Our history

Dr Mike Gore applies for a National Schools Commission National Innovations Grant to establish a hands-on science centre in Canberra, similar to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. A $50,000 grant is awarded – almost 4 years after Dr Gore‘s initial visit to the Exploratorium.

Questacon opens as an ANU project with 15 exhibits in some spare space at the old Ainslie Public School in Canberra. The first group to visit is 45 students from Red Hill Primary School. ANU Professor Chris Bryant creates the name Questacon by combining ‘quest’ meaning ‘to search, to discover’ and ‘con’ meaning ‘to study, to examine’. The name highlights Questacon’s mission to spark curiosity and wonder. Initially, Questacon is open for school groups on request. As exhibits are added, Questacon’s popularity grows and it begins to open to the general public on weekends. Questacon is staffed by Volunteer Explainers from ANU.

The Australian Bicentennial Authority proposes that a national science centre be established to encourage learning about science and technology through participation. The proposed national science centre would be a lasting memorial to the 1988 Bicentenary of Australia. Architect Lawrence Nield leads the building’s design.

Initially set up as a trial program, the Science Circus takes the hands-on experience of Questacon to communities and schools outside Canberra. The Science Circus hires a removalist truck to take 25 portable interactive exhibits to Goulburn, New South Wales. Ten energetic young explainers who are ANU students help run the Science Circus. In late 1985, Shell comes on board as the major sponsor. This allows the program to expand and travel further. Leaving Canberra in February 1986 the Science Circus starts its first extensive tour, from Mount Gambier in South Australia to Townsville in Queensland. Travelling more than 8,000 km in 33 days, this first tour establishes the foundations for what will become Questacon’s flagship outreach program.

The Australian Parliament approves construction of the National Science and Technology Centre. The Japanese Government and business community donates 1 billion yen – half the construction cost – as a major Bicentennial gift to Australia. Construction of the Centre starts when Prime Minister the Hon Bob Hawke MP turns the first sod on the site. Dr Gore is appointed founding director.

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is completed on time and within budget at a total capital cost of $19.6 million.

The original Questacon operation in the Ainslie School closes. Since 1980, it received 400,000 visitors and grew from 15 original exhibits to about 120.

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is officially opened by the Prime Minister the Hon Bob Hawke MP. New exhibitions developed for the opening include Dinosaurs Alive, IBM Mathematica, Force and Waves. In its first 8 months, 365,132 visitors walk through the doors.

The ICI Microcosm exhibition launches at Questacon. Supported by ICI Australia, the exhibition features one of Australia’s first robotic microscopes and gives visitors the chance to see the microscopic world.

The Centre’s Exhibit Design and Development team receive an Apple Macintosh computer graphics system, incorporating a computer-aided design function. At $63,000, the system pays for itself in just over a year through productivity gains.

The OTC Double 0 Double communications exhibition opens. This exhibition explores the science and technology of communication.

The Bodyworks exhibition is launched by the Minister for the Arts, Tourism and Territories, the Hon David Simmons MP. Bodyworks features 13 unique interactive exhibits, including Festo the Unicyclist.

The Fascinating Science exhibition opens with more than 60 exhibits. Fascinating Science presents science drawn from everyday experiences at home, school and around the community.

Two years of planning, designing, testing and refining culminates in the launch of the Environment exhibition. Environment is Questacon’s most ambitious exhibition to date.

Good Vibes—The Science of Light and Sound is launched at the Centre. The exhibition features exhibits such as the Light Harp and Frozen Shadows, which quickly become crowd favourites.

Questacon’s website is launched with interactive online activities, making it one of the world’s first science centres to create virtual interactive experiences. The website wins many national and international awards.

Questacon’s biggest and most ambitious exhibition to date, BHP WildScience, is launched. BHP WildScience is developed with $2 million in sponsorship from BHP and in collaboration with 14 Australian science centres and museums.

Questacon’s new robotic dinosaur exhibition, Terrorsaurus, opens at the Centre. Terrorsaurus, features new and upgraded animatronic dinosaurs in a themed exhibition that takes visitors back to the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Questacon celebrates its 10th birthday as Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre. Its first 10 years have seen Questacon become one of the world’s most respected science centres.

The Paula Dawson’s Holograms exhibition, featuring the Eidola Suite, opens. The Eidola Suite is made up of 3 large holograms by Australia’s leading holographic artist, Paula Dawson. The holograms combine art and science to showcase typical Australian lifestyles and landscapes.

