FlushBack is an award-winning Augmented Reality (AR) experience that brings science and history to life at Museums Victoria’s Scienceworks, located at one of Australia’s most important industrial heritage sites, the Spotswood Pumping Station in Melbourne, Victoria.
Designed for family or school groups to play together, FlushBack creates a digital adventure that immerses players in challenges based on actual historical events, whilst they explore an extraordinary site and real-life example of 19th century engineering.
Seeing the opportunity of this previously underutilised space, the Scienceworks team partnered with animation and design studio 10Tickles and Melbourne Water (organisation that manages Melbourne’s water supply) to create FlushBack to present visitors with both the history and impressive 1890’s engineering of the Pumping Station, along with information about the role pumping stations and waste systems play in today’s urban water cycle.
The resulting digital quest is an absorbing self-guided, indoor and outdoor experience incorporating AR, historical content, and gamification. It has successfully engaged players of all ages and literacy levels and is a popular play-based experience at Scienceworks.
This project has set a benchmark for self-guided audience experiences in Australia and internationally. Its unique integration of physical and digital game elements showcases the value and impact of investing in excellent, audience-focused interpretive design. FlushBack's comprehensive approach to content development and emphasis on user experience and testing serves as a model for other AR heritage experiences to follow.