of Scienceworks’ truest treasures, including the world’s oldest surviving first-generation electronic computer, the Da Vinci Surgical System (the first ever used in Australia), a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite and much more.
Guided Highlights Tour, 29 June 2024 – 14 July 2024 | Daily | 1:30 pm | Adult $25, Senior $20, Child $10, Concession $10, Member $8 | Includes Scienceworks entry
4. FlushBack
FlushBack, Scienceworks’ new, award-winning AR adventure, brings to life the awe-inspiring heritage-listed Spotswood Pumping Station.
Travel back to 1942 and complete challenges based on real historical events. You must ensure the Pumping Station continues to operate so Melbourne doesn’t turn back into ‘Smellbourne’!
You’ll be guided by actual workers from the past, brought to life on your device using augmented reality (AR). They will introduce you to each of the major components that enabled the Pumping Station to pump Melbourne’s sewage away from the city for treatment.
FlushBack, 29 June 2024 – 14 July 2024 | Daily | 1:00pm & 2:00pm | $3, $2 Museum Members
5. Planetarium Shows
Book into the Planetarium and enjoy an out-of-this-world show exclusive to Scienceworks.
11:00am – Tycho Goes to Mars
12:00pm – Solar System Adventures: Where’s the Water?
1:00pm – Starlight
2:00pm – Solar System Adventures: Where’s the Water?
3:00pm – Capturing the Cosmos
4:00pm – Dark Side of the Moon
Planetarium Shows, 30 March 2024 – 14 April 2024 | Daily | $10 child and concession / $8 Museum Members
6. Lightning Room Shows
Take a seat in our Lightning Room and be mesmerised by The Glow Show, a stunning 30-minute live science show.
Explore the fascinating processes behind luminosity, including the many ways a glow can be produced. Discover the science of fluorescence, how animals can appear bright at night and the brilliant, coloured effects of using different materials to make light.
In the spectacular finale, witness a giant Tesla coil light up the theatre with lightning using more than 2 million volts of electricity
Lightning Room Shows, 30 March 2024 – 14 April 2024 | Daily | 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm | $10 child and concession / $8 Museum Members | Includes Scienceworks entry
7. Pumping Station Orientation
Sniff out some of the smelly stories from the pumping station straining well and explore the magnificent engine room, marvelling at the engineering feat that helped overcome the stench of 19th century Melbourne in daily Pumping Station tours.
Pumping Station Tours are available every day and run for thirty minutes. However, do note that the tours are sometimes closed for private events so it would be best to check Scienework’s What’s On Page first to see if tours are running.
Pumping Station tours 30 March 2024 – 14 April 2024 | Daily | 11:00am | Included with Scienceworks entry
8. Collection Store Tours
Take an exclusive look behind the scenes with a tour of the Scienceworks Collection Store.
Get a glimpse of some of the rare 40,000 collection items stored at Scienceworks, and hear some amazing stories belonging to these unique objects.
Collection Store Tours, 30 March 2024 – 14 April 2024 | Daily | 12:00pm and 2:00pm | Included with Scienceworks entry
