For decades, world-renowned British storyteller David Attenborough has made us fall in love with mother nature through breathtaking footage, frightfully accurate recreations and, of course, his knowledgeable, deep British voiceover.
Adapting to ever-changing technology, David Attenborough has attempted to fully immerse his fans into the documentary itself by using Virtual Reality (VR) technology, available now at the National Museum of Australia.
As a fan myself, I jumped at the opportunity to experience the local exhibit! I have never experienced VR before, so the entire experience was very new and exciting (with a touch of nausea).
Entering the small room off the main entrance, the friendly museum staff handed each member of the audience a headset of VR goggles and headphones. The room was kitted out with a bunch of office chairs that swivel around to experience the entire 360-degree experience.
After a brief stint with nausea and space awareness warning, we ventured into David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef Dive – the first of two documentaries shown throughout the session.
Be pre-warned, if you don’t move with the spinning of the documentary, you will feel sick! But, as soon as you find your sea legs, it’s easy to fully immerse yourself into the experience.
Looking down toward my feet I could see deep into the ocean, above I could see the surface and by turning all the way around, I felt like an integral part of the diving team as David and the crew were sitting directly behind me.
Turning left and right in my seat allowed me to discover the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, as fish, coral and ocean life moved around me.
As we moved onto the second documentary, I chuckled at the thought of how stupid a room full of silent people moving around in office chairs looked to the two staff members supervising the experience.
Moving on from the Great Barrier Reef we began on a journey back in time with David Attenborough’s First Life.
The addition of this documentary was a great contrast to the first, as we were able to experience the famous Attenborough recreations using VR technology.
Without giving too much away, just a heads up there are a few jumpy scenes in this one!
As the credits rolled, it was a shame to have to come back to the reality of the room.
This was an absolutely breathtaking experience that I would recommend to any nature or animal lover, or David Attenborough fan. For those yet to fall in love with this legendary storyteller, this is the perfect excuse, so buy a ticket now before the experience closes.
What: David Attenborough Virtual Reality Experience
Where: National Museum of Australia
Cost: $20 per ticket
When: Multiple sessions available including weekends, public holidays and ACT school holidays
Click here for more information
Image credit: ©Atlantic Productions Ltd
