Western Australia's natural attractions will soon be able to be viewed at eye-level online with the use of Google's unique Street View Trekker.
On loan to the State Government for six months, the Google Street View Trekker is a 14-kilogram camera backpack with 15 specially mounted lenses capable of recording stunning 360-degree panoramic and bird's-eye view footage.
It has travelled throughout the world from the Grand Canyon to the Great Barrier Reef, and is now in Western Australia. It is on loan to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions which will use the camera to capture locations that can only be accessed on foot or by boat, including some stunning remote and hard to get to places.
Initially the Trekker will be used to capture the beauty and biodiversity of the Swan Canning Riverpark, Rottnest Island, Perth's surrounding national parks and the south-west before moving to the State's north-west regions.
Iconic tourism attractions such as the Bibbulmun Track, will be included along with bushwalking paths in and around Perth, forest tracks, spectacular beach areas and much more. Once completed, imagery will be available via Google Maps.
Comments attributed to Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"This is the first time that the Google Street View Trekker has been used to capture WA's diverse natural attractions.
"The footage we get will allow millions of people from all over the world to get snippets of what they can experience in WA's magnificent parks. This will help boost tourism and create jobs by allowing people to view and plan what they would like to explore before they visit.
"People will be able to check out remote places that are generally very hard to get to, providing people with limited mobility the opportunity to experience these attractions."
Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Paul Papalia:
"The partnership with Google is a significant boon for nature-based tourism, and the McGowan Labor Government is committed to using developing technologies to generate greater economic and social benefits for regional communities.
"The vision will be shared with Tourism Western Australia and local and regional tourism organisations to assist with ongoing tourism promotion."