Researchers from Australia and German students have collaborated to develop an exciting virtual reality diving expedition to the wreck of the South Australian in 2023. The wreck, located in Encounter Bay near Victor Harbor in South Australia, is the oldest known shipwreck in the region and played an important role in Australia’s early colonial history.
A team of scientists, including Dr. James Hunter, Curator of Maritime Archaeology at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, and Irini Malliaros of the Silent World Foundation, discovered the wreck in 2018, conducting extensive dives, creating 3D scans of the wreck, and researching its history through plans, logbooks, paintings, and other historical documents.
In collaboration we developed a virtual reality diving experience to bring this archaeological project to life in an exciting and immersive way. The VR experience is divided into four sections:
A researcher’s perspective: Users start on the research boat “Maggie III” at the current position of the wreck in Encounter Bay. Here they learn initial information about the South Australian and its discovery.
Log Journey: Users take a journey through time by flipping through the logbook and experiencing the dramatic story of the ship’s sinking in the form of animated comic dioramas.
Dive: Users can embark on the actual dive, landing underwater at the authentically reconstructed wreck site to explore the virtual wreck, discover ship parts and artifacts at their respective locations, and obtain information about their uses and origins spoken by Dr. James Hunter.
Historical Encounter: In the final section, users land in the historic Encounter Bay of 1837, where the South Australian is still anchored intact at the Whaling Station of the South Australian-Company and have tthe opportunity to examine more objects and parts of the ship to learn about shipbuilding, whaling and important personalities in early 19th century colonial Australia.
The South Australian VR Diving Expedition was developed as a VR installation for the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, where it is expected to be on display in 2024, and will allow visitors to experience the history of the wreck firsthand.
More information about the project can be found on the website of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
My tasks were research, conception and material preparation, as well as project planning.
Team: Elisabeth Altmaier, Shenghui Cheng, Prof. Holger Deuter, Christina Luntz, Jacqueline Kurzbach, Catherine Kutscher, Sanja Marx, Melanie Obers, Junis Schmidt, Pia Rossel, Nina Scheffel, Josha Terbach, Chiara Williams
Australian National Maritime Museum: Dr. James Hunter, Kieran Hosty
Silent World Foundation: Irini Malliaros
Awards:
- CommAwards Bronze in Space – Digital Experience
- CommAwards Shortlist in Talent Digital Experience
- ADC Talent Award 2024
- Silver: Concept – Digital Products/User Experience
- Bronze: Concept – Spatial Experience/Extended Reality