SparkLab

SparkLab is Queensland Museum Kurilpa’s hands-on science, technology, engineering and maths space for children, located on Level 1 in South Bank, Brisbane. Recommended for ages 6 to 13, it is designed around curiosity and experimentation rather than simply looking at displays. Visitors can explore 40 interactive exhibits across three zones, testing ideas, making observations, designing solutions and sharing their thinking as they go.

The exhibition’s standout experiences include the Science Bar, where short live investigations invite visitors to predict outcomes, ask questions and help direct the activity. Demonstrations explore ideas such as sound, air pressure, density, static electricity, light, colour and changes between solids and liquids. Science on a Sphere offers a different scale of discovery: a 1.8-metre sphere projects satellite and ground-based datasets showing Earth, weather, ocean currents, animal migrations, plate tectonics and planets across the solar system. It can be explored independently through a touchscreen or during facilitated sessions.

At the Maker Space, visitors use supplied materials to develop, test and improve their own designs. Activities are included with a SparkLab ticket and connect science with design and technology. The current ParkLab activity challenges participants to create accessible playground equipment, considering how people of different ages, heights and abilities might use it. The Electric Sparks program adds a more dramatic element, using a Tesla Coil to produce large electrical sparks and explore how changes in frequency and intensity affect the experience. The demonstration includes bright lights and loud sound, with marked noise zones and the option to leave and re-enter.

SparkLab suits families looking for an active museum visit, children who enjoy making and testing things, and school or children’s groups aged 15 and under. School programs are linked to the Australian Curriculum across science, technologies and mathematics, with resources available for teachers. The space is interactive and usually noisy, with low light, light projections, seating and touch-based exhibits. Accessible facilities include wheelchair access to exhibits and restrooms, and the museum offers sensory-friendly sessions with reduced sound and visitor numbers. Timed sessions and limited visitor numbers make booking ahead advisable, particularly during school holidays.