September school holidays across all WA Museum sites News | Created 21 Sep 2022 Stuck for ideas on how to entertain the kids these school holidays? Then you’ve come to the right place. Our holiday programs are jam-packed with fun activities to suit kids of every age - even the grown-up ones! With museums spread across the state, we’ve got you covered with everything from free events to drop and leave programs to exciting exhibitions and so much more. Our six locations include: WA Museum Boola Bardip WA Museum Boola Bardip WA Maritime and WA Shipwrecks Museum Museum of Geraldton Museum of the Goldfields Museum of the Great Southern To get you started, we’ve created a WA Museum School Holiday Activity Guide for each location, so you can plan your time with us. Scroll down to find out what's happenening at a museum near you! To find out more about any listed activity or to make a booking, click on the headings to be redirected to the relevant webpages. We hope to see you soon for some school holiday fun! WA Museum Boola Bardip Located in the heart of Perth, WA Museum Boola Bardip is our flagship museum, set in the cultural hub of Perth. With ample parking available, close to the train station and conveniently connected to bus routes, it makes getting there and home hassle-free. Surrounded by eateries and in close vicinity to the Yagan Square Rooftop PlaySpace, it’s the perfect place to visit for a day out with the kids. Entry to WA Museum Boola Bardip is free until 10 October 2022. We recommend booking a ticket in advance online or by calling 1300 134 081, especially during school holidays. Some exhibitions and special events are ticketed. WA Museum Boola Bardip Perth Cultural Centre, Perth, WA, 6000 Open daily from 9.30am to 5pm. SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY GUIDE Drop and Leave Programs Half day and full day programs at Boola Bardip are available to children aged eight years and above through our popular drop and leave sessions. Led by our experienced Learning and Education team, there are seven programs to choose from including: Board Game Designers - Tuesday 27 September & Tuesday 4 October |10am - 1pm Backyard Blockheads - Wednesday 28 September & Monday 3 October | 10am - 4pm Minecraft - Wednesday 28 September & Wednesday 5 October |10am- 4pm Augmented Reality Mario Kart - Thursday 29 September | 10am - 4pm Art V Science: Fossils - Thursday 29 September & Wednesday 5 October | 10am - 4pm 3D Dino Modelling - Friday 30 September | 10am - 4pm Coding Rockstars - Monday 3 October | 10am - 4pm Special Events: Family Fun Dinosaurs of Patagonia Exhibition Saturday 2 July – Sunday 23 October | 9.30am – 5.00pm *Quiet Hour: Thursday 6 October | 5.15pm – 6.15pm These school holidays are your last chance to walk with the biggest dinosaurs to ever roam the Earth at this incredible exhibition. The whole family can experience the sheer size of these remarkable creatures, before they migrate. Click here for tickets and further information. Torchlight Dinosaur Disco Friday 7 October | 5pm - 9.30pm Young adventurers and budding palaeontologists have the chance to explore the Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition by torchlight, followed by dinner and a silent disco. Click here for tickets and further information Kids Flicks: Dino Invasion Wednesday 5 - Saturday 8 October | 10am, 1.30pm & 6.30pm Back by popular demand, Kids Flicks makes a return in the second week of the holidays, with movies inspired by the Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition. Feature films include The Good Dinosaur, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur and Night at the Museum. Click here for tickets and further information Codebreakers Daily until 2pm For families with problem-solving enthusiasts, this interactive tour is fun for the whole family with a unique experience which is part scavenger hunt, part escape room. Cost: $10 per kit hire (four participants) AWESOME Festival at WA Museum Boola Bardip In partnership with AWESOME Arts Festival, four programs are available at Boola Bardip over the school holidays. This includes A Whale’s Tale, Hu木an – a sensory forest adventure, Dreamtime Creation Story with Mitchella Hutchins and Young Inventors. Click here for more information on dates, times and ticketing information on these events. Free Activities These school holidays, if you’re looking for fun ideas that won’t hit you in the hip pocket, make the most of your time with us and join in on our FREE activities. Storytime sessions Fridays and Sundays | 10:30am Watch your little ones’ faces light up as they listen to stories in the stunning Museum gallery. Cost: Free Ultimate Dino Drop-in Zone Saturday 24 September - Sunday 9 October: Daily | 10am - 4pm Drop into the Ultimate Dino Zone where you can excavate your very own dinosaur tooth, help piece together a giant 3D dinosaur puzzle, operate our robot dinosaur and so much more. This activity is fun for all ages! Cost: Free Dino Dig Every Saturday until 22 October 11.30am - 1pm Suited to pre-school and primary school-aged child, Dino Dig is a fun and