Spiders! Live, an exhibition from the Australian Museum, opens. Featuring 12 species of live spiders, including South American bird-eating tarantulas and Australian funnel-webs and redbacks. The exhibition attracts record visitor numbers, with more than 10,000 visitors in a single long weekend.

After a 20-year association, Questacon’s founding director, Dr Mike Gore, retires. Dr Annie Ghisalberti, formerly the Chief Executive Officer of Scitech Discovery Centre in Perth, assumes the role of Director.

Sideshow – The Science Behind the Fun! opens at Questacon. The Sideshow exhibition examines the science and technology of fun parks, ranging from the phenomenon of fear to the probability of fortune telling. Sideshow features popular exhibits such as Track Attack, a simulated roller-coaster, and Free Fall, a 6 m vertical slide. Sideshow closes in 2012 to make room for Excite@Q.

Questacon is invited to take part in the Sydney 2000 Olympic torch relay celebrations around Australia and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games at Homebush. For 3 months, the Shell Questacon Science Circus is part of the Torch Relay community celebrations around Australia, presenting shows on the science behind sport. Under a big top at the Olympic Games, Questacon provides 6 interactive, sports-focused exhibits, and the Shell Questacon Science Circus presents regular shows.

With a flash of light and a rather large bang, Questacon’s in-house performance troupe, the Questacon Excited Particles, comes into existence. The Excited Particles perform daily shows that further interpret the science behind Questacon’s exhibitions.

To celebrate Australia’s Centenary of Federation, Prime Minister the Hon John Howard MP opens the Our Clever Country exhibition. Our Clever Country looks at innovative Australian inventions and ideas. The exhibition includes the Theatre-o-matic, an animatronic rural farmhouse with a soundtrack of a family discussing Australian innovations and inventiveness.

The Sea Chest Secrets – Unlock the Maritime Mystery exhibition opens. In this exhibition, visitors uncover facts to identify the writer of a diary that washes ashore in a seachest. The fictional diary was supposedly written during voyages with William Bligh and James Cook. The exhibition features 30 exhibits based on art, environmental science and maritime history.

Based in Sydney, the Questacon Science Squad starts delivering in-school presentations to inspire students to take a positive interest in science. With exciting, colourful demonstrations and engaging theatrical shows, the Science Squad is soon a hit with primary schools in Sydney.

Awesome Earth – The Power and the Beauty reveals the science behind Earth’s most destructive and beautiful natural forces. The Awesome Earth exhibition includes the Earthquake House experience, which quickly becomes a visitor favourite.

As an indication of its international standing in the science centre community, Questacon hosts the third Science Centre World Congress. It is attended by 440 delegates from 39 countries.

The Questacon Smart Moves outreach program, a national strategy to inspire scientific innovation and entrepreneurship in young Australians, is launched by Senator the Hon Richard Alston. Questacon Smart Moves is an initiative funded through the Australian Government’s Backing Australia’s Ability: An innovation action plan for the future.

The growth of the Centre means that Questacon’s specialised exhibition design, development and workshop teams need to relocate. They move from the Centre in Parkes to a new leased premises in Fyshwick, an industrial suburb of Canberra.

Dr Annie Ghisalberti resigns as Director. Professor Graham Durant is appointed as Questacon’s next Director. He brings a wealth of experience in science centre administration, having been instrumental in establishing the Glasgow Science Centre.

The Eaten Alive – The World of Predators exhibition is launched. It explores behaviours and adaptations that some predators use to find their next meal. The exhibition includes 3 animatronic predators, 12 interactive exhibits and 2 ‘tot-spot’ exhibits. The popular Shark Encounter virtual reality experience allows visitors to go on a virtual shark-cage dive, featuring 3D animation developed at the ANU.

Mini Q—Fun for 0–6 year olds is launched by Dorothy the Dinosaur from The Wiggles. Mini Q is a new endeavour for Questacon, specifically for younger children. It introduces them to a stimulating and tactile environment that teaches them coordination and confidence in a relaxed and safe setting.

With support from Tenix Australia, the Tenix Questacon Maths Squad outreach program is launched. The Maths Squad aims to increase numeracy by positively influencing attitudes to maths and highlighting the broad applications and relevance of maths in everyday life through in-school sessions across Australia.

