National Science Week | Curious Canberra

From deep space and Antarctic exploration to robotics, geology and the science hidden within our living landscapes, Canberra is made for curious minds. National Science Week returns from 15–23 August 2026, with plenty of ways for families, lifelong learners and budding scientists to get involved.

Science Week Highlights

Put science to the test at Questacon
Experiment, play and discover your way through Questacon’s interactive galleries, covering everything from earthquakes and light to physics and emerging technology. On Saturday 22 August, Questacon will also team up with the Australian Federal Police for a special National Science Week experience. Try fingerprint matching, uncover hidden messages and explore how forensic science and STEM help solve real-world crimes.

Touch the Moon at Geoscience Australia
Yes, really. Explore rocks, minerals, fossils and meteorites at Geoscience Australia, create your own earthquake in the Education Centre and get your hands on a piece of Moon rock.
Outside, the Geological Time Walk takes you through billions of years of Earth’s history and puts our comparatively tiny place in time into perspective.

Journey to Antarctica at the National Museum of Australia
Travel to one of the most extreme environments on Earth without leaving Canberra. The National Museum of Australia’s Antarctica exhibition explores more than 100 years of Australian exploration, science and life on the frozen continent through objects, scientific instruments, expedition stories and immersive experiences.
The exhibition is free, with bookings essential, and is showing throughout National Science Week.

Look up at Mount Stromlo
Canberra’s connection to the stars runs deep. Visit Mount Stromlo Observatory and discover its long history of Australian astronomy, then make Friday night one to remember at the Mount Stromlo Public Astronomy Night on 21 August.
Weather permitting, telescopes will turn towards the Moon, planets, star clusters and nebulae, with the free event running from 7pm to 9pm. Bookings are essential.

Go deeper into space at the Canberra Space Centre
Head out towards Tidbinbilla to discover how Canberra helps communicate with spacecraft exploring our Solar System and beyond. At the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex Visitor Centre, see the enormous antennas used for deep-space communication, explore spacecraft models and space hardware, and learn about Australia’s role in some of humanity’s greatest journeys beyond Earth.
The Visitor Centre is open Saturdays and Sundays, making it an easy addition to a Science Week weekend in Canberra.

Discover living science
Science isn’t confined to laboratories. At the National Arboretum Canberra, more than 40,000 trees create a living collection dedicated to conservation, research and understanding trees from Australia and around the world. Then continue exploring at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, where Australian native plants support research, biodiversity conservation and the work of the National Seed Bank.
Sometimes getting curious is as simple as taking a closer look at what’s growing around you.

Stay curious in Canberra

With science, space, nature and discovery waiting across the capital, one day might not be enough.
Make Novotel Canberra your base for National Science Week and satisfy your curiosity in Canberra at your own pace, with the city centre right on your doorstep.