Our Water Exhibit Themes, Descriptions and Curriculum Links
Questacon’s Our Water is a touring hands-on exhibition which is suitable for visitors aged 10 years and older. This document lists Our Water
exhibit names, descriptions, key themes and subject areas as well as how Our Water links to the Australian National Curriculum.
Our Water's 28 interactive exhibits celebrate one of our most precious resources and it investigates how Australians use and preserve water in
cities, farms and factories. Exhibits are designed to challenge users to think about how they use water at home, as well as broader community
decisions about how water is allocated and the consequences of the different uses and re-uses of water in Australia.
The following suggestions and questions are useful for strengthening the educational experience for students and encouraging them to connect
exhibit concepts to what they encounter in their everyday lives.
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What parts of the water cycle do you experience in your daily life?
How much of your body consists of water? Do you contain more water or less water than someone who's taller than you?
How much water do you use at home? How can you change habits to reduce your water use?
Where does stormwater go after it exits a stormwater drain?
Is there enough water to share between cities, farms, ecosystems and factories? How would you make choices about water allocations?
Would reverse osmosis be an efficient process to treat grey water, or to extract freshwater from salt water?
What factors would a farmer need to think about when selecting an irrigation system?
If you were a farmer, what information would you need to help you make decisions about water allocations?
Our Water
Exhibit
Name
Exhibit Description
Key Themes
Subject Areas
Bodies of
Water
'Photograph’ your body's silhouette then see it 'fill up'
onscreen to show how much water is in your body’s
organs and skin.
biology, human,
physiology, water,
multimedia
Biology – human body (physiology)
Catchment
Manager
Move elements like farms, livestock, dams and
houses around the model catchment and watch the
screen to see the effects on the water downstream,
demonstrating connectedness of catchment systems.
earth science, water,
hydrology, ecology,
conservation, catchment,
planning
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Crank it Clean
Turn the handle to see how much energy it takes to
push water through a reverse osmosis membrane.
Compare the amount of clean water you obtain with
how much waste water is produced.
water, technology,
osmosis, filter, membrane,
energy, molecules
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
This exhibit explores efficiency of irrigation methods
and the importance of directing water at a crop’s root
zones. Select one of the three model irrigators and
race against your friends to see who’s first to get
enough water into their target root zone.
earth science, water,
hydrology, irrigation
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Hook up a fish panel from the rotating pond and flip
your catch over to learn cool facts about wetland life
and ecology.
early childhood, water, fish
Hidden Water
Use this touch screen to investigate the amount of
hidden or embedded water used to manufacture
everyday items and food.
water, manufacturing,
conservation, efficiency,
embedded, consumer
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Mapped Out
Investigate Australia’s water resources using the
onscreen maps that show where our water comes
from and where it is used by Australian cities and
farming communities.
earth science, water,
hydrology, cycle, artesian,
river, lake, ocean, rainfall,
weather data, climate
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Crop Drops
Fish for Facts
Technology
Technology
Early childhood
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Our Water
Exhibit
Name
Exhibit Description
Key Themes
Lots of Litres
This large graphic presents water units in an easy-tounderstand form. So litres, megalitres and gigalitres
are presented in terms of milk cartons, petrol tankers
and swimming pools.
water, measurement, litres, Mathematics – measurement (time,
metric units
size, mass, density, volume)
Platypus Trail
Try to find the platypuses hidden on various exhibits.
Each one you find will give you a fun fact about these
fascinating animals.
water, ecology, platypus,
facts, Australian, mammal,
monotreme
Early childhood
See which parts of the model house you can connect
to the recycled water system. See how much water
you can save by using recycled water around the
home through dual reticulation systems.
water, technology, house,
conservation, efficiency
Technology
Provision
Decision
Use this mechanical interactive to decide how much
water you will allocate to agriculture, the city and the
environment. Is there enough to go around? See the
potential outcomes of your decisions of who gets
water and how much they get.
water, conservation,
efficiency, agriculture, city,
urban, environment, water
allocations
Technology
Pump It Up
Investigate the connectivity of surface and
groundwater on this model of a rural property. Fill the
water tank from the bore and see what happens to
the river.
water, technology, pump,
rural, artesian,
groundwater
Technology
Plumbed In
Subject Areas
Biology – animals (physiology,
anatomy & adaptations)
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Rain Dance
Use your body in the projected cloud to gather water
water, technology,
droplets and make it rain. What happens in rainclouds multimedia, game, rain
to make it rain
Earth science – atmosphere &
meteorology (weather)
Reflections
Use the giant magnetic wall to record your own
thoughts and opinions on water or read what others
have said before you.
