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60-602: The Lady Southern Cross was a Lockheed Altair monoplane owned by Australian pioneer aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith . In this aircraft, Kingsford Smith made the first eastward trans- Pacific flight from Australia to the United States, in October and November of 1934 . In April 1934, Kingsford Smith ordered an aircraft from Lockheed for use in the MacRobertson Air Race in October of that year. The aircraft

120-537: A science museum , the Powerhouse has a diverse collection encompassing all sorts of technology including decorative arts , science , communication , transport , costume , furniture , media , computer technology , space technology and steam engines . The museum has existed in various guises for over 125 years, previously named the Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum of New South Wales (1879–1882) and

180-410: A 7 1⁄2-inch Merz Telescope that was manufactured in 1860–1861. The EcoLogic exhibition focuses on the challenges facing the environment, human impact, and ways and technologies to stop this effect. There is a house setup called Ecohouse where people toggle light variables to see the outcome as well as other energy use simulators and a 'ecological footprint' game. The exhibition includes a section of

240-618: A Ransom and Jeffries agricultural engine and the Broken Hill Fire Brigade's horse-drawn pump-engine. The museum owns a collection of mechanical musical instruments, of which the fairground barrel organ is located in the steam exhibition, where it is powered by a small fairground engine. The most popular exhibit is arguably the museum's model of the Strasbourg astronomical clock in Strasbourg Cathedral (which at that time

300-552: A building of such fragile materials would be an expensive and "catastrophic" failure. Powerhouse Parramatta is due to open in 2025. In December 2023, Arts Minister John Graham announced that the Ultimo site would be closed from early February for up to three years, to allow for significant upgrades and redevelopment. A new public square is planned, and the entrance will be moved so that it faces The Goods Line walkway from Central Station . On 5 February 2024, Powerhouse Ultimo began

360-478: A celebration included items from the collection at her ancestral home, Althorp , including her wedding gown, family jewellery and film of Diana as a child. Harry Potter: The Exhibition in 2011–2012 was another popular exhibition, showcasing real costumes and sets from the eight Harry Potter films including the golden snitch, Nimbus 2000 and the Firebolt broomsticks, and various artefacts associated with all of

420-473: A committee to select the best exhibits with the intention of exhibiting them permanently in a new museum to be sited within the Garden Palace. The new museum was to be called The Technological, Industrial, and Sanitary Museum of New South Wales; its purpose was to exhibit the latest industrial, construction and design innovations with the intention of showing how improvements in the living standards and health of

480-457: A major industrial location to a cultural, educational and tourism precinct". In January 2019, Lisa Havilah , former director of Carriageworks , took up the position of CEO of MAAS. She became the fourth head of MAAS in 5 1 ⁄ 2 years. As of December 2023 she is still in the role. The museum hosts a number of permanent exhibitions, including many concerning different modes of transport and communication. The Powerhouse Museum houses

540-613: A number of large temporary exhibitions, including ones based on popular cinema franchises such as Star Trek , The Lord of the Rings , and the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibition, showing models, props and costumes from all six Star Wars films, together with recent advances in technology that are turning fantasy into reality. About 95 percent of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences collection

600-547: A number of unique exhibits including the oldest operational rotative steam engine in the world, the Whitbread Engine . Dating from 1785, it is one of only a handful remaining that was built by Boulton and Watt and was acquired from Whitbread 's London Brewery in 1888. This engine was named a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1986. Another important exhibit

660-692: A period of temporary closure until 2027 for major redevelopment. Community consultations were due to run until 25 February 2024. The statement of significance for the Federation building says the Powerhouse played a "major part in the 20th-century development of the Ultimo/Pyrmont area and in the wider heritage conservation movement in NSW." and it was part of the Darling Harbour Bicentennial citywide adaptation project, incorporated into "the transition of

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720-745: A recommendation of the trustees of the Australian Museum in 1878 and the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879 and Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880 . The Sydney International Exhibition was held in the Garden Palace , a purpose-built exhibition building located in the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens . At the conclusion of the exhibition, the Australian Museum (Sydney's museum of natural history) appointed

780-574: A result of a request from Charles Lindbergh , although Lindbergh in the end chose to buy a standard Sirius. The first Altair, converted from a Sirius, flew in September 1930. Like the Sirius, the Altair was a single-engined, low-winged monoplane of wooden construction. The undercarriage, which was operated by use of a hand crank, retracted inwards. Four Altairs following the prototype were converted from examples of

