Enjoy a Virtual Tour of Coffs Museum this History Week

It’s History Week and what better way to celebrate than by taking a 3D virtual tour of Coffs Harbour Regional Museum and its exhibits – for the first time ever.

Thanks to local photographer Toni Fuller, who has scanned the interior of the Museum using 3D technology, anyone can now enjoy exploring the region’s local history 24/7 – and from anywhere in the world.

Using a mobile device, viewers can do a 360 degree ‘walk-through’ that allows them to move entirely at their own pace. They will be able to explore all the Museum’s current exhibitions, including a number of pieces that are linked to the newly launched ‘Coffs Collections’ website. From these links viewers can discover even more fascinating details, plus interesting stories from the Museum’s Heritage blog.

“The Museum and Gallery team discovered Toni’s work when it was exploring 3D tour options as a way of improving access due to COVID-19 – and we are so pleased we found her,” said Cath Fogarty, Coffs Harbour City Council’s Cultural Development Gallery and History Services Coordinator. “Giving people access to our local history collections is vitally important – and we’ve seen how arts and culture have led the way in keeping communities creatively connected in these COVID-19 times – but we have less than ten per cent of the collection on display due to the fragility of the artefacts and the restricted size of the current building.

“Being able use the 3D Virtual Tour to offer a portal into the whole collection via our new digital service ‘Coffs Collections’ is going to be a fantastic addition to how people understand and learn about our local heritage.”

Through the Tour, visitors can link to stories and first hand recordings on ‘Coffs Collections’ of local Gumbaynggirr Elders, the original custodians of the land, and see stone artefacts on display. They can also spend time viewing the extensive materials and photos that illustrate Coffs Harbour’s maritime history, including the South Solitary Island Lighthouse and shipwrecks such as the tragic 1886 shipwreck of the Keillawarra.

Also included in the tour are items that reflect the ‘can-do’ attitude of a community isolated from the major cities – from a hand-made ‘jinker’ with timber wheels for moving logs to a 1920s chair made from packing crates.

You can take the ‘Virtual Tour of Coffs Harbour Regional Museum’ at: www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/museum It is available online until September 2021.

For the full Museum experience with expert guides, visit in person during current opening hours – Tuesdays to Thursdays, 10am to 1pm.