About us

Our approach

The Discovery Voyager comes to you, wherever you are in northern NSW, with interactive, curriculum-aligned activities grounded in science, limited only by your imagination. During times when travel is not possible, we can deliver live, virtual activities into your classroom!

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KEEPING CURIOUS

Where are we today?

Before making a booking enquiry, take a look at our calendar and see if we’ll be in your area when you’re thinking of having us. If we haven’t got any bookings in that week, enquire away!

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Discovery Voyager

Successful track record

Over the past four years, our highly skilled and passionate team have engaged with 21,393 students from 319 schools, from Kindergarten to Year 10, across the large expanse of northern NSW.

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Activities

Latin Taxonomy

Create mythical creatures and learn about the Latin as the primary means of naming all living things.

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Activities

Astrometric Exploration

Take a voyage through our solar system to discover planet sizes, distances and weights relative to elephants!

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Activities

Who’s Skeleton is That?

Drag and drop the bones onto the skeleton to discover the animal.

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What’s being said…

Words from recent Discovery Voyager participants.

  • Can’t wait to do it again!

    Absolutely fantastic! Over 4 days, with 500 students rotating through 4 different activities, and every single child fully engaged and excited to learn!! The Discovery Voyager is a great initiative with a brilliant team of presenters. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

    Kathie Jackson, Westdale Public School, Westdale

  • Impressive experience

    I was extremely impressed with the whole experience. We invited two other schools to join us and the UNE team were able to pace lessons and engage all students. I was also impressed with how clean each area was at the end of the day.

    Teacher, Dungowan Public School, Dungowan

  • Wonderful and hands on

    What an amazing program! The students were engaged throughout and had a blast. A wonderful, hands-on way for students to experience a variety of Sciences.

    Teacher, Stratford Public School, Stratford

  • Sensational

    This is a sensational program that met the needs of our students from Kinder to Year 6 and left them excited about Science!

    Teacher, Timbumburi Public School, Timbumburi

  • …now they want to be a scientist.

    It was a really worthwhile investment as the children were engaged all day in a variety of hands on science activities with "real" scientists. Some have even said that they have decided not to be a hairdresser, fireman or truck driver now they want to be a scientist. The activities and presenters gave the children experiences that brought science to their everyday lives and challenged the children to investigate to explore and to wonder. A great day.

    Teacher, St John’s Catholic Primary School, Baradine

  • The kids loved it!

    The kids loved it and are still talking about all the things they did and learnt. Even the parents have said how enthusiastic the children were to tell them about their day. The team were really good and engaged the children at all ages and levels.

    Teacher, St John’s Catholic Primary School, Baradine

  • They were truly inspired.

    The final activity which was the chemistry show was superb! It is just so fabulous to observe the excitement of a group of kids after watching the team from UNE demonstrating some really cool chemical reactions. I just loved that a group of students waited back (after the home-time bell) to discuss the science with Sophie, Ant and Dougal.

    - Kylie Reedy, Year 6 teacher at Sandy Beach Public School

  • Enjoyable for everyone

    All students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the UNE Discovery Bus two day visit which we had last week. What a fantastic initiative. Congratulations and well done to you and your team. Anthony, Sophia and Dougal were easy to work with and demonstrated a terrific ability to interact with students of all ages within our K-10 school. I hope that the UNE Discovery Bus initiative is something that can be continued into the future.

    - Alana Goldman, teacher at St Philomena’s School in Moree

  • Highly recommended

    Students just loved it all and were very engaged and excited. We could have had longer sessions as we were a little rushed and students may have had more questions to ask. I think students are interested by the activities that would just not be possible within our facilities and knowledge at a primary school level.

    - Leslie Beattie from Inverell Public School

  • Come back!

    Fantastic initiative. I can’t imagine any school wouldn’t want to a visit from the Voyager team!

    - Sarah Carter, Yarrowitch Public School

  • Soil testing fun

    Last Friday we had a fabulous visit from the UNE Discovery Voyager Science Team.  Every student from Kindergarten to Year 6 was engaged in hands on activities  learning about science concepts. In the Science of Soils group we learnt about different types of soil and  the microbes and animal life that exists within them. We did pH testing to see how acid or alkaline the soils were.

    - Sharon Whittig from St Marys of the Angels School in Guyra

  • BANG! BOOM! FLAMES!

    In our Palaeontology lesson  we learnt about bones. Newsflash - a rabbit skeleton does not look anything like a real rabbit. We dug up bones in kinetic sand and located them on a skeleton diagram. It was great fun. In Curious Chemicals we learnt about H2O, O2 and H2O2. There were BANGS, there were BOOMS and FLAMES shooting through the air. It was exciting. This one was our favourite. Maybe they can come back next year.

    - Joe Reeves and Archie Jackson, Year 3/4 at St Mary’s of The Angels School in Guyra

Latest adventures from the road

What a blast! Every year UNE Discovery looks forward to National Science Week and this year we pulled out all the stops to bring Armidale someth...

August 31, 2023

As the weather starts to warm up, we’ll be seeing a few snakes moving about as they mobilise from their Winter brumation. ...

August 31, 2023

Whether we live in a town or on a farm, every day we hear nature around us. Sometimes nature’s sounds blend into the background, but when we t...

August 31, 2023

Very recently, scientists have discovered that the big fish, Megalodon was ‘warm-blooded’, and that may have been the cause of its demise (n...

August 31, 2023

On the 22nd-24th August 2023 UNE Discovery team members Alfonsina and Claire had the opportunity to join the fun of AgQuip with some of the repr...

August 31, 2023

Attention all teachers in the northern NSW region – Far Out Science is back in 2023! UNE is excited to welcome school students to campus f...

August 31, 2023

Have you ever seen pictures of glowing animals deep in the bottom of the sea and wondered, how do they glow? Well, this is called ‘Bioluminesc...

June 22, 2023

The Popocatépetl is one of Mexico's most renowned and picturesque volcanoes. Standing tall at 5,393 meters, this majestic stratovolcano is loca...

June 18, 2023

Australia is home to many plants and animals that have been introduced by humans either intentionally or by accident. Some of these have become ...

June 14, 2023

In late May, UNE and Armidale Secondary College hosted some very special guests. Several high schools around the region, including ASC, Guyra Ce...

May 28, 2023

Last month, we said goodbye to one of our long-term UNE Discovery team members. Phil Spark joined the team in the middle of 2017 and has now tak...

May 10, 2023

We are very excited to offer two new activities from Term 2 in 2023. Escape the Museum is our portable escape-room style activity which include...

April 24, 2023

Our UNE Discovery team member, Alfonsina, recently participated in a two-week research expedition in New Caledonia, where she had the privilege ...

