Project Description
Hawkesbury Council – Tebbutt’s Observatory
Double-click on the virtual tour for Tebbutt’s Observatory to make it go fullscreen, or click here
The Brief – Virtual Tour
Hawkesbury Council contacted us to photograph one of their historical sites located in the municipality. Specifically, they wanted to make a historical virtual tour where people could walk through the Tebbutt Observatory, see the historical pieces and feel as though you are there in person.
We worked closely with the Hawkesbury Council Regional Museum team to ensure that everything was correctly placed and informed within the virtual tour. This also included the additional images provided by the council alongside their detailed text explaining what the end-user would be looking at throughout the virtual tour.
The virtual tour is also VR-enabled which is a standard feature of all our tours. If you have a Google Cardboard or VR headset, you can walk through the observatory as though you are there in person, experiencing it firsthand.
What We Loved About This Project
The tour of the observatory and Hawkesbury Council was an exceptional experience. It was fascinating to delve into their history. The virtual tour was particularly impressive, especially the telescope in the observatory. It’s not every day one gets to see such a significant piece of Australian history up close. The beauty of the night sky and the knowledge that the telescope has enabled many important discoveries throughout history made the experience even more awe-inspiring. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much and to have had such a remarkable experience.
About The Client
Hawkesbury City Council is located towards the outer northwest of the Sydney metropolitan area. It is located about 50 kilometres (31 miles) and approximately one hour’s drive from the central business district. The site takes its name from the majestic Hawkesbury River that flows through it. It is divided by four river valleys and contains fertile flood plains and wetlands, undulating hills, timbered ridges, steep gorges and towering escarpments.
Hawkesbury is made up of many small townships and localities. The major centres are Windsor, Richmond and North Richmond.
For more information about Hawkesbury Council, please visit hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au
About Tebbets Observatory
The Tebbutt Estate dates back to 1843 and is situated on the Hawkesbury Peninsula in Windsor and is listed as a heritage site. It is a family-run business with a long history and extensive scope. John Tebbutt, an astronomer who discovered two comets at the observatory in the late 1800s, was the first Australian-born astronomer.
He has been honoured internationally and nationally for his early Southern Sky observations, having a crater on the moon named after him and being on the first Australian $100 note.
Are you interested in creating a 360 virtual tour for your government/council facility/venue or historical site? Did you know that Hawkesbury City Council has historical locations like this? What did you like best about the observatory virtual tour? Contact us by filling out the form on this page, book a consultation or call us.