840-824: A temporary home at the Agricultural Hall in the Domain, a new, purpose-built premises in Harris Street , Ultimo and was given a new name: the "Technological Museum". The new location placed the museum adjacent to the Sydney Technical College , and as such it was intended to provide material inspiration to the students. As time passed, its name was changed to The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and it also established branches in some of New South Wales' main industrial and mining centres, including Broken Hill , Albury , Newcastle and Maitland . It also quickly outgrew

900-554: A tree with a time line marked on its rings, dating back to the 17th century. The 'Interface: people, machines, design' explores how humans have been impacted by technology. A gallery of computing technology from the typewriter to the Tamagotchi. It explores successful and not-so successful design approaches made in the computing technology world. "Experimentations" is a science exhibition and contains interactive displays demonstrating aspects of magnetism, light, electricity, motion and

960-598: A working observatory in 1982, Sydney Observatory was incorporated into the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, as the museum was still formally known, though from 1988 this name was no longer used in marketing materials in favour of the Powerhouse Museum brand. In February 2015, the State Government controversially announced that the Powerhouse Museum would be relocated to Parramatta . However this plan

1020-459: Is Locomotive No. 1 , the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger train in New South Wales , built by Robert Stephenson & Company in 1854. The most popular exhibit is arguably "The Strasburg Clock Model", built in 1887 by a 25-year-old Sydney watchmaker named Richard Smith. It is a working model of the famous Strasbourg astronomical clock in Strasbourg Cathedral (which at that time

1080-612: Is listed on the New South Wales Government's State Heritage Register. The Ultimo building, designed by Lionel Glendenning for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988, won the Sir John Sulman Medal for architecture. It includes a specially installed reticulated steam system, run from the old boiler house, to drive the large, rare steam machines in its collection. The Powerhouse Museum has its origins in

1140-409: Is maintained in storage at any one time. From late 2004, 60 percent of this was moved to a new 3 hectares (7.4 acres) site in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Castle Hill . Built at a cost of A$ 12 million , this facility consists of seven huge sheds, including one the size of an aircraft hangar , within which are housed artefacts as a section of the mast of HMS  Victory , Nelson 's flagship at

1200-612: Is now on public display at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia. In 2009 a Sydney film crew claimed they were 100% certain they found the Lady Southern Cross . The location of the claimed find was widely mis-reported as "in the Bay of Bengal " - the 2009 search was at the same location where the landing gear had been found in 1937, at Aye Island, in the Andaman Sea . However, this claim

1260-455: Is remarkable in that nearly all of the engines on display are fully operational and are regularly demonstrated working on steam power. Together with the Boulton and Watt engine, and the museum's locomotives, steam truck and traction engines, they are a unique working collection tracing the development of steam power from the 1770s to the 1930s. Engines on display include an 1830s Maudslay engine,

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1320-631: Is the largest suspended plane in any museum in the world, and an example of the most successful flying boat ever introduced and one that was important in connecting Australia by air with the rest of the world after World War II . After involvement in the air-sea rescue squadron, the museum's specimen flew from the Rose Bay flying boat base across the Pacific Ocean on the first uncharted air route between Sydney and Valparaiso , Chile. The use of Catalina flying boats by Qantas Empire Airways after World War II

1380-575: The Technological Museum (August 1893 – March 1988). As of 2022, the collection contains over 500,000 objects collected over the last 135 years, many of which are displayed or housed at the site it has occupied since 1988, and for which it is named – a converted electric tram power station in the Inner West suburb of Ultimo , originally constructed in 1902 and is a well-known and popular Sydney tourist destination. The Federation-style building

1440-630: The Government of New South Wales . Its main centre is in Ultimo, New South Wales (Powerhouse Ultimo), the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Hill , and the newer Powerhouse Castle Hill (previously known as the Museums Discovery Centre) at Castle Hill . Powerhouse Parramatta is due to open in 2025. The Ultimo site was scheduled to be closed for three years from February 2024 for redevelopment. Although often described as

