Countdown on for Da Vinci

IT was all hands on deck at Discovery last week, as volunteers prepared the centre for the arrival of one of history’s greatest inventors.

The international exhibition Da Vinci’s Machines is set to make its way into town in the next couple of weeks.

Discovery manager Alissa Van Soest said preparing has been a team effort, with volunteers donating their time to paint, polish, and plan the centre over three days.

“We’ve done working bees in the past and they’ve always been a hugely successful, fun day for everyone involved,” she said.

“This one feels extra special because we’re not just preparing for a new year, but also for an experience that’s never been to Bendigo before.”

The exhibition will run from Tuesday, 22 February until June and will allow visitors to get hands on life-size models of Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous inventions and functional machines, built from original sketches.

Over 500 years ago, Da Vinci was credited with creating the concept of many modern machines such as cars and helicopters, and worked in areas including nature, anatomy and robotics.

The exhibition comes from the Artisans of Florence, an international tour operator that has designed and developed hundreds of interactive, hand-crafted scientific exhibitions.

As it prepares for Da Vinci, Discovery’s iconic railway goods shed will be closed until 20 February.

Tickets for the exhibition range from $5 for children aged three to four, $11.50 for children five to 16, $13.50 for adult concession and $16 for adult. A family ticket is available for two adults and up to four children for $54.

For tickets head to bit.ly/3si7pxT.