The Strike a Chord – The Science of Music exhibition is launched. Strike a Chord explores the science of sound (acoustics), as well as cultural aspects of music and musical instruments.

Science Lines travels to regional and remote regions of Australia to present programs to young people and Elders. Specifically developed with and for First Nations communities, the Science Lines outreach program aims to develop scientific literacy in First Nations communities and increase student retention rates in science and maths courses.

Based out of Questacon’s Sydney office, Questacon Science Play is the first early childhood travelling science program. It delivers play-based science sessions for young children and their parents, educators and carers in regional and metropolitan areas nationally.

The Imagination Factory exhibition is launched at Questacon by the Prime Minister the Hon John Howard MP. This exhibition allows visitors to explore simple machines and how they can be put together to create more complex machines. The exhibition also celebrates Australian inventors and their products. Imagination Factory is presented by Questacon in partnership with Raytheon Australia. In 2017, Questacon celebrates its 10-year partnership anniversary with Raytheon.

Expanding Questacon’s offerings or pre-school visitors, the Questacon Excited Particles launch the popular Science Time interactive program. Science Time is a fun and interactive learning experience for 3–6-year-olds. Themes change weekly and include space, the human body, music and insects.

Measure Island is launched. Featuring a jungle adventure theme, visitors follow a young boy named Archie and his dog Cubit on an adventure. Exhibits explore areas of measurement such as time, weight and volume.

Questacon’s 20th anniversary logo is officially unveiled by the Hon Craig Emerson MP, and the Japanese Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Takaaki Kojima. The unveiling launches a year of celebratory activities to mark Questacon’s 20-year association with Japan.

Questacon’s reach becomes truly global with the completion of Questacon’s digital studio. The digital studio is a world-class video filming and production studio, and a hub for interactive videoconferences linking schools from around the world with Questacon.

The Perception Deception exhibition is launched. Exploring social, visual, multisensory and audio-language perception, Perception Deception is an instant hit with visitors. Perception Deception also features the Distorted Room, a tilted and angled room that, from the perspective of a camera, fools your sense of size and distance. The Distorted Room becomes a permanent fixture of the Centre in the Wonderworks exhibition when the rest of Perception Deception starts its national tour.

The Our Water exhibition is launched at the Centre. Developed in partnership with the National Water Commission, Our Water challenges visitors to make decisions about water, and to examine the consequences of the different water uses and re-uses in Australia.

Since the first tour with a few exhibits in the back of a rented removalist truck, the Shell Questacon Science Circus has grown to become the longest running and widest ranging science centre outreach program in the world. In 2018, Shell expands their partnership with the Science Circus.

A new component of Questacon’s partnership with the National Water Commission, the H2O – Soak up the Science exhibition highlights some of water’s physical properties and how they have shaped Earth’s geology and living systems. H2O features the Hydrotram, a sculpture 7 m tall that simulates the water cycle. Olympic swimming gold medallist Susie O’Neill launches the exhibition.

Q Lab opens at Questacon, bringing a new approach to the Centre’s exhibitions. Q Lab has a dedicated programming team that delivers a dynamic array of exhibits, displays, demonstrations, presentations and activities that change often and mark occasions of scientific significance. Q Lab also hosts visiting scientists and displays for visitors to the Centre to interact with.

After several years as Questacon’s most popular exhibition, Sideshow is closed to make way for Excite@Q. Retaining some popular exhibits from Sideshow, including Free Fall, Excite@Q is a complete hands-on, minds-on experience that bends both mind and muscle.

Questacon and the Australian Museum launch Deep Oceans. This joint exhibition gives visitors the chance to explore the hidden mysteries of the ocean’s depths. The exhibition uses an innovative combination of interactive exhibits, objects and specimens to showcase this fascinating environment and the weird and wonderful creatures that make their homes within. Alongside the exhibition, a giant inflatable squid is installed on Questacon’s roof, providing a unique talking point throughout the parliamentary zone.

The Questacon Technology Learning Centre (QTLC) is launched by Senator the Hon Don Farrell. The QTLC, located next to the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, offers educational and public programs with a technology, innovation and design focus. Some key Questacon operations, including exhibition design and development and Questacon’s national programs, also relocate to QTLC.

Questacon celebrates its 25th anniversary as the National Science and Technology Centre. Questacon’s 25th birthday kicks off a yearlong calendar of events, starting with a public birthday party that includes a signature Questacon salute – the explosion of 25 hydrogen balloons!

