A True Genius

Yesterday a friend and I paid a visit to the the Cobb and Co Museum to see the Da Vinci Machines Exhibition which is on loan from the Museum of Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy. The exhibition showcases iconic machines and inventions which are inspired by Leonardo's drawings and some of the highlights are the bicycle, the scuba suit and the spring powered car not to mention flying machines.

There are a number of actual size digital prints of several paintings including Mona Lisa and visitors can compare the restored Mona Lisa with a digitally enhanced and more vibrant version which shows how it would have appeared 500 years ago.

It is quite an intriguing exhibition which begins with The Tank. The design of this heavy armoured vehicle, a prototype of the modern tank, is just one of Leonardo's fascinating ideas....

...as is The Bicycle...

...The Spring Powered Car which is one of his most famous inventions. It is a self-moving car designed to be powered by leaf-springs. 

 

This movable Assault Ladder could be raised or lowered at will making it difficult for defenders to push it away from the city walls. The design is similar to the ladders used by today's fire fighters. 

 

This is a lifebuoy made from waterproof leather....

 

...and a device to allow scuba divers to breathe underwater and permit them to move almost unseen beneath the surface. Quite fascinating!

You may or may not know that the Cobb and Co Museum is home to the National Carriage Collection and features a variety of interactive displays, exhibitions and vintage trade workshops. You can see this Omnibus which was used in Brisbane until it was replaced by a motorised bus in 1924.

This was the Governess Cart.

Not sure what this is called but it was pulled by seven horses. If you lift the lid on the basket in front of the horses there is an interactive display which begins.

This is Cobb and Co Coach No.48...

 

...and a pastry chef doing his rounds in Ipswich in Queensland. Years ago most supplies were delivered to the kitchen door. Bakers arrived each morning, the milkman came twice a day, butchers and fruiterers delivered a few times a week. Grocers delivered in a spring cart, the iceman in a special wagon and doctors made house calls in a sulky or buggy.

There is plenty to occupy children in the play area at the museum as well. There is a horse to sit on...

... coach to ride in...

...and a general store to buy groceries from. There is also a cafe in the museum which has a play area right in the middle of it if parents wants to have some refreshments while keeping an eye on their children.

The exhibitions are free for residents in the Toowoomba City Council region whereas other visitors from outside that area would have to pay. You can find the prices here. Of course everyone is welcome to visit the cafe as there is only a charge to view the exhibitions. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to look through the various areas of the museum as there is a lot to see. 

Also some of my readers were interested in attending the Lost Trades Fair this year and it will be held at the museum on the 6th and 7th October so don't forget to write it in your diary as some people were disappointed that they missed out last year. Some of the other exhibitions that will be on in 2018 can be found here. 

It is still cool here and the rain comes and goes. I believe there has been flooding on the coast so I hope everyone is keeping safe and avoiding flooded roads. Only a few more days left of summer for us here in Australia and I know our friends in the Northern Hemisphere are really looking forward to spring.