April 12, 2023

UNE Discovery is most well known for visiting schools and delivering exciting, play based activities to students across northern NSW. But this i...

April 8, 2023

Have you noticed a lot of dragonflies in your area lately? Are there more than usual? Well, there’s a reason for this. A story by Megan Back...

April 2, 2023

During Australian wet weather events, the news is full of images of saturated, soggy and sodden koalas and exhausted kangaroos swimming through ...

March 22, 2023

On 7th and 8th March, the Armidale Central Rotary Club together with the support of UNE’s Schools of Science & Technology and Environment and ...

March 14, 2023

The 11th February marks the annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. UNESCO and UN Women implemented this day in collaboration wi...

February 11, 2023

It is always interesting looking at the night sky, seeing the Moon and some of the planets. Just after sunset it is currently possible to see Ve...

February 3, 2023

Dung beetles play a crucial role in the burial and degradation of vertebrate dung, performing several critical ecological services that are esse...

February 2, 2023

Australia has over 240 species of frog, with 90 species found in NSW alone. While everyone knows what a frog is, and of course every Australian ...

January 31, 2023

Earlier this year, UNE teamed up with The Science Experience to deliver a 3-day science camp for high school students. The Science Experience is...

January 22, 2023

2022 has been a year of great change for UNE Discovery. After a tumultuous couple of pandemic years, 2022 was when we finally started to feel li...

December 16, 2022

The residents of the New England region share their homes with many wonderful species of plants and animals. One that is unique to the Tableland...

December 14, 2022

The residents of the New England region share their homes with many wonderful species of plants and animals. One that is unique to the Tableland...

December 6, 2022

Filomena is a Flashforge Guider IIS fused filament deposition 3D printer. This means that is uses a coil of plastic filament which is fed throug...

December 2, 2022

ROLA (Stone) is a short film depicting the intersection of geology and culture. Directed and produced by UNE palaeontologist and geologist, Dr M...

November 29, 2022

The Aussie Bird Count is an activity for all ages that involves observing and counting the birds that live near you – whether that’s in your...

October 17, 2022

It’s that time of year again: our lawns are a bit soggy, the temperature is mild, and slugs and snails are crawling up the walls. If you are a...

October 15, 2022

We recently learnt about the Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus), a small grassland bird that lives in the Australian grasslands. Once though...

October 3, 2022

The UNE Discovery Voyager team have welcomed some new team members in the last couple of months and we’re pleased to be right back into visiti...

September 16, 2022

The University of Toronto has recently carried out a study suggesting using trains to capture CO2 from the air could help us with the fight agai...

August 31, 2022

ABC Science recently asked people to go online to explore the wonder and science of the plant kingdom, and vote for their favourite tree....

August 31, 2022

The theme for this year’s National Science Week was “Glass: more than meets the eye” and while the UNE Discovery team were planning and pr...

August 31, 2022

UNE Associate Professor Oliver Knox is the man of the hour, having received his second major award in just two weeks! ...

August 31, 2022

Teachers! Are you looking for a fun way to teach about extinction, biodiversity, evolution, or Australian megafauna? Are you looking for a free,...

August 31, 2022

This year National Science week ran from 14-22 August and the Discovery team were certainly very busy getting out and about during this most won...

August 31, 2022

Would you like to go back in time and cuddle a Woolly Mammoth? Well, we can’t offer you either of those but we can tell you about an amazing d...

June 26, 2022

Science continues to answer the big questions, like “Did dinosaurs have bellybuttons?” A bellybutton seems like a pretty normal thing for...

June 11, 2022

I read a fascinating story about a male lyrebird called ‘James’ recently.  By all accounts it’s a true story and not an urban myth. It go...

May 30, 2022

The octopus' brain and the human brain share the same 'jumping genes'. Now there’s a revelation! The octopus is thought to be one of the most ...

May 14, 2022

Do you like snow and ice? Would you like to be in Antarctica and have it all around you? Or would you prefer to keep warm? Antarctica is a great...

April 5, 2022

March can sometimes be a little quieter for UNE Discovery, but there's one event always stands out – the Glen Innes Minerama! For a whole thre...

March 31, 2022

Fermentation is one of the oldest, but also a current popular nutritional trend, often mentioned in the same sentence with the words “gut heal...

March 30, 2022

When you go outside in the evening, what can you see in the sky? Some stars and the moon maybe. Do all the stars appear to twinkle? What are the...

February 22, 2022

Origami is known as the Japanese art of paper folding but it may have had its origins in China or Europe. The practice itself can be a joy and c...

February 17, 2022

There’s the old saying ‘you’re never too old to learn’, and we all know it’s so very true. I love it when my daughter comes home from ...

January 31, 2022

The UNE Discovery team would like to say a great big thanks for sticking with another challenging year of uncertainty, steep learning curves abo...

December 14, 2021

Watch this space for news of Discovery Voyager plans in 2022 early next year. In the meantime, thank you for staying connected with us during wh...

December 8, 2021

I visited a local school the other day and had an adventure! Through the classroom window we spied a swarm of bees and gingerly made our way out...

December 1, 2021

We had a bumper crop of strawberries this season. Our small patch of herbs and strawberries has suffered in previous years and not being the gre...

December 1, 2021

On the 7th of August this year NSW went into lockdown again! It was just seven days prior to National Science Week, and many of us were holding ...

November 28, 2021

Over the last 6 months UNE Discovery, Cotton Info, and the UNE Smart Farm have undertaken a mammoth project. After the surprise success of the 2...

November 22, 2021

You may have noticed at your feet, as you trudged through sandy moist ground, small flower like plants glistening in the sunlight, with what loo...

November 14, 2021

Last week was National Bird Week 2021, from Monday 18 October and Sunday 24 October. The celebration of National Bird Week has its origins back ...

October 25, 2021

We all know that 2020 and 2021 have not been normal years. Even though there have been normal times, the shadow of the pandemic has never been f...

October 21, 2021

If you’ve been watching the news or live locally, you would know that Armidale was recently hit by a very dangerous tornado.  The massive sto...

October 18, 2021

Have you ventured into any national parks lately and come face-to-face with a beautiful waratah, aka Telopea? This stunning flower is out in fu...

October 16, 2021

As a drama teacher, I witnessed first-hand the benefits of experiential learning. Students learned by doing. Even at senior level, we would ofte...

October 14, 2021

Have you ever wondered what is crawling or creeping around your garden at night? Well here is a simple way to find out, and sample some of the b...

September 23, 2021

Have you heard about nature journalling? My daughter and I recently discovered this lovely practice of wandering out in nature and taking notes...