1500-628: The Lady Southern Cross overnight from Allahabad , India, to Singapore (c.2200 mi.), while attempting to break the England-Australia speed record, when they disappeared over the Andaman Sea in the early hours of 8 November 1935. Aviator C.J. Melrose claimed to have seen the Lady Southern Cross fighting a storm 150 miles from shore and 200 feet over the sea with fire coming from its exhaust. Eighteen months later, Burmese fishermen found an undercarriage leg and wheel (with its tyre still inflated) which had been washed ashore at Aye Island in

1560-574: The Lady Southern Cross put on a ship to England. After obtaining a British airworthiness certificate, and having been turned back once by a hailstorm over Italy, Kingsford Smith and co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge left Croydon Airport in London on 6 November 1935 in an attempt to break the England to Australia speed record set during the MacRobertson Air Race. Kingsford Smith and Pethybridge were flying

1620-422: The Powerhouse Museum – Stage One in the nearby tram sheds before re-opening as the Powerhouse Museum at the new site on 10 March 1988. The main museum building contains five levels, three courtyards and a cafeteria, as well as some offices. Workshops, library, storage and additional office space is located in the annexed tram sheds (still known in-house as "Stage One"). The size and continually expanding nature of

1680-661: The United States Army Air Corps and designated Y1C-25 , with a second Altair, fitted with a metal construction fuselage was also purchased by the Army as the Y1C-23 and used as a staff transport, as was a single similar aircraft operated by the US Navy as the XRO-1 . Altairs were used to carry out a number of record-breaking long-range flights. One aircraft, named Lady Southern Cross

1740-572: The 1928 flight - 15 days vs 9 - despite the Altair being a much faster aircraft than the Fokker. After arriving safely in Oakland on 4 November 1934, the Lady Southern Cross was left in the care of Lockheed at Burbank, California for repair, overhaul and storage. With the Lady Southern Cross substantially repaired and rebuilt in Burbank, Kingsford Smith flew cross-country to New York in September 1935 and had

1800-706: The 1980s. Arts oriented temporary exhibitions have included the Fabergé exhibition, the Treasures of Palestine exhibition, the Strictly Mardi Gras exhibition, the Christian Dior exhibition, the Audrey Hepburn exhibition, Kylie: an exhibition – a tribute to Kylie Minogue and her contribution to music, stage and screen, featuring many of her costumes. An exhibition about Diana, Princess of Wales , called Diana:

1860-505: The Gulf of Martaban, 3 km (2 mi) off the southeast coastline of Burma, some 137 km (85 mi) south of Mottama (formerly known as Martaban). Lockheed confirmed the undercarriage leg to be from the Lady Southern Cross . Botanists who examined the weeds clinging to the undercarriage leg estimated that the aircraft itself lies not far from the island at a depth of approximately 15 fathoms (90 ft; 27 m). The undercarriage leg

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1920-587: The Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun as high-speed passenger and cargo aircraft, one remaining in use until 1944. Data from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 General characteristics Performance Related development Related lists Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum , formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences ( MAAS ), is a collection of museums in Sydney , and owned by

1980-697: The NSW government announced it had abandoned plans to relocate three of the Powerhouse Museum's biggest exhibits – the Boulton and Watt steam engine, the Locomotive No. 1, and the Catalina flying boat. The planned three centres of Sydney's Powerhouse Museum were the existing building at Ultimo, the Parramatta riverside, Museum Discovery Centre at Castle Hill and the Sydney Observatory. The decision to keep Ultimo site

2040-552: The Pacific Ocean by aircraft, from Australia to the United States. Kingsford Smith and Taylor departed Archerfield Airport on 21 October 1934, for the reverse journey from that the Southern Cross had made in 1928; Brisbane - Fiji - Hawaii - Oakland . Bad weather in Fiji and the need for extensive repairs to the fuel and oil systems in Hawaii meant the flight took considerably longer than

2100-527: The Sirius, with another six Altairs built from scratch: three by Lockheed, two by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation , and one by AiRover . The AiRover Altair, dubbed The Flying Testbed , was powered by a Menasco Unitwin engine, which used two engines to drive a single shaft. The Unitwin was used in the Vega Starliner , which never went into production. The prototype Altair was purchased by

2160-492: The areas of technology, science, engineering and design at two major locations", and that like other large collections such as the Smithsonian museums in the United States, multiple centres would display the institution's collections. While Government Ministers argued the decision would be a "win-win" for Sydney and Parramatta, critics argued it would be a "lose-lose", with both cities losing important heritage. On 29 July 2020,