interactive activity allowing children to explore and search for evidence of dinosaur life. Cost: Free WA MUSEUM BOOLA BARDIP: SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY SNAPSHOT ACTIVITY DATES Drop and Leave programs: Board Game Designers Backyard Blockheads Minecraft Augmented Reality Mario Kart Art V Science: Fossils 3D Dino Modelling Coding Rockstars Tues 27 September & Tues 4 October |10am - 1pm Wed 28 September & Mon 3 October | 10am - 4pm Wed 28 September & Wed 5 October |10am- 4pm Thursday 29 September | 10am - 4pm Thurs 29 September & Wed 5 October | 10am - 4pm Friday 30 September | 10am - 4pm Monday 3 October | 10am - 4pm Dinosaurs of Patagonia Exhibition: Saturday 2 July – Sunday 23 October | 9.30am – 5pm *Quiet Hour: Thursday 6 October | 5.15pm – 6.15pm Torchlight Dinosaur Disco: Friday 7 October | 5pm - 9.30pm Kids Flicks: Dino Invasion: Wednesday 5 - Saturday 8 October | 10am, 1.30pm & 6.30pm Codebreakers: Daily until 2pm Storytime sessions: Fridays and Sundays | 10:30am Ultimate Dino Drop-in Zone: Saturday 24 September - Sunday 9 October: Daily | 10am - 4pm Dino Dig: Every Saturday until 22 October 11.30am - 1pm WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum Just a short 30-minutes from Perth City, our Martime and Shipwrecks Museums are both located in the dynamic Port City of Fremantle. Close to the main café strip, the Maritime Museum is nestled close to vibrant streets filled with buskers, museums, arts centres and heaps of historical sites for the whole family to enjoy. A relaxing eight-minute walk from the Maritime Museum will see you arrive at the Shipwrecks Museum, set along Fremantle’s bustling port. With fantastic playgrounds nearby and some of the best fish and chips, Fremantle has so much to offer and is a great place to spend the whole day. WA MARITIME MUSEUM WA SHIPWRECKS MUSEUM Victoria Quay Road, Fremantle, WA, 6160 Open daily, 9.30am – 5pm Entry fees Adult: $15.00 Child (0 - 15years): Free Concession*: $7.50 Family (2 Adult + 2 Children): $30.00 Carer^: Free *Concession applies to students, seniors and health care card holders. ^Must present a valid WA Companion card. Cliff Street, Fremantle WA 6160 Open daily, 9.30am – 5pm Entry is free with paid entry to WA Maritime Museum, otherwise donations welcomed. SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY GUIDE Free Activities WA Maritime Museum General entry fees into the museum will include access to a range of school holiday activities and events. Freo Fever Saturday 24 September – Sunday 9 October | 10am – 2pm The kids can get crafty by creating their own extravagantly personalised Freo headpieces! Footy fans can also decorate their own take-home mini-kites to fly with colours from Dockers or Eagles. Cost: Included with paid entry Walk and Watch Challenge Saturday 24 September – Sunday 9 October | 10am – 2pm Grab the family and join in the fun of our Fremantle Past & Present walking trail activity. Take the walk-and-watch challenge and explore how Fremantle has changed over time. Cost: Included with paid entry. WA Shipwrecks Museum Shipwrecked Saturday 24 September – Sunday 9 October | 10am – 2pm This activity is fun for the whole family! Imagine you have been shipwrecked on Traitor’s Island. As one of the lucky survivors your only hope is to follow the trail clues which will lead you to safety. Take the Shipwrecked trail around the Museum to find your way out! The kids will also love designing and making their own treasure island map to take home. Cost: Included with donation or paid entry to WA Maritime Museum Family Fun Events WA Maritime Museum Fremantle Then & Now: Historical Panoramas Friday 23 September 2022 – Sunday 19 February 2023 Explore Fremantle through sweeping panoramas with photos taken from the 1800s to the modern day. This interactive exhibition offers more than just photographs. Cost: Entry is included with general admission to WA Maritime Museum Maritime 360 Degrees Sunday 25 September & Sunday 27 November | 2pm – 3pm Legendary Fremantle storyteller and historian Mike Lefroy (Museums Without Walls) brings stories to life from the Fremantle Then & Now: Historical Panoramas exhibition. Cost: Included with general admission to WA Maritime Museum. Freo, from filthy to fabulous: Performance tours Sunday 2 October – Sunday 9 October | 11am & 1pm If your family loves a good belly laugh and interactive performances, this performance is not to be missed! You will be entertained, listening to Doris as she paints a hilarious picture of how Freo has evolved from a filthy old town to a fabulous City! Cost: Included with general admission to WA Maritime Museum Shark workshop for kids Saturday 1 October | 10am –11am, 11.15am – 12.15pm The kids will be engrossed as shark biologist Amanda Elizabeth, host of Discovery Channel’s Shark Soup presents a fascinating workshop exploring the underwater world of these creatures. Cost: $10 per participant Explore Early Photography with Richard Rennie Tuesday 4 October | 10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm – 3.30pm This hands-on workshop with Richard Rennie