The hard-to-access mysteries of Australia’s national parks are one step closer to being revealed to the armchair tourist.
NSW National Parks is the first organisation in Australia to be part of the Google Trekker loan program, which allows third party organisations to apply to borrow Trekker to collect imagery of hard-to-reach places and help map the world.
First cab off the rank is Barrington Tops National Park, north of Sydney. National Parks staff will wear the Street View Trekker – a special backpack equipped with the Street View camera system – and hike through the park to film the off-road trails.
The Street View Trekker will capture 360-degree imagery as the hikers travel through the landscape.
The Gloucester Advocate reports that the imagery will then be turned into panoramic digital renderings of Barrington Tops National Park to be incorporated into Google’s Street View catalogue of the world.
“This partnership with Google allows us to share NSW parks with the rest of the world,” NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes said. “By mapping the park with the Google Street View Trekker, we can make it even more accessible to the public. If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring the area or are planning a trip, the Street View imagery will give you a way to virtually discover and learn about it beforehand.”
Barrington Tops National Park is one of 16 areas being mapped by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“We’re thrilled to be working with NSW National Parks as the first partner in our pilot Trekker Loan Program for Australia,” Megan Boundey from Google Australia said. “By loaning the equipment to organisations around the world, we can capture images from new locations more quickly, and improve our ability share more of Australia’s beautiful landscapes with the world.”
