Museums, Science & Culture

Regional NSW has more than just natural beauty: it's a thriving hub of cultural activities. Whatever your interests, from art to archaeology, you'll find a range of museums, galleries, scientific hubs and intriguing heritage tours that will entertain and educate the whole family.

Look to the stars

Parkes in Country NSW caters to children and parents in search of a fun place to enjoy spectacular stargazing at CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope. Enjoy interactive displays in the discovery centre built in the shadow of the telescope dubbed 'The Dish' after the popular 2000 film of the same name. The Dish has a 64m diameter and is operated 24 hours a day.

Astro tourists can find more impressive radio telescopes farther north at the CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array in Narrabri. The Siding Spring Observatory, near Coonabarabran, hosts StarFest

You'll be amazed how many stars are visible in Outback NSW where on a clear night you will see constellations that will expand your children’s world. Outback Astronomy offers more stargazing experiences in Broken Hill where light pollution is not a problem. Science Space, the largest planetarium in NSW, is found in Wollongong, just south of Sydney.

Kid-friendly museums

Visit the fascinating Killer Whale Museum in Eden while travelling along the NSW South Coast. There are exhibitions about the shore-based whaling operations from Twofold Bay during the 1800s and early 1900s, including a full skeleton of 'Tom' the Killer Whale. Tom notoriously led a pack of killer whales in the hunt for baleen whales on their southward migration each year.

Visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra on the South Coast for insights into Australia's military history. Nearby in Albion Park is the HARS Aviation Museum, home to over 40 historic aircraft. The Australian Army Infantry Museum is in Singleton, and the Riverina has the Temora Aviation Museum, where you can see the only two flying Spitfires in Australia.

Cricket fans will enjoy Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame, in pretty Bowral. Budding archaeologists won’t want to miss the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum in Bathurst, where they can see a T-Rex skeleton, dinosaur eggs, fossils in amber and rare opalised fossils unique to Australia.

There's more than just fruit on offer at Tropical Fruit World, only 40min drive from gorgeous Byron Bay. Taste rare exotic fruits such as carambola (five-star fruit), chocolate pudding fruit (black sapote), guava, lemonade fruit and water cherries, and then embark on a wildlife boat cruise to the fauna park where the kids can meet kangaroos, emus and farm animals.