explores the magic of photography and provides insights and techniques that early photographers used to make their images. Plus, kids get to make a mini camera obscura (with a working lens) to take home. Cost: $12 per participant; $10 for members Drop and Leave Program WA Shipwrecks Museum These school holidays, the WA Shipwrecks Museum is offering a drop and leave program for children aged 6 years and above. Junior Watercolour Painting Classes Monday 3 October - Friday 7 October | 10.00am - 11.30am Spark your children’s imagination and creativity with watercolour painting classes. They will explore, experiment and play with experienced artists from the Watercolor Society of Western Australia. Cost: $10 WA MARITIME AND WA SHIPWRECKS MUSEUM: SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY SNAPSHOT ACTIVITY DATES Freo Fever Saturday 24 September – Sunday 9 October | 10am – 2pm Walk and Watch Challenge Saturday 24 September – Sunday 9 October | 10am – 2pm Shipwrecked Saturday 24 September – Sunday 9 October | 10am – 2pm Fremantle Then & Now: Historical Panoramas Friday 23 September 2022 – Sunday 12 February 2023 Maritime 360 Degrees Sunday 25 September & Sunday 27 November | 2pm – 3pm Freo, from filthy to fabulous: Performance tours Sunday 2 October – Sunday 9 October | 11am & 1pm Shark Workshop for Kids Saturday 1 October | 10am –11am, 11.15am – 12.15pm Explore Early Photography with Richard Rennie Tuesday 4 October | 10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm – 3.30pm Junior Watercolour Painting Classes Monday 3 October - Friday 7 October | 10.00am - 11.30am Museum of Geraldton 2 Museum Place, Batavia Coast Marina, Geraldton, WA, 6530 Open daily, 9.30am – 3pm Entry is free, donations are welcome. Overlooking the Indian Ocean, the Museum of Geraldton celebrates the rich heritage of the land, sea and people of WA’s mid-west region. The archaeological riches from four Dutch shipwrecks - Batavia, Gilt Dragon, Zuytdorp, and Zeewijk, are revealed in the Shipwrecks Gallery. Visitors can join a guided highlights tour available daily at 11.30am. SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY GUIDE Family Fun Activities Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks 24 September - 9 October | 9.30am & 3pm This incredible exhibition has arrived just in time for the school holidays! Your kids will be wowed by the stories of extraordinary shipwrecks, revealed in impressive LEGO model detail. Click here for tickets and further information Maritime Minifig Trail 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm See if you can spot the hidden LEGO minifigs! Collect your trail and explore the Museum galleries as you search for our minifig maritime archaeologists. Marty and Mary encounter curious creatures, sunken treasures and precious cargo in this all-ages activity. Cost: $1 Free Activities Living Histories: Batavia and RMS Titanic Tuesday 4 - Thursday 6 October | 1pm & 2pm The kids will be swept away as shipwreck stories are bought to life through an immersive performance. Online bookings essential for this free experience as places are limited. Cost: Free Ship and Bricks Activity Corner 24 September - 9 October | 9.30am & 3pm Let your kids’ imagination run free at Ships and Bricks Activity Corner as they build their own boardgames or craft a unique LEGO creation in the Activity Corner. As a standalone activity or following the Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks exhibition, this is a great place to explore at the museum! Cost: Free MUSEUM OF GERALDTON SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITY SNAPSHOT: ACTIVITY DATES Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks 24 September - 9 October | 9.30am & 3pm Maritime Minifig Trail 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Living Histories: Batavia and RMS Titanic Tuesday 4 - Thursday 6 October | 1pm & 2pm Ship and Bricks Activity Corner 24 September - 9 October | 9.30am & 3pm Museum of the Goldfields 17 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie, WA, 6430 Open daily, 10.00am – 3.00pm Entry is free, donations are welcome. The Museum of the Goldfields showcases the rich history of the Eastern Goldfields and the city’s mining heritage. Explore the largest display of the State’s collection of gold bars and nuggets, step back in time to see how prospectors searched for this precious metal and learn about the life and hardships faced by mining families during the early 1900s. SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY GUIDE Free Activities Free events are a plenty at the Museum of the Goldfields these school holidays! Check out our guide below to see what’s happening. It was this THEN, what is it NOW? 