The Australian Computer Museum Society (ACMS) began in 1994 with the goal of creating a museum in Australia dedicated to the evolution of computers and computing. Most major countries in the world have such a museum, but Australia does not.
It needs one. Australia was only the third country in the world to design and build an electronic computer – CSIRAC. Australia deserves a computing heritage museum to preserve the artefacts and history of the marvellous technology which we helped pioneer.
Our members have been working tirelessly for many decades to save and preserve these invaluable historic computers and associated documentation, software, peripherals, photos, manuals, and magnetic media. We have built a large collection, though we are yet to open a public museum.
The ACMS is a not-for-profit charity supported through our members, volunteers, and private and corporate donations.These have enabled us to store, restore, and preserve our equipment, and will soon allow us to open our museum space to the public to educate and inspire.
Our passionate members have significant experience in computing and its history. We love to share this passion and our unique stories and heritage items with others. We concentrate particularly on the history of computing in Australia, and on the collection of machines made or assembled in Australia or of particular importance to the development of the industry in this country.
We invite you all to join us in achieving our goals. All donations are tax deductible. Even If you cannot assist financially, we are always looking for help in storing and preserving technology. Any assistance you can provide is appreciated.
Are you a retro computing user or enthusiast?
Maybe you used a minicomputer. Maybe you used punch cards. Maybe you programmed in COBOL or assembled Microbees. Or maybe you are just interested in the history of computing and old stuff.
Join us! We encourage anyone to engage with us in our quest to document and provide a full picture of the history of computing in Australia.
From the early days of valve machines, to the minicomputers of the 1970s, to the bedroom revolution of home PCs, to the Internet revolution —the history of computers and computing is a rich, fascinating and compelling tale.
Help us tell this story by joining or making an ongoing contribution.