Questacon–The National Science and Technology Centre Reviews

Was great plenty of activites fo kids as well as adults :)

Always a great place for interaction of both kids and parents in a world where science is shunned

Recommended for kids all ages, awesome interactive displays

Great, except there were older children in the Mini Q area. (7-10 year olds) The older children dominated the areas and the little ones missed out. This is the only place they can explore for their age and enjoy the privilege of their own space I know it wasn't busy at the time we were in there but the older children had plenty of other age appropriate exhibitions they could have been exploring at this time.

Love this place. It always innovate and feature new things for people to come back again.

23 dollar for an adult was not really worth it to be honest. the place is more focused on children. if you do not have children, I would really consider going there.

My kids were entertained the entire time. I found it very interesting too.

Great place to take kids. For the adult science lovers there is less to do, but Questacon is still worth a visit.

Great place for small kids, although tickets are expensive the inside activities and interactives are great.

This is a fun place to visit, even if you are a grown adult with no children. However, I would definitely recommend going on a school day. Soooo many children. The games and experiments are fun to do, but with so many other people around, it can be hard to get a turn.

Absolutely love this place. Amazing for families young and old.

A must when visiting Canberra.

Great benefits when being a member as well.

Highly recommended.

Better to go when they are just open coz' you can stay there whole day ! Amazing place for adults and kids !

Perfect for families and children. Hours of enjoyment.

Pretty underwhelming for anyone over the age of 10.

Spelndid place to explore new and modern inventions.

Questacon has always been one of my favourite places to visit in Canberra. However, there have been very few updates over the years. Given the entry fees, it's starting to look tired.

The entry fee is quite expensive if you just buy a one off entry. It's worth to join the annual membership as it has reciprocal benefit with other museums across Australia. Check their website for the full benefit. For young children don't forget to visit their science experiment. I thought my 5 year old would get bored with the demo but... no... the guy who gave the demo use a very simple language to explain the science behind the experiment. It's not a big crowd, it's a small group of children gathering around. They can touch the equipment, make silly comments, challenge the guy to make an experiment they watch on You Tube. Yeah... lots of fun. For big children, they can go around by themselves. There are a lot of experiments and puzzle they can try themselves. Make sure to come early and don't park in the 3 hours car park. We got fine coz we thought we would only spend 3 hours in there. But... we lost the track time and go out after more than 5 hours.

Pros: Great place to visit - even for adults. Lots of interesting things to look at.

Cons: Cafe menu made mainly for kids.

The best place to go for lunch or just coffee and cake and a chocolate or two

Excellent place for kids. Wish they had more exhibitions for adults.

Great place for those interested in science, young and old.

Science discovery win. Interesting for kids of all ages etc.

Great place to learn, especially for younger kids, but older ones enjoy too

Always great. Kids love coming back. Best when it is not too busy

This is just about one of the best science centres in Australia

We had a great time here! The staff have done a great job keeping everyone safe during COVID times. Was refreshing to see a diverse range of guides, different ages and abilities and they were all friendly and great with our kids, chatting to them and getting them involved. Highly recommend!

There are many things to see and many interesting things

Very fun. Went on the 30yr anniversary so had free entry.

Good
-So manythings to play.
-Good interaction staff.
-Nice and cool place.

Bad
-Paid carpark but not too expensive.
-Clouded.

I'm a geek, I loved it. Daughter got to see spiders up close and the exhibit on at the time she loved. the age restricted building area did cause a small bit of upset when she realised she needed to be older.

Majority of the interactive exhibits are damaged and broken.

Great fun. Good place to visit with kids. They will have a blast and learn something at the same time.

This is a science museum and play centre. More for kids then adults but everyone can join in the activities. It is Multi story but has a ramp up instead of stairs which is good. It has a lot of interesting experiments to try and you walk out of there having learnt a thing or two. It s a great place to spend a few hours with or without kids as there is plenty to do

We were a bit disappointed, and maybe it's because we went during peak hour. It was SO PACKED. Perhaps if we went on a weekday and non school. holiday it would've been a different experience.

It's a very interactive place, was very pleased to see they had people with disabilities working there, made my day.
Its a great place for people of all ages!

Good fun! Its the perfect place for families, as there are lots of activities and interactive zones for children. Its definitely the sort of place to go in a group. Also, the merch store is highly recommended if you're a science fan. Overall, a positive experience.

Fantastic place for people of all ages. Can learn more here in a few hours than weeks in a classroom! Hundreds of fascinating hands-on and thought provoking activities.

good place for kids. lots of hands on for them to experience and learn

Great fun for all ages. We spent a few hours there with 9 and 2 year olds and everyone was excited and enjoyed it

Awesome place, kids had so much fun here! Lots to do!!