September 22, 2021

In our UNE Discovery Voyager activity Plants, Poop and Pollinators, we play a role-playing game where students become busy dung beetles, rolling...

September 19, 2021

For many people, 3D printing is a fantastic, almost science fiction type of futuristic technology hidden out of reach in engineering labs and TV...

September 16, 2021

While we’ve not been able to travel about the region or further afield for several months now, you may have seen one of our non-human team mem...

September 15, 2021

You might remember earlier this year we announced that we’d been successful in securing a Federal Government grant through Inspiring Australia...

September 14, 2021

It’s that time of year, the Spring Swooping Season brought to us by our Aussie magpies. While most of us either love or hate the black and wh...

September 11, 2021

Soil pH affects our soil health in several different ways. In just the same way that you don’t want to get strong acid or alkalines on your sk...

September 10, 2021

Help scientists to understand how birds have adapted to urban environments by getting involved in the Big City Birds citizen science project. Yo...

September 8, 2021

There is a curious little plant growing in my lawn. Whenever I brush against it, small capsules fly everywhere, either hitting me (gently) in th...

August 31, 2021

Many people would have seen a case moth case at some time or another, but fewer people may know what they actually are. So, before we look at th...

August 22, 2021

Hey, eucalyptus tree, how did you get to be mottled and patchy? Our Voyager team member, Anita, has cooked up a recipe to make your lockdown (or...

August 20, 2021

With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we are limiting our travel around northern NSW to ensure the safety of staff, teachers and students. But th...

August 14, 2021

Armidale is in lockdown but we’re soiling our undies anyway! As we prepare for National Science Week we’re cleaning off our shovels and ...

August 12, 2021

I really enjoy going outside in the evening to check out the wonderful night sky. Now is a perfect time to see three of the major planets in the...

August 3, 2021

One of my favourite news stories this year is the discovery of a new species of frog from the montane forests of Ecuador. What I love about this...

July 29, 2021

One of my favourite news stories this year is the discovery of a new species of frog from the montane forests of Ecuador. What I love about this...

July 21, 2021

The 2021 Soil Your Undies (SYU) Challenge is off and running. UNE Discovery Voyager, in collaboration with UNE Soil Scientist Dr Oliver Knox, t...

July 18, 2021

Last month, the UNE Discovery team were pleased to have Sarah Adeney, opera soprano, and Chris Clark, Director, both from the New England Conser...

July 14, 2021

The Soil Your Undies Challenge is back again in 2021 and bigger than ever! This year we want to send out 300 undies to be soiled all across Aust...

July 2, 2021

Did you head outside the night of Wednesday 26 May? At about 7.15pm I wandered out to observe the magnificent super full Moon but it was hiding...

June 23, 2021

World Environment Day was celebrated around the earth on Saturday 5 June 2021. Since 1974, World Environment Day has been commemorated every ye...

June 23, 2021

Have you ever wondered how the UNE Natural History Museum began? Why it was started? What it is used for? For those people who remember the or...

June 22, 2021

I have to confess, I’m not the biggest fan of Winter. Give me warm summer evenings and days at the beach any time! Nonetheless, I am grateful ...

June 22, 2021

We are excited to announce that we have added another activity, H2Woah, to our UNE Discovery Voyager offerings for 2021! In this activity, we ex...

May 17, 2021

If you have been following the adventures of George the Geologist you will know that UNE Discovery has an increasing appreciation for the rocky ...

May 12, 2021

I was fascinated by some amazing video footage shown on the Australian Geographic Facebook page this week – a doughboy scallop swimming in the...

May 5, 2021

Back in March this year, the team from Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre visited Martins Gully Public School in Armidale to check out th...

April 29, 2021

Throughout each term, we have several trips away from UNE where we travel to a location and visit three to four schools in and around the area...

March 29, 2021

Have you noticed any more or less fungi growing in your area lately? Here in the New England of NSW, where our UNE Discovery team reside, we’...

March 27, 2021

After a socially distanced virus-altered year, the Discover Voyager team is back on the road and it’s feeling vaguely normal. On 1 March we he...

March 22, 2021

International Women’s Day 2021 was, once again, a day for heartwarming collegiality and celebration of strong, amazing women. It was also a da...

March 20, 2021

In late 2020, the UNE Discovery team, in collaboration with Armidale City Public School, Settlement Services International and the Armidale Regi...

February 22, 2021

If you are anywhere in eastern inland Australia at the moment, you may have seen an abundance of mice either in your home or on your farm. ...

February 21, 2021

The 2020 Soil Your Undies challenge was a huge success, with over 200 pairs of undies being buried around Australia. In case you missed the exci...

February 12, 2021

UNE was the place to be in January 2021. We were very grateful to be able to host The Science Experience 2021 supported by ConocoPhillips and S...

February 5, 2021

After what has been a challenging year, we are excited to announce that we are now taking bookings for the UNE Discovery Voyager in 2021! But be...

February 2, 2021

Basalt is a rock that comes in many forms, but how does this volcanic rock move through the crust? Join George as he wraps up his trip to Port M...

January 21, 2021

Play along with Andrea as she shows us how simple it is to make satisfying slime at home - it's all in the science!...

January 19, 2021

Honeycomb weathering is a cool surface texture that forms on rocks near the beach. But why only at the beach? Join George as he brings us a bonu...

January 7, 2021

As summer progresses, I have found many dead cicadas around our property. Most of these will become food for other animals, and contribute to nu...

January 5, 2021

Do you want to do more for our Great Barrier Reef but need a way to contribute from home? Check out this amazing citizen science project and be ...

December 18, 2020

George has found his favourite rock ever! Blueschist is an extremely rare rock, but not for the reason you think....

December 17, 2020

The red-nosed reindeer is a rare sub breed of reindeer endemic to the North Pole....

December 16, 2020

The UNE Discovery Voyager program has looked a little different this year. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team have postponed 45 scho...

December 16, 2020

A very hearty congratulations to educators, parents and students for making it to the end of what has been a challenging year! And a big thank y...

December 16, 2020

On 21 December 2020 (22nd for us in Australia), Jupiter and Saturn will appear the closest together in the night sky in 400 years. The two plane...

December 16, 2020

It's What Animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess what I am?...

December 16, 2020

If you are situated anywhere in NSW right now, or perhaps any place where Summer has arrived, you would be familiar with the magnificent chorus ...

December 15, 2020

This year we've had so much fun making science play videos that we thought we'd share some bloopers and best bits!...

December 15, 2020

This week is undie excavation week, and in the wise words of challenge collaborator Dr. Oliver Knox, it’s time to liberate our pants! 207 citi...

