The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Discovery Centre located in Black Mountain offers an interactive journey through CSIRO and Australian science history. The centre opened in May 2000. It’s one of Canberra’s major attractions. It presents science in an enjoyable way to educate visitors of all ages about the world of research and innovation.
The exhibition is self-guided and allows people to engage themselves in stories of Australian research and its value to society.
One of the highlights of visiting the Discovery Centre is the showcase of national research collections managed by CSIRO, including using scientific techniques to classify real shark eggs and to get hands-on with real specimens.
You can also experience life as an astronaut by exploring a lunar space station, walking on the Moon’s surface and see breathtaking views of the Earth.
Over nearly a century, CSIRO’s been improving the lives of people everywhere with their inventions. From household products like Aerogard and Softly detergent to everyday necessities like plastic bank notes and WiFi. Their wireless invention lies at the heart of what is now the most popular way to connect computers without wires. It is used in offices, public buildings, homes and coffee shops - often called 'WiFi Hotspots'. The invention came out of their pioneering work in radioastronomy.
Australia's introduction of plastic bank notes with optically variable devices (OVDs), developed by CSIRO, was a world's first and represented a paradigm shift towards a currency secure against forgery. This was one of their longest and most successful research initiatives.
- Michaella D.