Interesting features and information to be explored by not only children, but those who are interested in science, technology and others topics.

Large hands on experience for kids. Be wary of school groups; if you get mixed up with one just double back to find some space.

So much to see and do. Great for kids of all ages even our 8 month old loved it.

Excellent place for young and old to learn something new in a fun way

Such a nice place to explore in to science. It takes a long time of at least half a day to finish it. Kids above 4 years will surely enjoy. Plenty of car park is available. Science shop is really awesome for games and gifts.

What a great place, was awesome when I went there many years ago with school and was awesome when I returned as adult with my own kids. The staff there were exceptional, they were very friendly and knowledgeable. If you are ever in Canberra I would thoroughly recommend you visit.

Spent 5 hours here. Great for kids. Make sure you dont forget to pay again for your parking.

Wonderful place for kids and adults alike. Good sessions for kids.

Questacon is always a great place to visit whether you're a young family or just want something to do with friends. They combine science with exciting education with the different exhibits showcasing and explaining many aspects of our More

Educational and fun. Not sure who has more fun here, the kids or the adults! Lots of things to do, see and learn here.
Just wish they changed exhibits more regularly though.
Other than that, it is a great day out for the family! The displays are interactive and loads of fun. The kids will be learning without even knowing they are! They also have 4 educational shows on every day (2 different shows x 2 sessions each) which follows the interactive theme of the place and is entertaining, engaging and educational!

The kids love it. A great place for kids to learn about science.

Love this place. Science time is great for the young inquiring minds out there.

Thought it would be a bit ordinary after having had two visits to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, but it was pretty awesome!

Great fun for the family. Wheelchair accessible throughout. All ramps.

Such an amazing place, we spent a whole day there and it still wasn't enough. Super fun and educational

Great fun even for a 30 year old woman without kids! Give yourself an entire day here so you have enough time to see all the exhibits and actually play with things amidst all the little ones running around - made the mistake of getting there around 1:30pm when they close at 5, so felt a bit rushed. Definitely would make another visit though - the robot air hockey was the coolest!

Took the kids they had a great time until we tried to have lunch in the buildings cafe. Waited for 25mins for cold coffees and hot choc, toasted banana bread.

Fascinating for adults and children alike... so much to see and heaps to do...
Not expensive and SO worth the visit

These guys did am amazing job utilising what they could during covid restrictions. The mission to mars was informative and fun. Our 12year old and 5 year old loved it.

Great job whoever came up with the whole Mars experience thing due to covid. Especially educating and entertaining for children, though it s pretty enjoyable for adults as well :) Kudos to the staffs for the friendly service

This place was amazing the kids really enjoyed all the science gymicks

In September 1980, Questacon began as a project of The Australian National University (ANU), in an unused space at the Ainslie Public School in Canberra. It opened with 15 exhibits and was staffed entirely by volunteers.

Questacon was founded by ANU Professor Mike Gore AM, whose great love of teaching both students and the general public inspired him to develop Australia s first interactive science centre, based on the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The name Questacon combines two words quest meaning to discover and con meaning to study .

Despite a modest beginning, by the mid-1980s Questacon had achieved national and international recognition. Today Questacon is Australia s largest science centre and is among the world s leading science centres.

In 1982, the Australian Bicentennial Authority proposed that a national science centre be established as a lasting memorial to the 1988 Australian Bicentenary. The first sod was turned on the site in 1986 and the building was completed in 1988 at a total capital cost of $19.64 million. The Centre was built as a joint Australia Japan Bicentennial Project with the Japanese Government and business community contributing half the cost of the building.

On 23 November 1988, Questacon The National Science and Technology Centre was officially opened by the Hon. RJL Hawke, AC, MP, then Prime Minister of Australia.

From its inception, Questacon has had a strong national focus. In 1985 the Shell Questacon Science Circus, Australia s first science outreach programme, commenced a successful touring programme of exhibits and science shows to regional Australia. Today the Science Circus is recognised as the most extensive and longest running touring science outreach programme in the world, celebrating its 30th birthday in 2015.

Over 10 million people have visited Questacon in Canberra, and over 32.5 million have engaged with Questacon via the Centre, travelling exhibitions, outreach or other programmes.

In October 2014, The Ian Potter Foundation generously provided Questacon a grant of $7.8 million over five years. In recognition of the grant, the Questacon Technology Learning Centre was re-named The Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre (IPTLC).