Biology – ecology (plant & animal
populations, food webs)
water, literacy, poetry,
thoughts, opinions
Our Water
Exhibit
Name
Exhibit Description
Routes for
Reuse
See how future cities may be designed to be as water earth science, water, cycle, Earth science – hydrology (water
efficient as possible. Touch the screen to choose a
technology, efficiency,
cycles, quality & conservation)
route for stormwater to travel through a maze of water stormwater
harvesting and recycling technologies.
Saving Water
Navigate your way around this multimedia house and
discover tips and advice to help you save water at
home.
water, technology,
conservation, efficiency,
house
Technology
Star Quality
Take water through various treatment processes and
investigate how water of different qualities can be
used for different things.
water, technology, quality,
potable, drinkable,
conservation, efficiency,
house, sewage, sewer,
treatment, pollution
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Stormwater
Use this mechanical maze to see what can pollute
stormwater in our waterways. Can you get the
stormwater to the drain without picking up any
pollution?
water, stormwater,
technology, pollution,
drain, house, street
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Survive the
Sewer
Play this interactive board game and see if you can
survive the sewer and make it all the way to the
treatment plant while you discover factors affecting
water in sewers.
water, sewage, sewer,
game, multimedia,
pollution, treatment
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Tilt a Filter
Use this giant filter to investigate how filters work and
the effects of hole size on membrane filtration.
water, filter, membrane,
molecules
Technology
Scan tokens for information about how certain
industries are reducing their water use.
water, conservation,
efficiency, technology,
industry, manufacturing
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Water at Work
Key Themes
Subject Areas
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Chemistry – material science, atoms
& particles
Our Water
Exhibit
Name
Exhibit Description
Key Themes
Subject Areas
Water Farmer
Use this touch screen interactive to play the role of a
water, irrigation, crops,
Earth science – hydrology (water
farmer and decide how you’re going to use your water farming, agriculture,
cycles, quality & conservation)
allocation. Which crops will you grow? How will you
management, conservation
irrigate them? How can you maximise your returns
without using too much water?
Water
Footprint
Set the dials and switches to match your behaviour
water, house, home,
and find out how much water you currently use
efficiency, conservation,
around the home. Then make adjustments to see how footprint, technology
you can change your behaviour to use less water and
reduce your water footprint.
Culture – popular culture & everyday
life
Water Stories
Learn more about water in various places, from a
puddle, to a glacier, to a toilet bowl, by flicking
through this unique publication and watching its
pages come to life.
water, cycle, ice, steam,
glacier, home
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Water Views
Different people value wetlands for different reasons.
View and compare large graphic panels showing a
wetland in a healthy and a degraded state. Listen to
different people’s views and opinions about the
issues involved.
water, ecology, wetland,
conservation
Scientists & inventors
Water Wizard
Explore the water cycle using this themed digital
pinball game.
water, cycle, pinball
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Well of
Knowledge
Explore water facts, myths and misconceptions by
tossing question coins into the well, and peering in to
see the answers appear.
water, conservation,
efficiency, agriculture, city,
urban, environment, quiz,
myths, facts
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Chemistry – environmental chemistry
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Australian Curriculum Links
Our Water exhibits link to the Australian National Science Curriculum. Core links indicate content that is directly covered within the exhibition,
while optional links indicate content that is dependent on how people use and facilitate various exhibits.
Year 2 core link
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU032) Earth's resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways
Year 2 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE035) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
Year 3 core link
Chemical sciences (ACSSU046) A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat
Year 3 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE051) Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions
Year 4 core link
Biological sciences (ACSSU073) Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive
Year 4 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE062) Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions
Year 5 core links
Use and influence of science (ACSHE217) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions
Year 5 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE083) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect
people's lives
Year 6 core links
Biological sciences (ACSSU094) The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment
Chemical sciences (ACSSU095) Changes to materials can be reversible, such as melting, freezing, evaporating; or irreversible, such as burning
and rusting
Use and influence of science (ACSHE100) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect
peoples' lives
Use and influence of science (ACSHE220) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions
Year 7 core links
Chemical sciences (ACSSU113) Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of
techniques
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU116) Some of Earth's resources are renewable, but others are non-renewable
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU222) Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment
Year 8 core link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE136) Science understandings influence the development of practices in areas of human activity such as
industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management
Year 9 core link
Nature and development of science (ACSHE158) Advances in scientific understanding often rely on developments in technology and
technological advances are often linked to scientific discoveries