The Powerhouse Museum is due to shut down in a few weeks, so I talked about visiting it before it shits with Sue and Valerie. Valerie could not make it, but Sue could – and we had a most interesting visit.
We met outside the museum – just before it opened at 10 am.
Inside the first hall are some of the museum’s best exhibits – the first railway locomotive to run in Australia –
And just behind that is the oldest still working steam engine in the world – The Bolton-Watt Steam Engine –
And behind that is the Strasbourg Clock – which I can remember from the museum’s predecessor – the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences –
We then headed into some of the other halls.
Here are some Davy Safety Lamps –
We were keen to visit the Steam Hall –
But first we found ourselves in the hands on – experiment section. Over the years, this has been run down and lot of the excellent exhibits are sadly gone.
Here Sue is trying out the Electric Chair –
And here Sue is powering the Fire Engine siren –
We next entered the transport and space hall –
I can remember these old destination boards from Central Station –
Then into the Steam Hall. I think all these old engines still work.
Next we went to the 1001 Valuable Objects Exhibition –
This machines used to make mouse traps –
And this wheel is all that was found of Kingsford’s Smiths plane –
This transparent women used to be in the old Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences –
A very old Qwerty typewriter –
And a very early electric car –
A Ned Kelly Helmet (used in a film) –
Paul Keating’s suit –
Some of Lawrence Hargraves plans for early flying machines –
Then we went to the lab section. This is me – recreated by some machine –
And we finished at the Queer section. This seemed to consist of Mardi Gra outfits –
There are plans that the Powerhouse will be refurbished and reopened in a few years time. I hope all the old steam engines are left intact and working. And the rest of the science and technology exhibits.