More Museums
Today I went to the Powerhouse Museum. My God, it was stunning! I had no idea a science and design museum would be so great. Well, I had a little bit of an idea, I've been to some good science museums before, particularly the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris, and the Powerhouse is on a par with that one. I was there for five hours and still didn't see everything. My favourite sections were transport, especially the space exhibits and the tunnel that replicates movement inside a space station; Australian Innovations, even though it rather endearingly seems stuck in 1992; and 'Window' an artwork by Jeannie Baker that serves as social commentary on urban sprawl and, rather strangely, moved me to tears. If you've never heard of Jeannie Baker, she makes beautiful collages and her picture book Where the Forest Meets the Sea is one of my childhood favourites.
I went back to the Australian Museum last weekend with a friend, and I'm glad I did because I missed some really cool things the first time around, like the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 exhibition. There were some stunning shots. I also brought my camera this time, and while my photos won't win any awards, some are vaguely interesting.
Australian Museum
Note 1: There was a queue to get in. Hurrah for museums being popular!
Note 2: There is a dinosaur in the building.
Hall of Skeletons
This was kind of cool, a human skeleton riding a horse skeleton, but then we got closer and realised it was a child's skeleton. And almost none of the specimens in the Hall of Skeletons have any description of how the object was acquired. Creepy.
Memento mori
Just a typical domestic scene: Father, Dog, Cat and Mouse.
Gigantosaurus
DINOSAUR!
Dinosaur Diorama
This was a little bit lame. They randomly flash lights and play sounds in an attempt to make up for the fact that there are no animatronics.
Thylacine
Heck yeah.
Diprotodon!!
I have a minor obsession with extinct Australian megafauna.
A dingo
Sneaky.
A Wombat's Butt!
Wombats defecate cuboid poo. True story.
Drunk Koala
I say "drunk" because it's not holding onto the branch with any limbs, but my friend says they actually do sit like this when alive, albeit on thicker branches.
Python!
This dude was real. Not stuffed. Also saw some other awesome live specimens, including a blue-tongued lizard and baby freshwater crocs.
I went back to the Australian Museum last weekend with a friend, and I'm glad I did because I missed some really cool things the first time around, like the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 exhibition. There were some stunning shots. I also brought my camera this time, and while my photos won't win any awards, some are vaguely interesting.
Australian Museum
Note 1: There was a queue to get in. Hurrah for museums being popular!
Note 2: There is a dinosaur in the building.
Hall of Skeletons
This was kind of cool, a human skeleton riding a horse skeleton, but then we got closer and realised it was a child's skeleton. And almost none of the specimens in the Hall of Skeletons have any description of how the object was acquired. Creepy.
Memento mori
Just a typical domestic scene: Father, Dog, Cat and Mouse.
Gigantosaurus
DINOSAUR!
Dinosaur Diorama
This was a little bit lame. They randomly flash lights and play sounds in an attempt to make up for the fact that there are no animatronics.
Thylacine
Heck yeah.
Diprotodon!!
I have a minor obsession with extinct Australian megafauna.
A dingo
Sneaky.
A Wombat's Butt!
Wombats defecate cuboid poo. True story.
Drunk Koala
I say "drunk" because it's not holding onto the branch with any limbs, but my friend says they actually do sit like this when alive, albeit on thicker branches.
Python!
This dude was real. Not stuffed. Also saw some other awesome live specimens, including a blue-tongued lizard and baby freshwater crocs.