As Parramatta's Powerhouse Museum reaches full height, secret lifted on target opening date
The intended opening date puts it close to two years behind its promised opening date, which has been pushed back due to unseasonal rains and a complex building process.
The new target opening date was inadvertently revealed by Premier Chris Minns at a press conference at the site on Friday morning, during which he announced a $5 million donation from the philanthropic Neilson Foundation for a range of exhibitions at the site.
'It's not far away, probably September of next year it'll open its doors, and it'll be an exciting day for our beautiful city,' he said. When a reporter clarified the target opening date, Minns responded: 'Well, it may well be that I wasn't supposed to say that, but that's what we're aiming for, and so it's not too far away. We really want to open as soon as possible.
'If it's held back, it will only be because it'll be a bigger, better exhibition.'
The museum has now reached its full 75-metre height, and its exoskeleton – the 'milk crate'-like external steel pillars that leave the internal floor space free of columns – is also complete.
The Neilson Foundation's donation will go towards new exhibitions at the venue, including The Dark, a children's exhibition focusing on 'the new frontiers of discovery', said billionaire founder Kerr Neilson.
While Powerhouse Parramatta is expected to open next year, its Ultimo site (which will still house exhibitions) is also undergoing a major renovation. The museum's move to Parramatta has been controversial, with cost blowouts and changes made over concerns the area, next to the river, could flood.
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