Country Always

Caring for Country

A Corner of the Empire

The Garden Palace

The Holding Pen

The Agricultural Hall

Regional Networks

Across New South Wales

A Museum of Doing

Technological Museum

Expanding Stories

Evolution of the Castle Hill site from botanical research station to Museum Discovery Centre

Transforming the Tramsheds

Powerhouse Stage 1 and the Harwood Building

A Symbol in Time

Sydney Observatory

Ongoing Transformations

Powerhouse Ultimo

Applied Arts and Sciences

Defining the terms in the 21st century

Powerhouse Renewal

A transformative renewal program across four sites

We Rise

Blak Powerhouse

Powerhouse-1 Mission Launch to the ISS

An initiative of the Powerhouse: Future Space program

2024

Exoskeleton

Powerhouse Parramatta

Powerhouse Parramatta Topping Out

Major construction milestone achieved for the new museum

1948

Stories

Expanding Stories

Evolution of the Castle Hill site from botanical research station to Museum Discovery Centre

‘It is very necessary that a chemical laboratory should be attached to the proposed Museum, so that new and other raw materials, as well as waste products likely to be useful ... may be examined and made the subject of experiment’

Prof Archibald Liversidge, chemistry professor at Sydney University and author of 'Report upon certain Museums for Technology, Science and Art' (1880)

Black and white photographer of a main in a white lab coat studying botanical samples in glass scientific apparatus

Changing Ecosystems

The earliest vision of Sydney's Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum, articulated by Prof Liversidge and realised by Joseph Henry Maiden, was of an ‘economic’ museum concerned with the 'science of everyday life', a museum that 'would not only display raw and manufactured products, but would research them as well'.

Photographic montage of photographs depicting various botanical experiments and samples

In an early Annual Report – covering 1880 – J H Maiden noted the museum’s intention ‘to employ the laboratory for the prosecution of original chemical and physical research with especial reference to the utilisation of the products of New South Wales and Australia generally'. This meant the museum needed large quantities of material to investigate and, from 1886, Maiden began to organise a systematic collection of native plant samples, including bark, leaves, flowers and gums.

Newspaper clipping showing the industrial display of Eucalyptus oils and products — 1/2
Newspaper advertisement for industrial display of Eucalyptus oils and products, The Sun, 5 March 1919
Object No. 95/219/1-2

Image of wood sample against white background — 2/2
Mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera subsp. hemilampra) timber specimen One collector Maiden despatches is William Baeuerlen – any wood collection, Maiden notes in 1887, must be ‘either of the highest excellence or not to proceed at all.’
Object No. D5988-1

Between 4 May 1890 to 30 June 1905, botanist William Baeuerlen collected extensively in New South Wales covering sites including Lismore, Tintenbar, Ballina, Braidwood; north of Wilcannia, Mt Kosciuszko and the Snowy River, Batemans Bay, the Blue Mountains, Bathurst; Nyngan, Hay, between Condobolin and Grenfell, Narrabri, Tenterfield, Wellington and from Cobar to Mt Hope – as well as eastern Victoria, the continent’s north-east, and a little of south-east Queensland. is named for him.