How to explore the best of Oz with virtual tours
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Whether it’s a live stream of baby koalas, cooking experiences with Australia’s top chefs, or 360-degree tours from some of Australia’s most iconic natural and cultural destinations, Australia’s top attractions and artists are rising to the challenge and keeping people entertained at home.
While the global coronavirus pandemic has meant travel plans and holidays have had to come to a halt, keen travellers can still explore many different parts of Australia – all without leaving their homes.
you had a trip planned down under that was cancelled, or have been thinking of visiting Oz, you can now enjoy a first-hand experience of it virtually! Now with Tourism Australia’s collection of 360-degree videos, you can experience what it’s like to be in Australia.
Immerse yourself in some of Australia’s most beautiful aquatic and coastal experiences – all from the comfort of your couch.
- Watch the sunset over the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House in a 360-degree video that takes in the city’s atmosphere from one of the most beautiful harbours in the world.
- Kayak and trek through the ancient landscape of Katherine Gorge, part of Nitmiluk National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory and discover Aboriginal rock art millions of years old.
- Go snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef in north Queensland through clear water off a secluded island. Swim with unique marine wildlife and explore this famous landmark from underwater.
- Discover white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters of Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays, off the coast of north Queensland.
- Dive into the azure waters of Boston Bay, by Port Lincoln, a charming city on the lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, and go for a swim with the friendly sea lions in their natural habitat.
- Feel the sea salt on your skin and experience an incredible wildlife encounter as you’re surrounded by a pod of dolphins in Fortescue Bay in Tasman National Park, Tasmania.
- Get up close to the 12 Apostles along Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road, and imagine you’re flying overhead and exploring in a helicopter.
- Ride through Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth in Western Australia, and see quokkas in their natural habitat. Watch the sunset over the water and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
Can’t make it to your dream destination in Australia? You can still experience some of Australia’s most iconic destinations from the comfort of your home with these virtual tours and experiences.
- Culture vultures can now feast on some of the National Gallery of Victoria’s art offerings from afar, thanks to its newly launched virtual programming. On the new NGV Channel, find a growing haul of virtual content to explore. Right now, you can join a free, curator-led tour of Collecting Comme, the NGV’s Indigenous art collection Marking Time, and KAWS: Companionship In the Age of Loneliness. From Saturday, March 28, Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines will also be open online.
- Continue through Victoria’s cultural institutions by virtually touring the exhibitions in the Melbourne Museum. Take a tour of the First Peoples exhibition and learn about the diverse languages, histories and cultures of the Victorian Aboriginal people. The team of museum experts will also be regularly hosting Q&A videos where you can submit your own questions.
- Down at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania, in true Mona style, you can live stream Tim between 10am and 4.30pm AEDT daily. Since 2011, Tim has sat at Mona for over 3,500 hours and with the museum now closed to guests, Tim is clocking up some additional hours while also practicing social distancing. A former tattoo-parlour manager from Zurich, Tim Steiner has an elaborate tattoo on his back that was designed by a famous artist and sold to a German art collector. As part of the deal, Tim spends his days sitting in galleries so people can admire his work of art.
- Transport yourself to the Outback in the Northern Territory and explore the iconic Uluru via Story Spheres, which provides you with 360-degree images and storytelling to serve as excellent research for when you can visit this magical part of the world.
- The Sydney Opera House offers a 360-degree tour where you can explore the iconic site at your own pace – and check out a number of online exhibits and performances by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
- For all the adrenalin junkies, Merlin Entertainments is offering live streams of their various experiences around Australia, including a virtual zipline tour at Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures via their Facebook page. Feel like you’re soaring across the canopy and look out over the stunning Illawarra/South Coast countryside and coastline from the top of the Illawarra Escarpment.
- For those dreaming of the gorgeous Sydney Harbour, Webcam Sydney provides a panoramic livestream where you can easily spot the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and The Rocks. Make sure to sneak a peak when the sun goes down to see a beautiful sunset followed by the harbour’s glittering nighttime lights.
Learn how to dine (and wine) like an Aussie
Australia has long been famous for its food and wine – and if you want to experience some of Australia’s best cooking or drinks, there are a number of places offering live stream tasting experiences and classes:
- If you’ve ever wanted to master your cocktail game, Sydney’s bar and vegetarian diner Golden Gully is providing one-hour classes with bartenders Rachael and Danny via video chat on how to mix up some drinks from whatever you have in your liquor cabinet. Chef Emma Evans is also running one-hour video chat classes that take you through a recipe to teach you how to improve your kitchen skills whilst cooking up something tasty, even using the most mundane ingredients in your pantry.
- Award-winning fermenter from Victoria Sharon Flynn is going live on The Fermentary‘s Instagram page to #FermentTogether. Tune in each day to watch one of Australia’s foremost experts on fermentation walk you through the flavours and techniques of the ancient art of slow fermentation, with influences taken from Malaysia, Japan, Europe and the US.
- Ben Ean winery in wine-region Pokolbin, New South Wales is also offering virtual wine tastings via Skype! Lovers of wine looking to learn more can order some bottles of wine and then Skype in with one of the cellar door staff to take you through a virtual tasting.
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