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The Power House Museum in Sydney is one of the largest and the most diverse museums in Australia. An old power house had been restored in 1988 to house the museum. Though essentially a science and technology museum, it houses a variety of displays that cover almost every area possible. It is a towering building with more than 25 exhibition rooms, and huge archives to store its vast resource. The construction itself creates the magic, and as the visitors walk in through an old boiler house, they sense the experience in store. The museum has a surprisingly large collection of about 400,000 exhibits, though only a fraction of it is open for public display. The collection stored here is a magnificent assortment that ranges from topics as varied as decorative art to ancient history or space ventures. Some of the major exhibits here are the Locomotive No.1, the first locomotive engine to run in New South Wales. A Catalina Flying Boat is the heaviest item in display, while the most popular one is the Strasbourg Clock, an 1887 replica of the famous astronomical click in the Notre Dame Cathedral. Apart from the ever changing collection of display items, the huge exhibition rooms host a few permanent exhibitions. Cyberworlds is an exhibition explaining the working of computers, and their development from the first basic models to the present savvy ones. Space narrates the mysteries of outer space and documents the various space expeditions. The exhibition is complete with a model of a space shuttle cockpit. Experimentations has a number of interesting interactive displays like a chocolate tasting machine or a miniature hand powered railway engine. Transport is a display of the growth and evolution of the transport system till date. The Power House Museum also houses the Sydney Observatory. The museum also has special programs for the children. Kids Interactive Discovery Spaces are specially designed to enlighten the kids under eight. The various digital games and activities are designed to serve as interactive sources of learning. Technical gadgets like ear phones and touch screens make learning fun as the kids are raced through an array of topics that range from modern technology to primitive science. The special Teachers Guide program is launched to provide a complete learning experience to the children. Another attraction adored by kids and grown ups alike is the King's Cinema which shows the classic films from the silent genre. The theatre traces the growth of cinema to the early talkies. A classic 19th century construction of the hall adds to the thrill of sitting here. There is a Sound House to help children learn the technicalities of sound recording as they record their own voices using the most recent recording software. The museum remains open everyday from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening. The ones traveling by railway can reach here from the Central Station. It can be reached by the monorail as well.
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