Peek into past simply unreal
A WORLD-first tourism project has been launched in southern Tasmania, bringing historical experiences to life on your phone as you walk around the real world.
The Tasmanian Stories Augmented Experiences project has created several realistic 3D objects allowing people to step back in time and experience a wide range of emotions.
The project has been funded by the Brighton, Clarence City, Derwent Valley and Southern Midlands councils and the Department of State Growth.
In Brighton, tourists and locals can walk around eight full-size army tents, watch a biplane fly around overhead or take cover as 1914 Light Horsemen ride by.
In Richmond, people will spy a full-size windmill from the early 1800s on the Village Green.
And, in New Norfolk, there will be a historic film experience around historic Willow Court.
Tasmanian Stories was created and designed by Richmond-based Handbuilt Creative’s David Shering.
“The beauty of [augmented reality] is it gives you the chance to explore things that are not easily possible in the real world,” he said.
“Our goal is to create the most photorealistic AR experiences possible so the world’s spotlight is focused on our island as Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft rush to make augmented reality mainstream through their forthcoming advances in optical AR technology.”
Destination Southern Tasmania chief executive Alex Heroys said this leading and innovative technology was redefining the visitor experience.
“We believe that Tasmanian Stories will deliver a series of exciting experiences, in southern Tasmania and statewide in coming weeks and months,” he said.
Brighton mayor Tony Foster said it was a wonderful way of bringing history back to life at a site where most of the physical remnants were gone.
“It has almost no impact on a place and allows people of all ages and interests to engage with the layers of history in our communities and the rich stories that are often missed,” he said.