December 14, 2020

What a bumper cicada season we've had! The loud calls of the males fill the air with the distinctive sounds of summer. But despite their unmista...

December 11, 2020

Serpentinite is a rock type formed when sea floor basalt is carried down into a subduction zone and cooked and altered by water. But then it sta...

December 10, 2020

Today’s mystery builder is the Noisy Friarbird, known scientifically as Philemon corniculatus, and our mystery object is a nest!...

December 9, 2020

It's What am I Wednesday. Can you guess what I am and what animal made me?...

December 9, 2020

Do you wonder what benefits lie in play? Do you watch your children swing, run, laugh and tussle at the playground and think “oh, they’re ju...

December 8, 2020

Play along with Phil as he gets curious about why objects look different when we look at them through a glass of water. This is a fun and easy e...

December 8, 2020

Are you a keen orchid enthusiast or bush-walker? Then Wild Orchid Watch (WOW) is the citizen science project for you! WOW is a project designed ...

December 4, 2020

Chert is a type of sedimentary rock that forms in flat layers on the sea floor deep in the ocean. So what is it doing up on the beach and how co...

December 3, 2020

Strangely for a reptile, the tuatara likes cool weather!...

December 2, 2020

It's What Animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess who I am?...

December 2, 2020

You might have played along with the Voyager team at your school and made your own Elephant's Toothpaste, or seen some of the monster versions o...

December 1, 2020

Cane toads famously have poison glands that exude a powerful toxin known as bufotoxin that can cause death in a wide range of animals, including...

November 27, 2020

Do you love Galaxies that are far, far away? If your answer is a big YES, then the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research needs your ...

November 27, 2020

Join George as he checks out an interesting type of basalt formed on the sea floor… but how did it get here?...

November 26, 2020

Any play opportunity is a good one! And outdoor playgrounds provide structures that incite imaginative, active and collaborative play. With ...

November 25, 2020

Geological Maps are special maps that show where different rocks are found. They are one of the most valuable tools a geologist can have. Watch ...

November 24, 2020

The Soil Your Undies challenge is well underway and our participants have now received their Checkpoint 2 – Exploring Soil Texture email and i...

November 24, 2020

Play along with Kieran as he shows us how to make a spinning colour wheel. What will happen to the colours when the wheel is spun? Will they mer...

November 24, 2020

Some parts of Australia have seen a lot of hail falling this spring, and some of the pieces have been big enough to cause some damage. But how d...

November 23, 2020

I have been doing a lot of garden watching of late, particularly in the cool Armidale mornings. I find it very soothing to sit at the edge of th...

November 20, 2020

Wherever you are in Australia, if you have found some poor creatures caught up, reporting the instance can be helpful in minimising the sufferin...

November 20, 2020

The Kiwi can live from 25 to 50 years old, however as they cannot fly away from predators, they are particularly vulnerable to crushing injuries...

November 18, 2020

It's What Animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess who I am?...

November 18, 2020

In this chromatography experiment, instead of seeing what colours we can make by mixing a number of colours, we use ordinary textas, water and p...

November 17, 2020

Have you had a chance to slow down, sit quietly and observe the living things around you - from the weeds growing through the concrete, to the a...

November 13, 2020

Join George as he takes a look at the erosion going on at the Great Escarpment at Dorrigo and ponders the rocks that are no longer there!...

November 12, 2020

Sawn Rocks is the best example of the geological process of 'organ piping' in Australia. It majestically towers over visitors as they walk benea...

November 11, 2020

It's What Rock am I Wednesday. Can you guess what I am?...

November 11, 2020

Watch on as Andrea attempts to make her neurons form a different cycling brain map as she practices riding UNE Discovery's very challenging back...

November 10, 2020

Join Australia's original pollinator citizen science project from 8-15 of November and help scientists from UNE count wild pollinators in your l...

November 6, 2020

Join George on his trip to Ebor Falls to see basalt columns. This spectacular feature forms from cooling lava, and it’s certainly very cool no...

November 5, 2020

Despite its name it isn’t really a crab, and is actually more closely related to spiders, scorpions, and the now extinct Trilobites. They are ...

November 4, 2020

It's What Animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess who I am?...

November 4, 2020

Q: How can we measure the speed of light at home? A: With a block of chocolate! Play along with Phil as he uses a microwave oven, a block of c...

November 3, 2020

The Great Inland Glossy Count is calling for citizen scientists and bird enthusiasts to become cockatoo counters! Volunteers are needed to surve...

October 30, 2020

Join George as he looks at the bank of a river, showing how different layers of sediment can reveal how a river has changed over time and what t...

October 29, 2020

This month’s specimen is the Long-nosed Bandicoot, known scientifically as 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘵𝘢....

October 28, 2020

Here's a fun experiment you can do at home using marshmallows - yum! Follow on with Kieran as he demonstrates how you can use air pressure to m...

October 27, 2020

FrogID Week is coming up!...

October 23, 2020

Conglomerates are rocks made from ancient river pebbles - but how do we know this? Watch George explores this at the Gwydir River....

October 22, 2020

Rabbits can start having young from the age of four months. When conditions are good (for example there is a lot of food around), they can have ...

October 21, 2020

It's What Animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess who I am?...

October 21, 2020

Hey, doesn't sand love absorbing water? So how can we make sand hydrophobic, that is, water-hating. Follow on with Andrea as she demonstrates t...

October 20, 2020

The Science Experience takes place at more than 20 universities and tertiary institutions around Australia. Each program is designed to provide ...

October 19, 2020

You may have seen a creatively named challenge making its way through the ether lately. So, what’s it all about? The 2020 Soil Your Undies Cha...

October 18, 2020

Do you want to learn more about Citizen Science and looking for even more ways to get involved?...

October 16, 2020

This Onion Skin Weathering is so beautiful, it will bring a tear to your eye. Weathering is a collection of processes which break rock down into...

October 15, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘺𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘢....

October 14, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

October 14, 2020

Recently UNE Discovery and the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) partnered to offer a two-day Masterclass for anyone interested in how ins...

October 13, 2020

You're presented with a boiled egg and a bottle with a very narrow neck. The challenge is to get the egg in the bottle without pressing it in wi...

October 13, 2020

If the answer is yes, you can help contribute valuable data to the Butterflies Australia citizen science project!...

October 9, 2020

If you have been keeping up to date with our social media posts you may have seen a new face on the team: George the Geologist! Dr. George is ve...

October 8, 2020

Granite Tors are large rounded boulders of granite or a related plutonic igneous rock such as granodiorite or gabbro. Follow on with George in t...

October 8, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘖𝘷𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴....

