Questacon Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre


Established	1986 (opened in 1988)
Location	Parkes, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Type	Science Centre
Accreditation	Asia Pacific Network of Science & Technology Centres (ASPAC)
Visitors	500 000 per year since 2016

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is a super fun place in Canberra, Australia. It's like a museum, but way more exciting! You get to touch, play, and explore over 200 cool exhibits. These exhibits are all about science and technology.

Questacon also has a special program called the Questacon Science Circus. This program travels all over Australia, bringing science fun to everyone.

A Look Back in Time
Explore the Galleries
- Science Theatre Shows
- NKRYPT Puzzle
Behind the Scenes
Science on the Go
- Questacon Science Circus
Images for kids
See also

A Look Back in Time

Questacon started as a small project at the Australian National University (ANU). It began in some extra space at a school in Canberra. It opened with just 15 exhibits. Volunteers and a physics teacher named Professor Mike Gore AM helped run it.

Professor Gore was inspired by a science centre in San Francisco. He wanted to create Australia's first interactive science centre. The name 'Questacon' mixes two words: 'quest' (meaning to discover) and 'con' (meaning to study). Professor Gore became the first director of Questacon. He even received an award in 2015 for his amazing work in science!

The main Questacon building you see today was a gift from Japan to Australia. It was opened on November 23, 1988. This was part of Australia's 200th birthday celebrations. Japan helped a lot with the money to build it.

The current director of Questacon is Jo White. She started her role in November 2022.

Explore the Galleries

As of 2023, Questacon has 8 amazing galleries for you to explore! About 500,000 people visit Questacon every year. Around 200 staff and 60 volunteers help make your visit awesome.

Here are some of the cool galleries:

The Foyer is where you start your adventure. You can see a Robot and the Clockwork Universe here.
Fundamentals lets you try out classic science experiments.
Awesome Earth teaches you about natural disasters and how our planet works. You can even see a Tesla coil and feel an earthquake simulator!
The Q Lab is a space for exciting experiments. It even has a real beehive you can watch!
The Shed is a place to get creative. You can experiment with ideas, tools, science, technology, and art.
MiniQ is specially designed for younger kids, from babies to six-year-olds. It has a water play area, a building zone, and a quiet space.
Excite@Q shows off amazing science tricks. You can try the BATAK game or zoom down the Freefall slide!
Born or Built explores technology, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and robots. It makes you think about how they will shape our future.
The Moon Gallery has interactive displays about the Moon. It's a calm spot to relax after a busy day.
The Science Garden is outside. It has cool outdoor exhibits like the NKRYPT puzzle.

Science Theatre Shows

Questacon has special areas for live shows. A group called the "Excited Particles" performs science shows for everyone. They even do fun puppet shows for little kids!

NKRYPT Puzzle

NKRYPT is a cool art display outside Questacon. It has eight tall, shiny poles with secret messages carved into them. This outdoor puzzle was put up in 2013 to celebrate Canberra's 100th birthday. There was even a prize for the first person to solve one of the puzzles!

Behind the Scenes

The Questacon Technology Learning Centre is where all the magic happens! It's located in Deakin. This is where more than 80 staff members work. They include researchers, designers, and people who build the exhibits. They work with electronics, metal, and wood. This centre also has an exhibition area and spaces for workshops and holiday programs.

Science on the Go

Besides the exhibits in Canberra, Questacon has awesome programs that travel around Australia. The most famous one is the Questacon Science Circus. They also run Engineering is Elementary across the country and Q2U in the Canberra area.

Questacon Science Circus

The Questacon Science Circus outreach program trailer at Boorowa, New South Wales

The Questacon Science Circus is a huge program that brings science to people everywhere. It's one of the biggest science outreach programs of its kind! Every year, the Science Circus visits over 100,000 people. They travel about 25,000 kilometres!

The circus also helps teachers learn new ways to teach science. They visit many remote Indigenous communities. They even visit hospitals, nursing homes, and special schools.

The Questacon Science Circus is a team effort between Questacon and the Australian National University. It even won an award in 2006!

Fifteen or sixteen science graduates work for the Science Circus. They travel around, making science exciting for towns and schools. While working for the Science Circus, these presenters also study to get a special degree. This degree teaches them how to share science with everyone. They learn about writing, designing exhibits, and more.

Every year, a new team of presenters is chosen. The first team graduated in 1988. Now, over 300 people have been part of the Science Circus! Many graduates have gone on to work in science communication, like on radio shows or podcasts.