Questacon welcomes the Government of Japan and the Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) to the National Science and Technology Centre. A delegates’ dinner and a tour recognise Japan’s long-term investment in Australia and Japan’s special role in establishing the Centre. A Questacon delegation tours Japan in April and May 2014, visiting schools and delivering free public science exhibitions and shows in the tsunami-recovering region of Tōhoku.

Questacon’s very popular exhibition, Awesome Earth, reopens after an extensive refurbishment. The exhibition highlights the mighty power and stunning beauty of our planet and the wonders of the universe by exploring natural phenomena and how they interact. Old favourites – including the Earthquake House and Caged Lightning – are retained and some new exhibits are introduced.

The Questacon Smart Skills Initiative launches across Australia. This initiative provides in-school workshops and accredited teacher professional development activities, particularly for remote communities and regional areas. Participants learn how STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fits into their daily lives, and about opportunities for further study and careers in the field.

Questacon’s partnership with the Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre (IPTLC) focuses on developing creative young people. Activities at The IPTLC immerse kids in innovation, design, technology and entrepreneurial learning activities. The IPTLC hosts some of the Smart Skills Initiative activities.

Questacon installs the Teachers Recognition Cabinet, which showcases past and present recipients of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching, entitled Inspiring Teachers, Inspiring Australia. The Prime Minister awards the medallions each year to one primary and one secondary teacher who make outstanding contributions to science education in Australia.

Questacon installs a 94 kW solar panel array. The panel provides energy for up to 10% of Questacon’s electricity needs and allows visitors to learn about renewable energy technology. In 2017, a real-time information system is installed.

Questacon’s new partner, Samsung, provides technology that is a part of the STEM-themed learning opportunities for young people through Questacon’s Smart Skills teacher workshops and in-school programs for students. This partnership is extended in 2018.

Engaging students, teachers and communities and infusing fun, the Science Circus heads off on a tour of Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, South Africa and Zambia. The Science Circus presents science shows, hosts professional learning activities and DIY science exhibitions, and helps to train and build the capacity of African teachers and organisations. The tour was made possible through a partnership between 3 Australian Government missions, Questacon, ANU, the Ducere Foundation and numerous African partners.

The John Howard Walk of Wonder honours our former prime minister’s support of science and technology. Users are encouraged to view objects and landmarks they see every day through the lens of science and wonderment. With the help of a free app, the Walk of Wonder highlights 19 points of scientific interest within the parliamentary zone.

As a follow up to Questacon’s successful Spiders! Live exhibition, this travelling exhibition containing 14 interactive exhibits hits the road to show how fascinating spiders are and their importance to the ecosystem. A collaborative project between Questacon and the Australian Museum, Spiders! travelling exhibition highlights Australian research, new discoveries and the associated science stories.

Introducing crowds to the maker movement, The Shed opens up a whole new world of invention and innovation activities for visitors. Through a revolving program of activities and challenges, people work hands-on to design, invent and make unique creations from everyday materials.

Questacon and the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) partner to boost the teaching of STEM subjects across Australia. The STEM X Academy workshops focus on connecting teachers with researchers and local scientists, helping to bring research into the classroom and keep science relevant for school students. Later in the year, CSIRO joins the partnership to deliver teacher workshops at James Cook University in Townsville.

Local graffiti artists Ian Dudley and Anna Trundle create an inspiring mural at the Centre. The mural features a quote from United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

The Mathamazing and Byte Wise travelling exhibitions hit the road. Mathamazing inspires mathematical curiosity and builds understanding, and Byte Wise engages visitors with challenges in maths and computer science.

2017 marks a big year for Questacon, with the launch of a new program and 3 new exhibitions. The Engineering is Elementary program aims to boost science teachers’ confidence in teaching STEM subjects. Above and Beyond, an international aviation and aerospace travelling exhibition, is cleared for take-off. The exhibition is so popular it is extended for a couple of months. Colour – See The World In A New Light, a new permanent exhibition, encourages visitors to share and compare their perceptions of colour. Fundamental explores classic science, including forces, momentum and electromagnetism. Exhibition highlights include Turntable and Concave Dish, Ferrofluids, and Persistence of Vision. The Curiosity Corner allows Volunteer Explainers to take the content further, demonstrating fascinating phenomena and pulling visitors deeper into Fundamental science. The Curiosity Corner is renamed the Mike Gore Curiosity Corner in 2022 to honour Questacon’s founding director.

