Between 1980 and 1995 eight science centres opened across Australia, driven by the enthusiasm of their originators, funded in various ways, but all acknowledging the leadership of the National Science Centre in Canberra. Six of the centres have continued into the twenty-first century and some have changed their original form, but the philosophy of ‘hands-on' science has been preserved.The accounts in this article are based on extensive notes provided by the protagonists.
