Science Week Melbourne 2026: What’s on and how to get involved
A fortnight of talks, tours and hands-on discovery across the city.
National Science Week returns to Melbourne this August, with Museums Victoria and the University of Melbourne both running full programs of talks, tours and workshops. There’s a comedy show about maps on in the CBD, hands-on afternoons at Scienceworks and Melbourne Museum, and a full lecture series out at Parkville, most of it free.
When is Science Week in Melbourne 2026?
National Science Week runs nationally from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 August 2026. In Melbourne, several programs run alongside each other:
- The official Melbourne opening event, a comedy session at the Royal Society of Victoria on Sunday 16 August.
- Science at Melbourne Festival, hosted by the University of Melbourne at its Parkville campus, runs a little earlier and longer, from 10 to 21 August.
- Museums Victoria Science Week program, spread across Melbourne Museum in Carlton and Scienceworks in Spotswood, runs for the full national week, 15 to 23 August.
- Community events: many libraries and local community hubs run science events; to find something near you, browse the full program here.
Related reading: A New Virtual Reality Journey Through the Cosmos Has Landed in Melbourne
Maps! Science Week’s opening session
Science Week officially kicks off in Melbourne with a comedy show, of all things, and it actually sounds like a fun way to start the fortnight. Engineer-turned-comedian Julian O’Shea, fresh off a sold-out season at this year’s Comedy Festival, hosts an hour and a half of true stories about maps, mapping mistakes and geographical oddities, including how the Victorian and South Australian border ended up in the wrong place and why St Kilda owes its name to a spelling error.
- When: Sunday 16 August, 2pm to 3.30pm (arrive from 1.45pm)
- Where: The Royal Society of Victoria, 8 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
- What’s included: Refreshments are provided, and the event description makes a point of being suited to a wide age range
- Tickets: Just $10. Book here.
The Royal Society of Victoria sits right in the CBD, an easy walk from Melbourne Central and Parliament stations, and close enough to combine with a Melbourne Museum visit later that day if you’d like to make an afternoon of it.
Science at Melbourne Festival, Parkville
Now in its twelfth year, this University of Melbourne’s Science at Melbourne Festival is a mix of public lectures, masterclasses and rare behind-the-scenes tours of the university’s labs and museums on its historic Parkville campus.
- Panel discussion: From Curiosity to Change: How Discovery Science Transforms Our World, a free public conversation on the value of fundamental research, with bookings through Eventbrite.
- Campus tours: a chance to step inside some of the university’s working laboratories and lesser-known museums, guided by researchers.
- Masterclasses: free, one-hour online sessions led by early-career researchers, recommended for ages 12 and up, so grandchildren studying science at school might enjoy tuning in together.
Parkville is well served by tram (routes 19 and 59 run along Royal Parade) and the 401 and 402 buses connect from Melbourne Central and North Melbourne stations respectively. Being a university campus, expect a fair bit of walking between buildings, and some paths with gentle slopes rather than flat ground throughout.
Read the program of events here.
Gardens and wildlife for Science Week
If you’d rather be outdoors than in a lecture theatre, both the botanic gardens and Healesville Sanctuary have Science Week drawcards.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria runs a regular program of free guided walks that tie into Science Week themes, including bird walks around the Ornamental Lake, an Aboriginal Heritage Walk exploring plant uses and connection to Country led by a First Peoples guide, and solar tours at the Melbourne Observatory. Bookings are required and places are limited, so I’d book ahead through the Gardens’ website.
- Healesville Sanctuary, about an hour from Melbourne in the Yarra Valley, is marking Science Week with a themed trail around the grounds bringing you face to face with some of its endangered species. Standard admission and concession pricing applies.
- Find the full list of events here.
Our picks at Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum’s program is aimed squarely at adults as well as families, with a few standouts:
- The Secret Life of Soil, Thursday 20 August, hosted in partnership with Now or Never. ABC Radio National’s Hilary Harper joins Gardening Australia’s Hannah Moloney and Museums Victoria invertebrate expert Simon Hinkley for a look at what’s really going on underground.
- Science on Show, a special event on Saturday 22 August bringing collection specimens and researchers out from behind the scenes.
- Seed Stories, a workshop running Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August.
The museum also runs Dino Days and Tiny Tours through the week, so if you’re bringing grandchildren along, they’re worth knowing about.
Melbourne Museum sits in Carlton Gardens. Parliament Station is about 650 metres away, tram 96 stops close by, and buses 200, 250, 251, 302 and 402 all pass nearby. The museum has ramp and lift access throughout, accessible toilets, hearing loops, tactile displays, wheelchair hire and Auslan tours available.
Read Melbourne Museum’s Science Week program here.
Related reading: Explore Melbourne Museum’s Timeless Collections and our Victorian Seniors Card Discount Guide, which covers current entry discounts at both museums.
Our picks at Scienceworks
Scienceworks in Spotswood is running a smaller but no less interesting Science Week program:
- Galileo’s Sky: A Family Planetarium Adventure, a special planetarium session on Thursday 20 August exploring the life of Galileo Galilei under the dome.
- Science Studio – Taking Flight, a hands-on workshop running across the weekend of Science Week, though this one leans toward a younger audience.
Beyond the Science Week program, Scienceworks’ regular exhibitions (Sportsworks, Ground Up and the Lightning Room) remain open as usual, and the historic Spotswood Pumping Station next door is included in general admission.
Spotswood Station is around 850 metres from the museum, and buses 220 and 472 stop nearby. Scienceworks has ramp and lift access, accessible toilets, a cafe, hearing loops, tactile indicators and mobility scooter hire.
Read the Scienceworks program here.
Before you go
Both major programs are free or low cost, and neither requires you to commit to a single day. A pleasant approach is to open your fortnight with the Maps! comedy session, then pick one Parkville event and one Museums Victoria event across the rest of the week.
If you’re a Seniors Card holder, remember your standard museum entry discounts apply outside the Science Week program too, so it’s an easy add-on if you’re already planning a visit.
Outside of these main programs, a range of in-person and online events are available across the state and the country. It’s worth looking at your local library or council what’s on guide for more science activities near you. Browse the full program here.
Science Week from your armchair
Not every event requires leaving the house. A couple of options work well if you’d rather stay cosy in August:
- Stone tools tell ancient stories, an online talk hosted by the University of Melbourne, features archaeologist and geochemist Dr Michelle Richard discussing how new non-destructive techniques are helping researchers trace the origins of Indigenous cultural artefacts. Book here.
- Australia’s Most Amazing Wildflower, an ABC Radio National poll, pits ten native wildflowers against each other for the title. Voting opens Wednesday 5 August, so it’s a nice one to follow in the lead-up to Science Week as well as during it, particularly if you’re a keen gardener. Cast your vote here.
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