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Are your kids the adventurous type? This fun family-friendly trail asks you to find the 12 clues inside the museum and challenges you to identify what they are now! Plus, there are prizes to be won! Cost: Free Junior Scavenger Hunt 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Get your kids involved in a scavenger hunt that takes them on a journey around the museum! Successfully find all 11 pictures to be awarded with a prize at the end. Cost: Free Go Nuts: Free Trails 24 September - 9 October, Monday to Friday | 10am - 12.30pm If you’re looking for crafty activities these school holidays, then this is for you! Kids can get creative, using our stash of tree nuts and craft materials to create a piece of art. Cost: Free Bush Mechanic: Build your own Tin Truck Thursday 29 September 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Keep your kids entertained as they tinker with moving parts and understand more about what makes an object move. Cost: Free Recycled Bush Mechanics Wednesday 5 October 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Discover the ingenuity of outback mechanics when you visit this exhibition during the school holidays. This creative exhibition is based on the incredibly popular ABC television series of the same name, co-created by David Batty and Francis Jupurrurla Kelly. Bookings are essential. Cost: Free Cars, Cars, Cars and more Cars! 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Enjoy a heap of car activities, or rest in the quiet corner with a book and puzzles from the Goldfields Toy Library collection. Cost: Free Get Back on Your Bike Friday 30 September 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Join the Y as they teach your kids handy skills about how to build and repair their bikes these school holidays. Cost: Free Star Gazing Thursday 6 October 2022 | 6.30pm - 8.30pm Bring your blankets and telescope (if you have one) to the Museum and discover the wonders of the night sky. Join us from 6.45pm to hear the Seven Sister's story. This Aboriginal Dreamtime story is a songline that stretches across Australia. Cost: Free Pandemic Portfolio 2 Workshop with Linda Rae and Art with Ashley Altes Tuesday 4 – Thursday 6 October | 10.30am – 12.30pm Arts and crafts for all ages are happening at the Museum of the Goldfields these school holidays. Kids can join in at the free Pandemic Portfolio 2 Workshop with the Linda Rae mask making event or create a cardboard cut-out car at Art with Ashley Altes. Cost: Free MUSEUM OF THE GOLDFIELDS HOLIDAY ACTIVITY SNAPSHOT: ACTIVITY DATES It was this THEN, what is it NOW? 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Junior Scavenger Hunt 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Go Nuts: Free Trails 24 September - 9 October, Monday to Friday | 10am - 12.30pm Bush Mechanic: Build your own Tin Truck Thursday 29 September 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Recycled Bush Mechanics Wednesday 5 October 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Cars, Cars, Cars and more Cars! 24 September - 9 October | 10am - 3pm Get Back on Your Bike Friday 30 September 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Star Gazing Thursday 6 October 2022 | 6.30pm - 8.30pm Pandemic Portfolio 2 Workshop with Linda Rae Tuesday 4 October 2022 | 10.30am - 12.30pm Art with Ashley Altes Thursday 6 October 2022 | 10.30am – 12.30pm Museum of the Great Southern Residency Road, Albany, WA, 6330 Open daily, 10am – 4pm Entry is free, donations are welcome. The Museum of the Great Southern provides exhibitions, public programs, educational programs and information on the unique natural and social history of the region. The Museum shares the stories of the Menang Noongar people and the influence of Mokare, a young Noongar warrior, as well as the stories of the early settlers and convicts, and explores the region's unique natural landscape, flora and fauna. SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ACTIVITY GUIDE Free Activities Prehistoric Arts & Craft 24 September – 9 October | 10am – 4pm The family will love discovering amazing animals from the past and present and witnessing the scale of these amazing creatures. From creating a dinosaur mask in the Discovery Centre, to measuring yourself against the leg of a T-Rex and reconstructing a mystery animal from a bag of bones: whatever the activity, your kids will be spoiled for choice with the wide range of immersive, hands-on activities these school holidays. Cost: Free - $4 The Bone Yard 24 September – 9 October | 10am – 4pm Get cosy with your little learners as they explore our range of dinosaur storybooks and toys. If they are looking for more hands-on fun, they can reconstruct an ancient creature using our bag of bones or challenge their minds with one of our puzzles. Cost: Free Fossil Hunters Wednesday 28-Friday 30 September & Monday 3 - Friday 7 October |10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm & 2.30pm Join in the fun of Fossil Hunters, a series of demonstrations and hands-on activities themed around dinosaurs, fossilisation and excavation! Great for all ages. Cost: Free MUSEUM OF THE GREAT SOUTHERN HOLIDAY ACTIVITY SNAPSHOT: ACTIVITY DATES Prehistoric Arts & Craft 24 September – 9 October | 10am – 4pm The Bone Yard 24 September – 9 October | 10am – 4pm Fossil Hunters Wednesday 28-Friday 30 September & Monday 3 - Friday 7 October |10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm & 2.30pm