Editing CSIRAC (section)

==Preservation==
In 1964, CSIRAC was shut down for the last time.  Its historical significance was already recognised at that stage, and it was placed in storage with plans for its later exhibition in a museum.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The machine was stored in a warehouse through the 1960s and 1970s, before being set up for exhibit at [[Caulfield Institute of Technology]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Slide: CSIRAC Computer, Trevor Pearcey, 1980-1992 |work=Museum Victoria Collections |id=Item MM 68471 |url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/761661/slide-csirac-computer-trevor-pearcey-1965-1975 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713020456/http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/761661/slide-csirac-computer-trevor-pearcey-1965-1975 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-13 }}</ref> (later the Caulfield Campus of [[Chisholm Institute of Technology]], and later again the [[Monash University, Caulfield campus|Caulfield Campus of Monash University]]) from 1980 to 1992.  It was then returned to storage.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Interest in the machine was revived in the 1990s, as it was realised that many of its developers were ageing and history was being lost forever.  A conference about the machine was held in 1996.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

[[File:CSIRAC at Scienceworks, Melbourne.jpg|thumb|CSIRAC display at Scienceworks]]
The machine found a permanent home with [[Museums Victoria]] in 2000. It has not been operable since its shutdown, but many of the programs that ran on it have been preserved, and an [[emulator]] has been written for it. The curators have decided that, aside from the cost of restoring the device, the huge number of repairs that would be required to make it safe to operate (CSIRAC used 30 [[kilowatt]]s of power in operation) would detract from its historical authenticity.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

After being exhibited at [[Melbourne Museum]] for many years, it was relocated to [[Scienceworks (Melbourne)|Scienceworks]] in 2018 and is now on permanent display in the Think Ahead gallery.<ref name="museumsvictoria.com.au"/>

CSIRAC is listed on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]] and is included in a [[Heritage Overlay]].<ref name=VHD>{{Cite web
  | title = CSIRAC (COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION AUTOMATIC COMPUTER)
  | id=H2217
  | work = Victorian Heritage Register
  | publisher = Heritage Victoria
  | url = http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/114928 }}
</ref>

It is listed as a National Engineering Landmark by [[Engineers Australia]] as part of its [[Engineers Australia#Engineering Heritage Recognition Program|Engineering Heritage Recognition Program]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/heritage/csirac-computer-1949-64
| title = CSIRAC Computer, 1949-64
| publisher = Engineers Australia
| access-date = 2020-04-27
}}</ref>