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Powerhouse Parramatta Reveals Its Opening Line-Up: 5 Major Shows, 4 of Them Free

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Powerhouse Parramatta Reveals Its Opening Line-Up: 5 Major Shows, 4 of Them Free

The full details of the five inaugural exhibitions have been unveiled — and four of the five will be free to visit.

Earlier this month, Western Sydney’s major new museum, cultural hub and architectural landmark locked in its opening date: Powerhouse Parramatta officially welcomes visitors on Saturday, November 7. Now the complete opening program has arrived — an impressive mix of art, science, design, engineering and First Nations storytelling. The best part? Four of the five opening exhibitions are free, with only Task Eternal (a sweeping tribute to humanity’s love affair with flight) ticketed for adults — though under-16s still get in free. Across the whole program, more than 3,000 objects will be on display, drawn from the Powerhouse Collection and loans from around the globe. Here’s what to expect.

The Dark is an immersive exhibition built for kids aged four to 12, transforming the museum into a mysterious realm of bedrooms, crystal tunnels, forests and giants. Created alongside acclaimed theatre heavyweights Kip Williams, Elizabeth Gadsby and Marg Horwell, it features more than 800 objects, from minerals and First Nations animations to treasures loaned by Western Sydney children.

Then there’s Es Devlin: The Turning, marking the celebrated British artist’s first major Australian show. Its five immersive installations explore everything from biodiversity and human history to the parallels between the trees inside our lungs and the forests outside them.

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Overflow is a First Nations-led exhibition exploring the importance and care of NSW’s salt and freshwater systems. Developed with seven Aboriginal organisations and filmmaker Ivan Sen, it examines water monitoring, species protection, fishing, flood mitigation, language revitalisation and cultural water rights.

The opening line-up’s only ticketed exhibition, Task Eternal, explores humanity’s quest to defy gravity and take flight. Highlights include a historic Qantas aircraft, original Leonardo da Vinci flying-machine drawings, a NASA Moon rock, spacesuits and a new immersive light work by acclaimed American artist James Turrell.

Finally, The Mall turns to one of Australia’s favourite institutions: the shopping centre. Created with architecture powerhouse OMA/AMO, it explores the evolution and cultural impact of malls, with highlights including Steve Jobs’ iconic Levi’s 501s, warehouse robots and a reimagining of the Roselands Raindrop Fountain.

Keen? You can learn more and plan your visit here — with more opening-month events expected to be announced soon.

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