Questacon is Australia's national science and technology centre, located on the south shore of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. It is a huge centre housing over two hundred interactive science and technology exhibits. It is visited by up to half a million people a year.
Questacon was opened on 23 November 1988 at the initiative of physicist Mike Gore, a professor at the National University of Australia. He became the founding director of the Centre. The building that houses Questacon was a gift from the Japanese government on the 200th anniversary of Australia's formation.
Inside, the Centre is divided into 7 galleries, each dedicated to a specific theme. For example, "Tyrannosaurs" is perhaps the most popular exhibit, introducing the history of prehistoric lizards. Or "MiniQ" - an exposition created for children from birth to 6 years old, all exhibits of which can be touched, smelled and tasted. "Free Fall" is a giant slide 6.7 metres high. "Wonder" tells about the effect of northern lights, holograms and Fresnel lenses. And "Fantastic Earth" traces the history of natural disasters and geological changes in the development of our planet.
The Centre also has a number of areas used for various presentations, including performances by Questacon's theatre company, The Excited Particle, which puts on puppet shows for children.
In addition to its exhibition venues in Canberra, Questacon runs many outreach programmes in Australia. For example, the Shell Questacon Science Circus program is the largest worldwide program of its kind, with 100,000 people attending each year. As part of this program, Questacon staff travel some 25,000 kilometres around the country, visiting remote towns and Aboriginal communities, conducting teacher training courses, and speaking at hospitals, schools and nursing homes.
