On our last visit to the
Cultural Centre at South Bank, the Queensland Museum was undergoing a major renovation. It re-opened in January, in time for it's 150th birthday.
The Queensland Museum highlights the state's natural and cultural history over four floors of galleries. We popped in this week to see what was on display.
There is something to please everyone. Adults will be fascinated by
Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb (opening April 19, 2012), older children will enjoy
Whodunit? (CSI for kids), and toddlers will love to draw and dress up like a dinosaur at the Dino Activity Zone.
Learn about the history, geography, and culture of Queensland in the Discover Queensland exhibition. Kids will love the interactive displays, especially the massive strangler fig. They can look up and down, or climb inside the tree to see what is hiding in it. My three year old didn't like the tree or the snakes inside, but she did like the Aussie slang flip tiles with definitions on the back.
Learn about turtles in Marine Reptiles, a very impressive, large scale diorama featuring turtles and other Australian marine animals.
Giants of the Past focuses on the
Mesozoic Era, also known as the Age of Dinosaurs. This exhibition features a life-size reconstructed dinosaur skeleton, a replica of the Lark Quarry trackway (the only recorded evidence in the world of a dinosaur stampede), and 100 million year old fossils. Kids can head to the Dino Activity Zone to don a dinosaur tail and draw their own dinosaur. Giants of the Past is on display until December 31, 2012.
Discover Queensland, Marine Reptiles, and Giants of the Past are free admission, located on Level 2.
The Energex Playasaurus Place, flooded during the 2011 flood, has been resurrected. This outdoor interactive learning area, featuring a life-sized T-rex and Triceratops dinosaur, teaches kids how to be 'green'. They can ride the energy bike to see how fast they need to peddle to turn on a television, find out which modes of transportation are most energy efficient, and discover which home appliances use the most energy. There is also a small outdoor theatre located here, which screens the Dancing Dino Shadow Show.
There are three levels we have yet to explore. The Sciencentre is located on Level 1. Admission fees apply. If you have a question about an object or animal, head to the free Discovery Centre on Level 3.
Bouncing Back From Disaster and
From Little Things Big Things Grow are currently on exhibit on Level 4.
If your kids liked
Night at the Museum , treat them to a day at the Queensland Museum. They will love it.
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here for more information.
