Things to do in Australia & New Zealand?

[Guy Dunphy]

>Subject: Things to do in Australia & New Zealand?
>From: Patrick Finnegan

>I'm going to be in Australia and then New Zealand for most of June, and was
>wondering if there was anything interesting classic computer wise to visit?
>I'm planning on being in Sydney for the Australia half of the trip, and
>haven't made many plans for New Zealand yet besides flying in/out of
>Auckland.

>Pat



At 10:38 PM 20/05/2019 +0100, Rob wrote:
>Lookup Max Burnet in Sydney, well worth a visit.


Sadly, Max is very frail these days and now lives in a nursing home. He's overseeing the distribution of the contents of his personal museum to other custodians, some in Oz, some in the US. I've only met him once, recently, during an ACMS working day.

The state of classic computers perservation in Australia in general is pretty sad. Very little in the way of organised exhibition spaces. Mostly it's just motivated individuals, doing what they can with shoestrings and a spare room or two. There are some computer museum sites in Melbourne apparently, but none I'm aware of in Sydney. (Where I live.) Here even the Australian Computer Museum Society is reduced to stuffing things in shipping containers in fields on farms, and whatever cheap storage spaces they can find.

For a list of known personal collections, you could contact Tennyson Delarosa  media at acms.org.au
My own personal collection is barely worth a visit. And very 'stacked' in small spaces.

The PowerHouse Museum in the city has a section on computer history, with some nice things. But that's a tiny proportion of their overall space. Very typically of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum recently almost had their site sold out from under them by the government, to developers. That seems to have been stopped. For now.

There's the Kurrajong Radio Museum (a fair drive out to the NW) with lots of great old radio gear but not much in the computing line.

The Telstra Museum in Bankstown (quite near where I live) has lots of fine early communications-related exhibits. But near zero computing.

If anyone can think of other sites in Sydney, I'd be glad to hear of them too.

Otoh if you're interested in sightseeing, I can make you a list. Around the city and out in the countryside. 
Do you enjoy outdoors and walking? I can take you on a very nice day walk (or a few) near the city. Or further out.
Also if you are adventurous I can organise some unconventional urbex experiences.

Guy