From 8 December 2020, Questacon is reopening for self-guided visits. After almost 5 months delivering the successful Mission to Mars tours, Questacon will reopen most galleries in time to welcome more visitors back to the Centre for the summer school holiday period.
With the safety of visitors and staff remaining the priority, a visit to Questacon will look a little different than it did in the past. Visits will run for a maximum of 2-hours, with set times in each gallery, and include an entertaining and informative live Spectacular Science Show.
The self-guided sessions are a return to a more hands-on experience with Questacon’s interactive science, technology, engineering and maths exhibits. New signage has been installed to indicate that some exhibits can only be operated by staff, while others can be activated by visitors, with safety precautions in place. Due to COVID safety, Questacon’s popular Mini Q and Excite@Q galleries, including the 6 metre Free Fall exhibit, remain closed for now.
“After a week of being closed to the public to reset after our Mission to Mars tours, we are excited to be reopening more of our galleries this week. After such a challenging year with only a fraction of the usual numbers of visitors in the Centre, we are looking forward to being able to welcome much larger numbers of visitors back to Questacon from December,” said Dr Bobby Cerini, Acting Director.
“Initially there will only be small numbers of visitors per session, however, we will gradually increase capacity over the coming weeks and months,” said Dr Cerini.
Questacon will welcome school groups again from Term 1, 2021. Travelling programs and professional development workshops for teachers will restart early next year, with a combination of face-to-face and virtual delivery, dependent on travel restrictions and public health guidelines.
Launching tomorrow, a brand new early learning experience, Questacon Science Sprouts, has been developed for visitors aged 3-6 years and their carers. This 60-minute program promises to be an exciting and engaging experience for Questacon’s younger visitors. Children will explore the world around them by participating in role-play activities, a mini show and hands-on science experiments.
From 8 December 2020, Questacon’s two visitor offerings are:
- General admission: 2-hour sessions, 7 days a week, starting hourly between 9am and 3pm with limited numbers of visitors per session. The Centre will close at 5pm daily.
- Questacon Science Sprouts: a brand new early learning program for children aged 3-6 years and their carers. This program is an interactive role-play experience running for 60 minutes. There are two sessions at 9:15 and 11:15am Wednesday – Saturday.
Pre-booked tickets are essential for both general admission visits and Science Sprouts. Tickets can only be purchased online via Ticketek and must be booked for all visitors, including babies. Tickets are not available at the door.
More information and tickets: www.questacon.edu.au
Media contact: Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre 02 6270 2907 or communications@questacon.edu.au
