EPISODE · Nov 11, 2025 · 20 MIN
Australia's (very, very) early computer: CSIRAC
from Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The University of Melbourne is celebrating 70 years of Australian computer classes, which were first taught on CSIRAC, the earliest computer ever built in Australia and the oldest surviving computer in the world. What did it take to run a 2,500kg computer back in the 1950s?Guest: Dr Peter Thorne, former head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Melbourne (and, long before that, the weekend service operator for CSIRAC)Producer: Alex Tighe
What this episode covers
The University of Melbourne is celebrating 70 years of Australian computer classes, which were first taught on CSIRAC, the earliest computer ever built in Australia and the oldest surviving computer in the world. What did it take to run a 2,500kg computer back in the 1950s? Guest: Dr Peter Thorne, former head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Melbourne (and, long before that, the weekend service operator for CSIRAC) Producer: Alex Tighe
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Australia's (very, very) early computer: CSIRAC
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