Celebrate the superpower of science at Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks
Discover rare and fascinating collection items, experience astronomical events, and learn about innovative technologies as National Science Week returns to Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks for 2022.
Science-lovers unite! For the first time since 2019, Museums Victoria’s annual National Science Week program returns to Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks for a full week of exploration and discovery. Visitors young and old will be captivated by the beauty of science with a suite of exhibitions, activities and events to celebrate National Science Week, 13–21 August, 2022.
This exciting program highlights that science is for everybody, engaging inquisitive minds in the wonders of technology, robotics, museum collections and education. From palaeontology, marine biology, mineralogy, astronomy and beyond, National Science Week is a feast for the imagination. Whether you’re an adult looking to broaden your mind or a budding young STEM star; we have an exhibition or program for you.
National Science Week at Melbourne Museum
Science on Show
Saturday 13 and Sunday 21 August | 11am–2pm | Various locations | Included with museum entry
Science on Show highlights some of the rarest and most fascinating species displayed at Melbourne Museum. Museums Victoria Research Institute scientists will share insightful stories linked to the unique collections including experts in the fields of palaeontology, marine biology, herpetology, birds and mammals, entomology, live exhibits and mineralogy.
From talks to tours to tables of objects, come and meet the Sciences Team and learn more about Victoria’s State Collections and the work of the Museums Victoria Research Institute.
Bite-Sized Science | Bogong Moths: Little Aussie Battlers with Simon Hinkley
Saturday 13 August | 11.15am–11.45am & 12.15pm–12.45pm | Learning Lab Studio, Ground Floor | Included with museum entry
Discover our natural world and uncover the secret life of the creatures around us and their ecosystems in our Bite-Sized Science sessions. In these sessions, you will learn all about Bogong Moths.
Suitable for 6–12 years with accompanying adult.
Museums Victoria Lecture: Snap, CT scan, model, predict! What new technology reveals about rare reptiles and frogs
Wednesday 17 August | 6pm–7.15pm | In person: $8–$12 | Online webinar: $5
A new research project using innovative technologies for fieldwork and analysis will map Australian reptiles and amphibians in space and time. This will give a powerful picture of the herpetological fauna in the landscape with uses such as predicting and mitigating the impacts of climate change on reptile and frog species.
Tour: Time Travellers’ Tour | Geology & Mineralology
Sunday 21 August | 11.30am and 1.00pm | Dynamic Earth exhibition
Journey through time with the Museums Vitoria Research Institute’s Head of Sciences, Dermot Henry. Discover seven amazing rocks and crystals which reveal stories of the history of our beautiful blue planet.
Tiny Tours
Monday and Friday | 10.00am - 10.45am | Price range $0–$22
Light the spark of curiosity and explore the museum like you never have before. Facilitated by learning experts and themed around museum objects that connect children to their world, this 45-minute tour created for early years audiences will invite guests to wonder, discover and be amazed.
Developed for 3–5-year-olds but all young children welcome.
New exhibitions at Melbourne Museum
Tyama: A multisensory experience of nature
Daily 9am–5pm
New at Melbourne Museum, Tyama (Cha-Muh) is a multisensory experience of nature that takes visitors on a journey across Victoria’s nocturnal landscapes through the eyes of the creatures we share Country with.
Inspired by Museums Victoria’s collections and informed by First People’s knowledge, Tyama is a museum exhibition that breaks the mould, immersing visitors in 360-degree responsive projections, breathtaking effects, and exquisite soundscapes. Bookings recommended.
Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs
Daily 9am–5pm
Explore landscapes of a lost world, get to know the creatures of the Cretaceous and come face to face with Horridus the Triceratops, one of the most awe-inspiring creatures ever to walk the Earth, in Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs.
National Science Week At Scienceworks
Planetarium Nights
Friday 5, 12, 19 & 26 August | 7.30pm: Ticket to the Universe | 9.00pm: Particle/Wave
Celebrate National Science Week at Planetarium Nights. We’re exploring rare and rarely seen astronomical events such as a total solar eclipse, supernovae, and gravitational waves. Astronomers have a strange relationship to the idea of ‘rare’; something we seldom see on Earth may be commonplace at a universal scale.
In Ticket to the Universe, Museums Victoria’s senior curator of astronomy Dr Tanya Hill has curated a special selection of rare astronomical events to explore from astronomical organisations around the world. Then in Particle/Wave, go on a journey into the rarely detected phenomena of gravitational waves, the immersive multimedia exploration is at the intersection of poetry, video art, music and science.
Enjoy a drink from the bar in planetary surroundings. Planetarium Nights is for adults 18 years and over.
New exhibitions at Scienceworks
Illuminate: How Science Comes to Light
Daily 10am–4.30pm
Ignite the senses and learn through hands-on interactive play. What is light, what can we do with it and how do we see? In this vibrant festival-themed exhibition you will explore visual perception and illumination through colour, sound and action. Learn how light behaves, such as how it reflects and refracts and what tools we’ve invented to harness it.