October 7, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

October 7, 2020

How do water striders walk on water? Why does it hurt so much when you do a big belly flop? And why is Kieran not soaking wet after turning this...

October 6, 2020

Why not join in on the Aussie Backyard Bird Count!...

October 2, 2020

Follow on with George as he explores this plutonic igneous rock, granodiorite, that is around 250 million years old, and the chemical compositio...

October 1, 2020

In keeping with the Monotreme theme of last month’s specimen, this month we will take a closer look at the platypus. Australia is home to two ...

September 30, 2020

Follow on with Kieran as he explores how the structure of balloons at a molecular scale allow us to play with this pretty cool science party tri...

September 29, 2020

Want to learn more, and help scientists investigate mimicry in this fascinating group of insects? This citizen science project is for you!...

September 25, 2020

Follow on with George as he explores this plutonic igneous rock, granodiorite, that is around 250 million years old, and the chemical compositio...

September 24, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘈𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴. ...

September 23, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

September 23, 2020

Have you ever looked up at those big fluffy clouds in the sky and been curious to understand how they form?...

September 22, 2020

There’s all this talk about our Soil Your Undies Challenge being a citizen science project, but how on earth can soiling undies be contributin...

September 18, 2020

Have you ever wondered what igneous rock are, where they came from and how they formed? Follow on with George in the lab to discover exactly tha...

September 17, 2020

UNE Discovery Voyager, in collaboration with Dr Oliver Knox, the UNE SMART Farms and CottonInfo invite you to SOIL YOUR UNDIES!...

September 16, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘴𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪....

September 16, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

September 16, 2020

Follow on with Anita as she uses her understanding of reactions involving carbon dioxide to create a bubbling lava lamp from things you can find...

September 15, 2020

How are we going to be able to predict the effect of Climate Change on Australia? When making any reliable predictions you need as much informat...

September 11, 2020

But, what's a xenolith? Follow on with George as he explores this important Greek term and the amazing colours produced in this rock from the ma...

September 10, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘋𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘦. ...

September 9, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

September 9, 2020

Follow on with Kieran as he explores how the density of a certain gas lends itself to putting out fires, and how we can create this gas from thi...

September 8, 2020

They can talk about and explore a special type of poop all day long with this fantastic citizen science project!...

September 4, 2020

Armidale friends - have you ever driven past the road cutting on Madgwick drive and marvelled at the twisty geological layers, curious to know w...

September 3, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴. ...

September 2, 2020

UNE Discovery, in collaboration with Dr Nic Campione, developed a palaeontology activity in 2018 called Weighing Giants, which over 650 students...

September 2, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

September 2, 2020

Recently, I was lucky enough to tune in to the webinar series “Well-being, Play and Outdoor Learning”, hosted by Jeavons Landscape Architect...

September 1, 2020

Follow on with Kieran to create a delicious rocky road slice and discover how all the ingredients can come together to resemble the not-so-tasty...

September 1, 2020

To better manage our nocturnal neighbours, we first need to better understand what they’re feeding on, where and when....

August 28, 2020

The University of New England owns and operates eight properties, together known as the UNE SMART Farms. The properties, of varying size and fun...

August 27, 2020

Follow on with George as he explores something called Liesegang bands and the geology behind the twisty formations....

August 27, 2020

This wonderful old display specimen from the UNE Natural History Museum is a teaching tool that has allowed generations of students to see the f...

August 26, 2020

When you see these National Science Week characters, what springs to mind? Do you see scientists and technologists? Engineers and mathematicians...

August 26, 2020

Follow on with Anita as she makes some sherbet and explores how the chemical properties of each ingredient allow for a fantastic fizzing reactio...

August 25, 2020

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Running each year in August, it features more than 1000 eve...

August 19, 2020

If you get excited by spotting different birds in your garden, here’s a great program to get involved in....

August 14, 2020

Using Robotify students have access to the latest and greatest robots without having to ever purchase real hardware. The team can give students ...

August 13, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴. ...

August 12, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

August 12, 2020

Follow on with Phil as he creates a clucking musical instrument from things you can find at home, and explores the physics of sound that lends i...

August 11, 2020

Echidna CSI is a citizen science project that is looking for Echidnas all across Australia but they need your help! ...

August 7, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘪. ...

August 5, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

August 5, 2020

Follow on with Andréa as she explores DNA and how we can extract the long strands from strawberries using bits and pieces you can find in the k...

August 3, 2020

The Brush-turkeys: Birds in Suburbia project aims to survey the distribution and abundance of Brush-turkeys, understand how they behave in diffe...

July 31, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘢. ...

July 29, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

July 29, 2020

Follow on with Anita as she creates a cabbage indicator masterpiece, and explores the science that lends itself to dyeing cotton....

July 28, 2020

Your observations can help in monitoring the health of trees and ecosystems. Knowing where and when trees have died can help scientists to work...

July 24, 2020

Follow on with Anita as she explores pH and how we can create our very own colour-changing indicator using red cabbage!!...

July 21, 2020

Become a ‘Wildlife Spotter’ citizen scientist and assist researchers by looking for animals in wilderness photos taken by automated cameras ...

July 17, 2020

From 25th March through COVID-19 lockdown in Australia (the first one!), I was home with my two children, partner and two dogs (multiple house p...

July 10, 2020

Want to discover more about clouds and contribute valuable data to scientific research? Check this out!...

July 10, 2020

The Term 2 LEGO Construction Challenge, run in collaboration with Modern Teaching Aids and Armidale City Public School, wrapped up last week, an...

July 9, 2020

I recently caught up with Dr Jean Holley, exploring the idea that there’s nothing like a hands-on experience for deepening our understanding a...

July 4, 2020

Butterflies Australia is a citizen science project that launched in October 2019 to ask people to submit photos of butterflies from all over Aus...

July 3, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢...

July 1, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

July 1, 2020

Follow on with Phil as he explores how we make sound using our vocal chords, and the importance of those vibrations!...

June 30, 2020

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Beatrix Potter who wrote “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and many other children’s classics but what you may n...

June 29, 2020

A few weeks ago, we announced Chandler Public School (K-2) as the winner of the Term 2 LEGO Construction Challenge. The amazing LEGO Education S...

June 29, 2020

The Fairywren Project is looking for citizen scientist partners across Australia to help collect observations of fairywrens and their various pl...

June 26, 2020

Follow on with George as he explores the UNE Natural History Museum fossil collection....

June 25, 2020

The scientific name for this animal is 𝘝𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴....

June 24, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

June 24, 2020

Follow on with Jean as she explores how easy and fun it is to get outside, collect some bits and pieces and create some nature play creatures th...

