Why the Real Thing Is Essential for Telling Our Stories - History of Computing: Learning from the Past - page 15

icon of digital technology in Museum Victoria. It has become a symbolic milestone in
the human journey.
CSIRAC is the abbreviation for Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
organisation Automatic Computer and is pronounced 'sigh-rack'. It was developed in
Sydney and, in November 1949, it ran its first test program. In 1955, it was trans-
ported to Melbourne and, from 1956 to 1964; it provided a computing service for
science and industry. In 1964, it was switched off for the final time and donated to
Museum Victoria. It is currently on long-term display at Melbourne Museum.
For more information about CSIRAC, please visit:
http://museumvictoria.com.au/csirac/
http://www.csse.unimelb.edu.au/dept/about/csirac/
References
1. Beard, M., Pearcey, T.: The Genesis of an Early Stored-Program Computer: CSIRAC. IEEE
Annals of the History of Computing (IEEE) 6(2), 106-115 (1984)
2. Deane, J.: CSIRAC: Australia's first computer, 45 p. Australian Computer Museum Society
(1997), ISBN: 0-6463-4081-6
3. Demant, D.: The first computer mouse. Museum Victoria (2001), ISBN: 0731184211
4. Doornbusch, P.: The Music of CSIRAC, Australia's first computer music. Common Ground
(2005), ISBN: 1-86335-569-3
5. McCann, D., Thorne, P.: The Last of The First, CSIRAC: Australias First Computer. Uni-
versity of Melbourne Computing Science (2000), ISBN: 0-7340-2024-4
6. Pearcey, T.: A History of Australian Computing, 192 p. Chisholm Institute of Technology
(1988), ISBN: 0947186948