2220-472: The clock displays the position of the planets, the days of the month, solar time , lunar phases and analog time . The Space exhibition looks at space and discoveries relating to it. It includes a life size model space-shuttle cockpit. It has a feature on Australian satellites and joins the Transport exhibit through an underground temporary exhibit walkway and two side entrances. The Powerhouse Museum has

2280-707: The collection including the Catalina flying boat and Locomotive No.1 but proposals for lending the large items to different organisations across the state were in train since 2019, and concern persisted about risks, logistics and decontextualisation of exhibits. The insecurity, the "deluge of controversy" and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage sector made planning extremely difficult. The proposed closure and move attracted wide-ranging criticism from museum experts, architectural heritage and urban design experts, cultural and business leaders, and

2340-512: The collection, but for the subsequent decade the new museum found itself housed in a large tin shed in The Domain , a facility it shared with the Sydney Hospital morgue . The ever-present stench of decaying corpses was not the best advertisement for an institution dedicated to the promotion of sanitation. Eventually – after intense lobbying – the museum was relocated to a three-storey building;

2400-633: The electric current through the glowing gas inside it, and changes when touched. The museum holds an extensive and significant collection of Doulton ware and other ceramics, as well as industrial equipment and industrial design, such as furniture. Various exhibitions have paid tribute to Australian popular culture. Some of these have included On the box: great moments in Australian television 1956–2006 tribute to 50 years of Australian television and The 80s are back which looks back at life in Australia in

2460-415: The engine cowling turned them back to Sydney, and they were forced to withdraw from the race. The race was subsequently won, and a new speed record set, by a British de Havilland DH.88 racing aircraft. Now in financial trouble, and with the Lady Southern Cross facing withdrawal of its airworthiness certificate if it did not leave Australia, Kingsford Smith decided to attempt the first eastward crossing of

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2520-523: The main Harris Street site and by 1978 the situation had become dire, with many exhibits literally stuffed into its attic, and left unexhibited for decades. On 23 August 1978, Premier Neville Wran announced that the decrepit Ultimo Power Station , several hundred metres north of the Harris Street site had been earmarked as the museum's new permanent home along with the adjoining former Ultimo Tram Depot . The museum spent an interim period exhibiting as

2580-408: The main characters. In 2011, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Wiggles , the Powerhouse mounted The Wiggles Exhibition , which exhibited memorabilia from the group as well as from The Cockroaches , since two of the group were previously members of The Cockroaches . Due to its popularity, the exhibition was kept as one of the museum's permanent exhibitions. Since 1988, the Powerhouse hosted

2640-532: The museum's collection means that offsite storage facilities are also maintained. The new Powerhouse made it possible to rehabilitate hundreds of treasures stored at Alexandria and "exhibit them for the first time in almost a century". In 1982, the museum incorporated the Sydney Observatory . The museum moved to 500 Harris Street in March 1988, and took its new name from the new location. Following its closure as

2700-476: The other side of which is the Governor of New South Wales 's railway carriage, of the 1880s. Also in this exhibition is the original Central railway station destination board , relocated to the museum in the 1980s when the station was refurbished. Powerhouse Museum restored the locomotives 3830 , restored to operational order in 1997 and 3265 , restored in 2009 after 40 years off the rails. Sydney's last Hansom Cab

2760-435: The population might be brought about. In September 1882, before the new museum could be opened a fire completely destroyed the Garden Palace, leaving the museum's first curator, Joseph Henry Maiden with a collection consisting of only the most durable artefacts including a Ceylonese statue of an elephant carved in graphite that had miraculously survived the blaze despite a 5-storey plunge. Maiden commenced rebuilding

2820-481: The proposed area flooded for the second time in two years, and even with increased setback from the river, experts were concerned about irreparable damage from increased humidity to items in the collection, especially delicate ones made of paper, textile and wood. In November 2020, revised plans to move Willow Grove "brick by brick" also created further controversy, with the National Trust advising that dismantling

2880-413: The public on a number of grounds, including loss of cultural heritage, risk and cost. The main concerns expressed about the proposed move included: On 4 July 2020, it was decided to keep and renovate the Ultimo building instead of demolishing it and relocating its collections, and build an additional venue in Parramatta. The NSW Premier said this would allow for "an outstanding visitor experience in

