HIFAR Historical Tour

To celebrate our 60th anniversary, ANSTO is running tours of HIFAR, Australia’s first nuclear reactor. Opened in 1958, HIFAR (High Flux Australian Reactor) ran for 50 years and contributed enormously to the advancement of scientific knowledge and nuclear medicine.

Stepping through a special airlock, visitors will be transported back in time to see the equipment and control room used by research scientists to run HIFAR. Visitors will then visit OPAL, ANSTO’s currently operating nuclear research reactor, and compare old with new.
 

Just as OPAL does now, HIFAR manufactured millions of patient doses of nuclear medicine, irradiated silicon for an international market and provided neutron beams for studying the structure of materials.

HIFAR was one of six nuclear research reactors built in the 50s, the others in Dounreay Scotland, Denmark, Germany and 2 in Harwell UK. HIFAR was run at 10MW rather than 20MW and so ran the longest, right up until 2007. Now it is in a care and maintenance phase prior to its decommission, scheduled for later this decade.

The HIFAR tours are free and suitable for all ages and backgrounds. This is a unique experience that exquisitely blends science and history and is only available for a short time.

 
HIFAR Tours times and dates
 

The last two HIFAR tours for 2013 will be held on Monday 23 September from 9:45am to 12:15pm and Friday 27 September from 1:15 to 3:45pm.       
                                   
Bookings are essential. Please call the Discovery Centre on (02) 9717 3090 or email tours@ansto.gov.au to book or if you require any tour assistance.