Canberrans have long enjoyed what Mount Stromlo has to offer, but since the bushfires of 2003 swept through the area, the landscape has been a very different one.
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Where the Commonwealth Solar Observatory once operated and now stands as a shell of its former life, the Australian National University this week launched an interactive heritage trail and smartphone application, Augmented Reality, that Heritage Officer Amy Jarvis believed added to the Commonwealth heritage-listed location.
“In a growing digital era, we were trying to integrate some exciting capacity into the trail. We wanted to add another dimension to the signs,” Ms Jarvis said.
Augmented Reality used the archival content that would otherwise not be seen by walkers of the trail, and application developer Amber Standley said it added depth to the experience.
“[They] had a lot of amazing content in voice recordings, pictures, and there’s only so much you can portray on a printed sign. With the digital aspect, you can also continually add new content to the signs without having to reprint them,” Ms Standley said.
Within the application, users can share their thoughts on social media with the integration of Twitter.
“It’s not just about experiencing, but also sharing your experience with the wider community,” she said.
ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Young praised the rebirth of the site as a more flowing and connected experience.
“Most people [who visit Mount Stromlo] expect to see a working observatory; the trail is an opportunity to fill that information gap,” Professor Young said.
The trail showcased 14 interpretive signs which included five that were coded to trigger extra content via the application.