June 23, 2020

Have you spotted koalas or emus in the Clarence Valley? This citizen science project is for you!...

June 19, 2020

Hang on, who is George? Watch the video to discover more!...

June 18, 2020

The scientific name of this lizard is 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴....

June 17, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

June 17, 2020

Follow on with Phil, as he explores the importance of June 21st as the Winter Solstice!...

June 16, 2020

Our friends over Bush Blitz have an awesome citizen science project you can be involved in!...

June 12, 2020

Tiny is exploring the mammals in the Natural History Museum!...

June 11, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘴....

June 10, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

June 10, 2020

You too can try this at home! It doesn't have to be a pet - it might be a soccer ball along the ground or even you!...

June 9, 2020

We have extended the challenge by 24 hours! Be a part of our LEGO Construction Challenge - 1 DAY TO GO!!!!...

June 5, 2020

Tiny has ventured out of the Natural History Museum to meet some of her furry friends!...

June 4, 2020

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢....

June 3, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

June 3, 2020

In 2005 an inspired young man, Jack Manning Bancroft, founded AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) to find a solution to Indigenous...

June 2, 2020

Be a part of our LEGO Construction Challenge - 3 DAYS TO GO!!!!...

June 2, 2020

Follow on with Phil as he explores how the properties of dishwashing liquid allow us to smash through surface tensions and create a bread clip s...

June 2, 2020

Here's a fun game you can play at home or school to discover what animals are in your yard! The goal is to find as many plants or animals as you...

June 1, 2020

Our friends over at Modern Teaching Aids have put together an amazing webinar series designed for teachers to get a better understanding of SPIK...

May 29, 2020

Our friends over at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory have an awesome citizen science project you can be involved in!...

May 29, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at the New England native species!...

May 28, 2020

The scientific name of this parrot is 𝘊𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢....

May 27, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

May 27, 2020

Be a part of our LEGO Construction Challenge and build your own SNOT ball!...

May 26, 2020

Ever wondered how different animals drink? It's not as simple as you may think! Here's a cool experiment you cxan try at home to explore how our...

May 25, 2020

Over 46,000,000 acres burnt in the 2019-2020 bushfire season in eastern Australia, including South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Quee...

May 25, 2020

Thanks to our friends at Modern Teaching Aids, you can win this fantastic STEM Education kit for your class through our LEGO Construction Challe...

May 22, 2020

Our friends over at Creative New England have a new competition that might sate your colouring appetite! ...

May 22, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at introduced species!...

May 21, 2020

The scientific name of this parrot is 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴....

May 20, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

May 20, 2020

This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Our Term 2 LEGO Construction Challenge is a go, launched exclusively by our partner Modern Teachin...

May 19, 2020

Today is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of museums not only as cultural and scientific archives, but as places of collaboration, ...

May 18, 2020

This year our wonderful friends across UNE will be offering a mix of live and pre-recorded videos, activities and live Q & A sessions with UNE a...

May 18, 2020

Our new Geology show is ready to take to schools! We’ve had so much fun putting it together and, while COVID-19 prevents us from visiting scho...

May 15, 2020

Today we’re voyaging over to our great friends at Questacon! ...

May 15, 2020

Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at the Wetlands Environmental Education Centre who are running a research challenge for Stage 3 stud...

May 15, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at our friend Connie the Cassowary!...

May 14, 2020

We've got something very exciting to announce next week. Here's a hint: it involves your young ones, a creative build, some brightly coloured br...

May 14, 2020

Its scientific name is 𝘈𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘹. ...

May 13, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

May 13, 2020

We love combustion reactions, and if you've seen us on the road you'll recognise this exciting one that is the grand finale of our Creative Chem...

May 12, 2020

Want to help accelerate Alzheimer’s Research by playing an online game? Check this out!...

May 8, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at birds!...

May 7, 2020

Its scientific name is 𝘖𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴. Both the common and scientific name refer to its amazi...

May 6, 2020

It’s What Animal Am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

May 6, 2020

Want to create your very own crystals from the comfort of your kitchen or classroom? Check this out!...

May 5, 2020

Here's a creepy crawly curiosity with Dr. Jean! Why are millipedes in my house?...

May 4, 2020

Who doesn't love oobleck!! Join Andréa as she explores the properties of oobleck and reveals just how easy it is to create your own Non-Newtoni...

May 1, 2020

Check out this fantastic competition by our friends over at Landcare Australia!...

April 30, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at skeletons!...

April 30, 2020

The scientific name for the animal is 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘪.....

April 29, 2020

It’s what animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

April 29, 2020

Follow on with Jean as she explores our magnificent insect collections and discover how you can create your own using bits and pieces around the...

April 28, 2020

The idea that the oldest sundial dates back to around 5500 years ago blows my mind. This got me thinking, how cool would it be if we could make ...

April 27, 2020

Have fun learning about nature as you explore different virtual environments, play with sneaky snakes, observe flora and fauna (that’s plants ...

April 27, 2020

Did you know that Greta Thunberg has a beetle named after her? It’s true! Explore more and create your own species here!...

April 24, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at reptiles!...

April 23, 2020

Its scientific name is 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘺𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘪. As their name suggests, Frilled-Neck L...

April 22, 2020

It’s what animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

April 22, 2020

Want to grow your own carbon snakes at home? Check this out! Join Kirsti as she explores how burning sugar and BiCarb Soda can combine to produc...

April 21, 2020

We’re voyaging over to our friends at the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA) to explore April as Global CitSciMonth!...

April 20, 2020

In Wollongong is a very special place - The UOW Early Start Discovery Space - Australia's first dedicated children's discovery playspace. The ...

April 17, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at Lightning Claw!...

April 16, 2020

Our mystery animal is the Spotted-tailed Quoll, also known as the Tiger Quoll! The scientific name of this animal is Dasyurus maculatus....

April 15, 2020

Follow along with Andréa as she undertakes the Wild Pollinator Count in her backyard, and shows just how easy it is for you to do the same!...

April 15, 2020

Have you ever thought, 'Gee, it'd be great if eggs could bounce!'? No? Well we have! Check out how you can make your eggs at home bounce, and wi...

April 15, 2020

It’s what animal am I Wednesday. Can you guess what this week's animal might be?...

April 15, 2020

The world is certainly an unusual place at the moment. Unprecedented in modern times, in fact. And as we navigate what may be the new usual for ...

April 14, 2020

400 Million years ago the New England region was on the bottom of the ocean. Almost all of the rocks to be found look just like the types of sed...

April 14, 2020

The global coronavirus pandemic has required us to think about, among other things, what constitutes an essential service to society. In Austral...

April 13, 2020

Today we’re voyaging with our friends Discovery Centre Bendigo who are running a program called Virtual Curious Kids....

