Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Science and technology museum in Sydney, Australia.
The Museum of Applied Arts and Science is a science and technology museum in Ultimo, a district west of central Sydney. The exhibition halls span several levels and present collections from historical objects to space exploration technology.
The institution was founded in 1879 as the Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum of New South Wales, growing out of exhibits from the Sydney International Exhibition. Its early collection was housed in the Garden Palace, which burned in 1882; after a temporary stay in the Agricultural Hall, it became the Technological Museum on Harris Street in 1893. In 1988 it moved into the former Ultimo Power Station and took the name Powerhouse Museum.
Visitors encounter objects from everyday life of early settlers and immigrant communities, including old tools and household items. The collection shows how people in Sydney once worked and lived, focusing on practical crafts and early engineering.
The museum sits a short walk from Harris Street and Darling Harbour, with ramps and lifts throughout all areas. Visitor groups should choose early morning hours when the halls are less crowded.
The Whitbread Engine, built in 1785 by Boulton and Watt, is the oldest operational rotative steam engine in the world. It powered Whitbread's London brewery until 1888, not a New South Wales textile factory. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers named it a historic engineering landmark in 1986.
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