Questacon welcomes the 11-millionth visitor through its doors.

Questacon’s Fun Science with Traditional Toys travelling exhibition makes a trip to Thailand. In partnership with the National Science Museum (Thailand), the exhibition explores the science and innovation behind the simple toys made by children in villages across Thailand for hundreds of years.

In 2016, fans from around the country voted for their favourite Australian destinations. More than 35,000 votes were cast for the 40 shortlisted landmarks, but only 22 are featured on the final board. Questacon joins Canberra and the Australian War Memorial on the ACT section of the new Australian Monopoly board, with Questacon landing the coveted red ‘Trafalgar Square’ position.

Questacon and the University of Canberra partner to provide an opportunity for collaboration in tourism research, economic impact studies, early childhood education and science communication activities. Questacon also partners with the Q Foundation. Set up by a group of Australian philanthropists who wish to support the activities of Questacon, the Q Foundation invests in the future of the Australian STEM workforce.

Questacon turns 30 and tours Japan. The Science Circus tour acknowledges Japan’s contribution to the founding of Questacon in 1988.

In collaboration with the Marymead Autism Centre, Questacon adjusts the Centre to cater for the needs of visitors with autism to improve their experience of the exhibitions and shows. Each year, Questacon has a special Autism Access day for visitors who may have sensory sensitivities. On Autism Access Day in March 2019, Questacon welcomes 50 visitors who identify as having autism or are on the spectrum. Visitors can experience the Centre without the noise and bustle found during normal business hours, and Questacon’s friendly staff tailor each experience to accommodate the visitors’ needs.

The Royal Australian Mint produces and launches 2 special coins to celebrate the 45th anniversary of AC/DC’s hit single, ‘Thunderstruck’. Ten of these coins are struck by lightning using the Tesla Coil Lightning Cage, and are sent to 10 lucky customers who order the limited edition coin.

Recognising the scientific knowledge embedded in Australian Indigenous languages, Questacon collaborates with First Languages Australia to identify Indigenous words, including 28 words and phrases for the Moon in The Moon exhibition. Questacon’s new Earth Observation exhibition, developed for International Group on Earth Observations Week, highlights how First Nations rangers across remote parts of Australia are combining satellite mapping data with traditional knowledge to better manage fires in northern Australia. To help celebrate, Questacon invites Indigenous Australians to create a science video presented in an Indigenous language for the Science in First Languages project.

The Born or Built? Our Robotic future travelling exhibition examines the similarities and differences between humans and machines, explores our shared future, and questions the choices we will make to get there. Designed to promote discussion and debate, the exhibition gets you thinking – ‘Who should be in charge of robots?’, ‘Should we reprogram life?’ and ‘Can machines make art?’. The exhibits allow visitors to record their thoughts and ask questions of their own.

2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. With the support of CSIRO, Questacon develops an exhibition to celebrate this historical event. In July, Questacon invites families to enjoy the Centre for Lunar Family Day. Visitors engage in space-themed activities, space science demonstrations and science shows to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing.

Questacon and the Toyota Community Trust partner to deliver a series of engaging STEM workshops to 40 primary school teachers, 40 high school teachers and 40 school leaders from west Melbourne. The workshops are held at Scienceworks in Melbourne.

Questacon collaborates with Geoscience Australia on a graphic exhibition – Earth Observations. The exhibition celebrates how Earth observations help us understand our planet and improve the lives of everyday Australians. It showcases amazing and beautiful images, including satellite observations, bathymetric data (studying and mapping of the sea floor) and seismographic maps (measuring earthquake waves).

Questacon buzzes when its new beehive exhibit is finished. The exhibit is the new home for a colony of European honey bees that was removed from a nearby tree for public safety reasons. Questacon is thrilled to be supporting this bee colony after thousands of bee hives were destroyed in Australia by droughts and bushfires.

Questacon collaborates with the Australian Space Agency to deliver the Australia in Space exhibition. The exhibition complements the permanent exhibition at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide, which opened in April 2021. The Discovery Centre will inspire the next generation with stories of innovation, curiosity and technology. Questacon also helps Adelaide out by delivering a digital theatrette, and a careers and information hub.