April 13, 2020

You can join Australia's original pollinator citizen science project between 12-19 of April to help count wild pollinators in your local environ...

April 11, 2020

Tiny's back in our NHM taking a closer look at Lightning Claw!...

April 9, 2020

Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at Science Space Wollongong with Virtual Science Space – Science at Home!...

April 9, 2020

Our mystery animal is the Spotted-tailed Quoll, also known as the Tiger Quoll! The scientific name of this animal is Dasyurus maculatus....

April 8, 2020

It’s what animal am I Wednesday and this week’s guest is a very special part of our Natural History Museum collection. Let’s see what he h...

April 8, 2020

Here’s another of our friends we would like to introduce you to. Owdelle, our sound expert, recently took a break from performing in our Sound...

April 7, 2020

Do different shaped leaves have different jobs? We decided to ask Dr. Boyd Wright, a plant ecologist here at UNE, to answer our curious question...

April 7, 2020

Have you noticed winged ants around just before it rains? We have! Dr Kirsti Abbott explains a little about nuptial flights in her backyard.....

April 6, 2020

JOIN Australia's original pollinator citizen science project between 12-19 of April to help Dr Manu Saunders from UNE count wild pollinators in ...

April 6, 2020

Check out our friend Tiny the Lesser Long-eared Bat exploring UNE's Natural History Museum!...

April 3, 2020

HEY PARENTS! Our friend Teacher Tom, a preschool teacher, blogger, artist, speaker and author, works with business and other institutions to he...

April 2, 2020

Our mystery animal is Connie the Cassowary! Cassowaries share the ratite family with some of the world’s largest birds (ostrich, emus and r...

April 2, 2020

It’s what animal am I Wednesday and this week’s guest is a very special part of our Natural History Museum collection. Let’s see what she ...

April 2, 2020

Hello Kids! Tiny the Lesser Long-eared Bat here. Since I’ve been hanging out with Dr Jean at the Natural History Museum, I’ve been looking ...

April 2, 2020

Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at the University of South Australia with another very cool national citizen science project – Mozz...

April 2, 2020

🎉 COMPETITION TIME! 🎉   We want to know how you're playing at home, at school or wherever you may be!...

April 1, 2020

Today we’re voyaging with our friends Science Sparks where you can create a Lorax whisper-ma-phone from paper cups and string!...

March 30, 2020

PARENTS AND TEACHERS - here's a great way to get outside and play with your young scientists!...

March 27, 2020

Let’s play a game. Ready…..What is the first word or emotion that comes to you when we say “insect”?...

March 26, 2020

Have you heard some interesting sounds coming from your backyard that you think might be a frog? Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at t...

March 26, 2020

The echidna (say eh-kid-nah), also called the spiny anteater, belongs to a special group of mammals called monotremes. Monotremes are animals th...

March 25, 2020

Each Wednesday we will be posting a picture of animal furs, spines, scales or skins from our Natural History Museum collection, and we want to c...

March 25, 2020

In these uncertain times friends are important. Our friend Dr Loz at Science Play Kids in Melbourne understands that science is everywhere, ever...

March 24, 2020

Tiny, the Lesser-Long Eared Bat, visited the UNE Natural History Museum today. Tiny catches her food in the dark using echolocation, where she c...

March 24, 2020

The UNE Discovery Voyager bookings in Term 2 of the 2020 school year ARE NOT AFFECTED at this point in time by the advice to prevent spread of t...

March 16, 2020

Dr Cameron Webb has spent the last 20 summers sloshing about in gumboots and chasing mosquitoes around the wetlands of Australia. He is a Princi...

March 15, 2020

In early March, the Voyager team visited St Mary's Primary School, Grafton, as well as Corindi, Maclean and Coutts Crossing Public schools. The...

March 11, 2020

In celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March), we thought we’d pay tribute to Katherine Johnson, a remarkable American woman who pas...

March 8, 2020

Do you love gazing at the stars and staring at the Moon? Have you ever wondered how far away they are? Knowing the distance to the Moon and how...

March 7, 2020

Northern NSW, and specifically the New England area of NSW, is fortunate to have the amazing facility that is Thalgarrah Environmental Education...

March 2, 2020

The Tiny Gardeners Project is a nationwide citizen science project that studies how ants are planting seeds across the vast Australian Landscape...

February 7, 2020

Dr Phil Bell, Senior Lecturer within the School of Environmental and Rural Science at UNE, has been hooked on dinosaurs since the age of 3. Phil...

February 7, 2020

Have you ever wondered what scientists do after they have finished an experiment? How do they communicate their data and the conclusions they ha...

February 5, 2020

Research tells us students should be ‘doers of science’ rather than receivers of facts, but if the main purpose of studying science at schoo...

February 1, 2020

2019 was the third official year of the Discovery Voyager program, and my third year with the Discovery Voyager team. I’m both excited and a l...

January 31, 2020

UNE Discovery Voyager and the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) joined forces during January 2020 to bring students from Kindergarten to Y...

January 23, 2020

In this year’s program at UNE, held on 14-16th January, students from as far south as Sydney and Condobolin, north to Brisbane and from Coonab...

January 20, 2020

Happy three year anniversary to Discovery Voyager! The end of 2019 marks three years of the Voyager program traveling to regional, rural and rem...

January 15, 2020

Fire season in regional NSW began early this year. It was in early September that fires started engulfing bushland near Drake, despite statutory...

November 27, 2019

The Shell Questacon Science Circus rolled into town during the same week as Far Out Science as part of their regional tour of northern NSW. Th...

November 14, 2019

1000 curious students, 62 inspiring facilitators, 34 primary and high schools, 27 energetic guides, 22 hands-on activities, over 20 amazing behi...

November 10, 2019

The final Science in the Club night was an extravagnaza of palaeo entertainment, the science of reeeaaallly old things (including invertebrates,...

October 31, 2019

“Aha!” moments – something we see all too often in the facilitation of Discovery activities. Students’ faces reacting with such creative...

September 24, 2019

National Science Week is Australia’s annual nation-wide celebration of all things science. Not only is it an essential week to remember the in...

August 30, 2019

The Discovery Voyager team are fortunate to have the support of Telstra in our endeavours to take innovative experiences in STEAM to students ar...

August 26, 2019

I joined the UNE Discovery Voyager team earlier this year and I am loving my work as a science communicator. I am the facilitator on Science of ...

August 16, 2019

This year I’ve been so excited to don a lab coat and help with Voyager’s newly rejigged Creative Chemistry activity. One of the opening ques...

August 15, 2019

Sometimes when we hear the word “chemical” we think of toxic, harmful substances. But the truth is that a chemical is any substance consisti...

