Powerhouse Parramatta holds first test run ahead of November 7 opening

The dry run, held without media inside, tested audio-visuals and interactives, label, signage and wayfinding installation. Four days later, the hard hats and hi-vis had gone, the sound stage backdrop was assembled and choir members and dancers were arriving on Saturday for rehearsals, though construction fencing was to remain for another week. Guest services hosts in coordinated grey uniforms waited to greet visitors as a digital commission played on a 24-metre screen in the lobby.

The museum has been in development since its 2015 announcement, when the plan to headquarter the Powerhouse in Parramatta set the ambitions of Sydney's second CBD against the cost and wisdom of splitting the institution from its Ultimo home. More than 400 museum staff have worked over the past three years on the five opening exhibitions. The museum says it wants space to deal with teething troubles without scrutiny.

Galvin attributed the vision to former chief executive Lisa Havilah, who stepped aside from the position on August 27 pending a departmental investigation into governance and procurement practices. "It's absolutely Lisa's vision," Galvin said. "What's clear, though, is that an entire team helped shape, develop and deliver it, and that's what really matters. Any great leader builds a strong team, and any great leader is replaceable."

Galvin said the measure of the exhibitions would be their resonance. "That will be what makes people return," she said. "A dress rehearsal is critical. It allows us the time to put the building through its paces, and weed out all about problem. If anything is going to go wrong, we want it to happen now so we can troubleshoot and resolve it and have it ready for the public."

The flagship aerospace exhibition, Task Eternal, runs across four acts and houses the museum's biggest item, an 8,400-kilogram F1 rocket from Woomera, alongside 20 spacesuits and screen-used costumes from Alien, The Martian and Star Trek. Upstairs, The Mall examines the shopping centre and Frank Lowy's invention of Westfield. Visitors are asked to surrender their smartphones into pouches upon entry, a strict condition of admission intended to preserve a sense of mystery and purely sensory engagement. In the western wing, The Dark turns the idea of darkness as a place of nightmares upside down. The First Nations exhibition Overflow, the only gallery with direct views over the Parramatta River, invites visitors to paddle in a shallow sandstone pond. A glass-encased Burramattagal boomerang held by the British Museum in London and returned to Parramatta is the first and last object visitors see.

British Indian artist Bharti Kher's Tree of Life is the major outdoor commission, and British-born artist Es Devlin's labyrinth of mirrors and light will be kept under wraps until opening. Devlin's commissions replace original plans for a planetarium, a sensitive topic for supporters of a dedicated science museum.

The Beadle-Mandelberg family from Belrose praised the scale and design. “It's beautifully designed. There are no boring bits,” Matthew Beadle said. He said the family found street parking after a 40-minute drive and would return. The museum expects two million visitors in its inaugural year; more than 20,000 people have registered for opening weekend and more than 3,245 reservations are booked across the opening program.

Director of program Clare Holland said teams were focused on making every part ready. "All the teams are focused on making sure every part is perfect for opening. I love watching people's faces as they see parts of the building, or exhibitions, for the first time," she said.