Explore-a-saurus at Scienceworks

An animatronic Stegosaurus.
Credit: Jon Augier

Terrorising Melbourne with advanced robotics and hands-on activities since the 31 May 2011, Explore-a-saurus has something for the whole family.

Loaded with high quality animatronics, the exhibition explains how palaeontologists have discovered so much about prehistoric organisms with simple yet informative facts about the lives and times of a range of dinosaurs.

Every featured dinosaur is brought to life by a realistic mechanical representation, with a nearby fact-file answering frequently asked questions, such as diet, habitat and size. In case these still don’t answer all your questions, professional palaeontologists are always nearby and happy to share their knowledge.

Don’t worry about the ‘look, don’t touch’ rule, the interactive and hands-on nature of the exhibit gets everyone in the family actively involved – almost everything in the exhibit can be seen and felt, even the replica fossils.

While the exhibition isn’t very long, it makes up for this with its polished, interactive and exciting content – there is a range of entertaining activities that bring the experience to life. Guests can compete against the mighty jaws of the Tyrannosaurus Rex by testing how much force they can exert on two touch-sensitive panels (31,000 newtons is the number to beat). And cameras installed into a fossilised skull allow guests to see through the eyes of certain breeds of dinosaur, while a quiz at the back of the exhibition allows them to apply their newfound knowledge.

Explore-a-saurus is an exciting and informative event for families with young children or dinosaur enthusiasts of any age. It runs until the 15 April 2012, and is definitely recommended for any family looking for something to do during the holidays or for anyone wanting to learn about dinosaurs in a new and interesting way.