July 29, 2019

Andrea is one of our Discovery Voyager team members and recently travelled from Armidale to Africa with the School for Life Foundation. If y...

July 29, 2019

As a facilitator of the Science of Soils activity I have seen many students get their hands dirty whilst investigating the properties of the var...

July 23, 2019

In the spirit of partnerships and our 5 C’s*, UNE Discovery teamed up with Armidale City Public School (ACPS) in the July school holidays for ...

July 20, 2019

For some, school holidays are seen as break from learning. But, if you’re really lucky, it can be a chance to learn something even cooler than...

July 7, 2019

Look no further for your fix of science in the New England. On the chilly winter night of Wednesday, 26 June, the New England North West Regiona...

June 26, 2019

Carinya Christian School in Tamworth values and facilitates high quality science programs. In June this year they held their inaugural STEM inve...

June 26, 2019

Principal of Warialda Public School, Dan van Velthuizen, has set high standards for STEM education out in central western NSW. Over the past two...

June 20, 2019

The UNE Discovery team were grateful to be a part of the Farm of the Future Pavilion at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for the second year. This w...

May 22, 2019

In this day and age it seems to be quite rare to find people who are employed to do what they are passionate about and also to be paid to do it....

May 15, 2019

Being a chicken lover, a visit to the poultry pavilion was on my “to do” list for the Easter Show. So on one of my free afternoons, I grabbe...

April 24, 2019

Natural history museums are some of the most amazing institutions on Earth. They are treasure troves of knowledge housing specimens collected ov...

April 18, 2019

Dr Mary McMillan, UNE Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences and Dr Debbie Bower, UNE Lecturer in Ecosystem Rehabilitation, were members of the 2018 Ho...

March 29, 2019

The UNE Discovery team recently joined in the fun at Minerama, the annual 3-day Fossicking, Gem and Jewellery Festival in Glen Innes, the centre...

March 28, 2019

Let’s play a word association game. Ready…..What is the first word or emotion that comes to you when I say “insect”? What did you think ...

March 14, 2019

On March the 8th every year we celebrate International Women’s Day. In modern times the day is generally a celebration of women and the streng...

March 10, 2019

This January (amidst an Armidale heatwave and during their school holidays, no less!), 26 bright eyed and enthusiastic high school students from...

February 25, 2019

UNE’s Discovery Voyager program delivers hands-on, interactive, curriculum-aligned science-based activities to schools across the northern NSW...

February 14, 2019

In October this year, UNE Discovery joined forces with the Australian Museum to bring science to life in Tamworth!...

December 20, 2018

In October this year, UNE Discovery joined forces with the Australian Museum to bring science to life in Tamworth!...

November 29, 2018

From July 2019, the Discovery Voyager crew will be piloting professional development sessions for regional, rural and remote school teachers in ...

November 22, 2018

In the Discovery program, play-based learning is one of the tenets that we hope to bring to all schools and throughout all our activities, but b...

November 11, 2018

UNE and the Australian Museum join forces in October to host “Science on the Road”, a 3-day event in Tamworth from Thursday 18th to Saturday...

October 16, 2018

The wheels of the Voyager truck have been covering a lot of miles this year, with a full calendar of travel and discovery in places near and far...

September 13, 2018

Barely two weeks ago, the UNE Discovery Voyager team stepped aboard our new, specially kitted-out truck! This 4.5 tonne Izuzu Pantech vehicle wi...

July 11, 2018

I was privileged to travel recently to the United States to attend Interactivity, the annual International Children’s Museum conference, this ...

June 27, 2018

Keep an eye out for the Voyager truck while you’re on the road and let us know if you’ve spotted it in your travels!...

June 5, 2018

The UNE Discovery Voyager is the University of New England’s (UNE) outreach and engagement program that takes curriculum-aligned, interactive ...

May 31, 2018

With the start of Term 2, the Voyager team were on the road again visiting schools southeast of Armidale. These schools included Comboyne PS, Lo...

May 30, 2018

Driving back into Armidale after an exhilarating week on the road, we were warmly welcomed by the magnificent flourish of autumn leaves donning ...

May 13, 2018

If ever you drive down the sleepy main street of Glen Innes, a number of grand old heritage buildings are likely to catch your eye. Many of thes...

March 15, 2018

One of the joys of being a part of the Discovery Voyager team is seeing children engage with the world around them with a sense of wonderment. W...

February 21, 2018

In December I had the chance to sail the tall ship 'SV Tenacious' across the Tasman Sea. 'Tenacious' is a remarkable and unique wooden sailing s...

January 19, 2018

Congratulations to the University of New England’s Discovery Voyager team for taking out the 2017 Northern Inland Innovation Award for Researc...

December 1, 2017

As part of our Discovery Voyager PURPOSE OF POLLINATORS activities we make forays in school grounds with students to see what pollinating insect...

October 26, 2017

As part of the UNE Discovery Voyager school program we have a wonderful opportunity to visit and observe the natural world in many different loc...

October 20, 2017

The pilot project started 8th August 2016, and up to and including the 9th of December 2016 the bus visited 41 schools, including being part of ...

June 22, 2017

Science enriches the way we live and connect with the world around us. As scientists, it can seem that we are trained to remove emotion from our...

June 10, 2017

Can you remember a time when someONE inspired you? When someTHING inspired you? Perhaps you were inspired to act, or to change, or to think diff...

June 4, 2017
Discovery Voyager

How does it work?

For schools

We adapt to your bell times and class sizes. We bring one facilitator per activity, and expect that classroom teachers are present; teachers know their students better than we do, and we rely on their relationship with students to help run a smooth session, read more >

For communities

We can add something different to your community event. Get interactive, discover the processes that drive life on earth, and marvel at the nature of science. Our team can set up activities at carnivals, community events and open days to keep active minds and hands occupied, read more >

Risk Management

We understand that learning about our natural and modified world can involve some risks. We think it’s important to acknowledge these, learn how to manage them effectively while taking calculated risks with splendidly exciting outcomes in order to learn best, read more >

Learn about the activities

The UNE Discovery Voyager has developed a range of activities across all subjects to bring to your schools! We work to bring you activities that are not only fun and educational, but that align with the NSW school curriculum, read more >

#playmatters

In the first few years of life, human brains are making 700 new neural connections every second. During this time, the creation of positive neural pathways is most effective when cognitive, emotional and social development occurs simultaneously. So time for unrestricted imaginative play for children while they are in close contact with parents, carers and other children is an important part of this development. Tinkering, building and role play are all vital to growing confident global citizens. You can find out more about the research by clicking here.

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