Tonight the Humans of the Brochure and some of their mini-humans took an after dark look through the Royal Australian Mint.  The crowd of mini-humans were abuzz with excitement of being let loose in a building full of money!!  The vibe was palpable. 
My group’s first stop was to view the 6 robots that take on the hard and dangerous jobs at the Mint.  I saw two robots moving around down there.  One was Penny who does the heavy lifting and puts drums in the vault.

Penny!  Can you see her?  Kind of smack dab in the middle of the photo?

This orange robot is probably Penny’s boyfriend.  He wasn’t actually programmed for a job this particular evening, so he was just chair-dancing to pass the time..

We met the CEO, Ross MacDiarmid, who reminded us that every Australian coin we own has been made right there at the Mint.
Ross then proceeded to make the children’s eyes as round as saucers as he spoke in hushed tones about the 2 verified ghosts at the Mint.
The Whistling ghost can be heard in the downstairs vault, whistling happily as though it is working away happily.
The Disappearing ghost in the basement presents as a very familiar face and then when an employee takes another look, there is actually no-one there.  The staff have come to the conclusion that this ghost is probably a deceased former employee who really loved his job.

We encountered a historical story teller who regaled us with tales of the forger, William Hershell and the early days of Australian money.

Here are a few of the coin displays.

This is where the action happens!

You MUST check out the Coin Cascade down the impressive glittering staircase.  It represents the journey of how a coin comes into being.  At the top of the staircase are ‘blanks’ that turn into 5 cent coins as the steps progress down.  It is a piece of art.

The hanging coin display was modern and beautiful.  It took me a moment to work out what I was looking at.

Finally, it was time to make our own coin!  This year the special coin that  the machine creates is one that commemorates Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate Australia.  It was exciting to see my own coin appear like magic!

See my coin coming??

Travis makes his coin while others look on eagerly.  :)

My mini-human was looking for the coin to commemorate the year of his birth.  So many amazing coins for collectors here.  Bring your wallet!

There are a couple things to note when you visit.

Weekdays are the best time to see robots, and the kids are going to want to see these massive robots.  :)

And, very importantly: don’t come thinking you are going to be able to get away with some kind of dumb heist.  I have seen and heard about the security measures that are taken.  Don’t bother.  You’ll be toast. 

Go to the website of  the Royal Australia Mint to learn more about your visit! http://www.ramint.gov.au/