2940-401: The senses. These include a machine that explains how chocolate is made and lets one taste four 'stages' of chocolate. There is a full-sized model of the front of a firetruck that measures the pedal-power used to sound its horn and lights, and a hand-powered model railway using a magnetic system to provide electric current to the track. One of the most popular features is a plasma ball that shows

3000-423: Was called Strassburg or Strasburg). Smith had never actually seen the original when he built it but worked from a pamphlet which described its timekeeping and astronomical functions. The Catalina Flying Boat Frigate Bird II on display in the museum is the one that Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor flew on the first flight from Australia to South America, in which he brought home 29 soldiers from New Guinea in 1945. It

3060-409: Was called Strassburg or Strasburg). The reproduction is a working model built between 1887 and 1889 by a 25-year-old Sydney watchmaker named Richard Bartholomew Smith, who had never actually seen the original when he built it but worked from a pamphlet which described its timekeeping and astronomical functions. The museum acquired it in 1890. Made from carved and painted wood with gold painted detailing,

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3120-633: Was donated to the museum by its driver, who left it at the gates of the Harris Street building. There is also a horse-drawn bus and collection of motorbikes. Suspended aeroplanes, which can be viewed from balconies, include the Catalina flying boat and a Queenair Scout, the first Flying Doctor Service plane. Among the cars is a 1913 Sheffield Simplex, one of only 8 in the world. A four-minute film shows old footage of public transport. The Powerhouse Museum also has Sydney trams C11 (1898), O805 (1909), R1738 (1938. 1st of its type), steam tram motor 28A, hearse car 27s and Manly horse car 292. This exhibition

3180-500: Was forced to remove it. After finally getting the machine, now named Lady Southern Cross , out of Customs, Kingsford Smith and copilot Patrick Gordon Taylor set several speed records flying between Australian cities as they prepared to fly to England for the race. With all paperwork finally complete, they began the flight to England on 29 September 1934, with a first leg planned to end in Darwin . However, dust storms and stress failure of

3240-431: Was made in the context of increasing public awareness of the cultural damage that would be done by closing the Powerhouse, along with the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage . The design of the Parramatta venue was subsequently amended by reducing the proposed presentation floor space and researcher apartments, along with a greater setback to the river. In March 2021, during heavy rains,

3300-521: Was rebuilt from a Lockheed Sirius originally built for George R. Hutchinson in 1930. The aircraft was delivered by ship to Sydney , Australia in July 1934, bearing Kingsford Smith's requested blue livery and the name ' ANZAC '. However, before it could be flown in Australia, the Government objected to the commercial use of ANZAC (the use of which remains restricted in Australian law today), and Kingsford Smith

3360-510: Was reviewed, and an announcement from the NSW government in April 2017, suggested that the museum would stay in its current location. A decision to remain was announced on 18 July 2017. In 2018, the plan was revisited and the move was confirmed with a decision made to close the Ultimo site between June 2020, and early 2021. The final design for a new venue was unveiled in December 2019. The former site

3420-406: Was significant in the development of Australia's commercial air services. The transport exhibition looks at transport through the ages, from horse-drawn carts through steam engines, cars and planes to the latest hybrid technology. On display is Steam Locomotive No. 1243 , which served for 87 years, oldest contractor built locomotive in Australia. It stands beside a mock-up of a railway platform, on

3480-467: Was to become a Broadway style theatre and fashion museum. In July 2020, the decision to close the site and relocate the collections was reversed. The proposed new venue was larger than the old Powerhouse site in Ultimo, containing of 30,000 square metres, with about half (18,000 square metres) slated for exhibition and public space. The NSW Government promised to develop the new facility to international standards and engineered to present larger objects from

3540-411: Was treated with scepticism by well-known businessman and pilot, Dick Smith , while Kingsford Smith's biographer, Ian Mackersey, described it as "complete nonsense". 15°18′0″N 97°42′35″E  /  15.30000°N 97.70972°E  / 15.30000; 97.70972 Lockheed Altair Lockheed designed an alternative wing fitted with a retractable undercarriage for the Lockheed Sirius as

3600-449: Was used by Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith to carry out the first flight from Australia to the United States. The Lady Southern Cross departed Archerfield Airport on October 20, 1934 and arrived at Oakland, California on November 4. Kingsford Smith disappeared in the early hours of November 8, 1935, flying Lady Southern Cross during an attempt on the record for flying between England and Australia. Two Altairs were used by

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