NSW PARLIAMENT HOUSE OPENS ITS VIRTUAL DOORS
Members of the public can now visit and explore the legislative chambers and grand historic rooms of NSW Parliament House in a fascinating 360-degree virtual tour.
Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly Jonathan O’Dea said the Parliament of NSW was pleased to be one of the first in Australia to offer this interactive experience.
“The tour is a wonderful opportunity for members of the community, including school students, for whom distance and opening hours might be a barrier to visiting the oldest public building in Australia and exploring their state Parliament,” Mr O’Dea said.
“Online visitors will be able to travel through the Corridor of Premiers, learn about ceremonial artefacts, view portraits of significant NSW political figures, and discover the Reconciliation Wall, a space dedicated to promoting Aboriginal art and expression by Aboriginal people within the state.”
The virtual tour takes in both the atmospheric Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council chambers where the laws that impact the lives of people in NSW are made. It includes pop-up information boxes highlighting hidden features and historical information, providing an opportunity to learn more about the places in which parliamentarians have enjoyed the contest of ideas since the 1820s.
President of the NSW Legislative Council Matthew Mason-Cox said the virtual tour will also offer people the opportunity to explore the majesty and beauty of the Parliament’s historic Jubilee Room, once the Parliament’s ‘reading room’, and the iconic ‘Fountain Court’ designed by Robert Woodward in 1983.
“This tour takes the Parliament to the people,” said Mr Mason-Cox.
“The virtual tour is a fully immersive experience where people can learn more about the workings of the Parliament, its heritage and collection and its colourful origins as the ‘Rum Hospital’, a colonial-era hospital built off the rum trade.”
An ‘auto-pilot’ feature is available where virtual visitors can sit back and enjoy a seamless pre-recorded tour of the Parliament, as well as an option for visitors to navigate the virtual building themselves and visit areas of interest.
In addition to the virtual tour, visitors are always welcome in person at 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney on weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Public tours run each Monday and Friday at 1.30pm. More information can be found here.
To access the virtual tour, visit www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/about/pages/virtual-tour.aspx
Media contact: Lisa Thomas| Parliament of NSW |0417 655 481
