I'm standing on the roof of the Palais Garnier, the monumental Second Empire opera house in Paris.
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Around me, children are riding white-knuckle rollercoasters, dodging T-Rexes, wielding light sabres, and diving with sharks.
Within the next few minutes, I'm among the tourists jostling to see the Sphinx of Giza; strolling the Colosseum; admiring the sunset from a beach in Ghana; on a dusty road in Greece; in the middle of Tokyo by night; high up in the Andes, in the ruins of Machu Picchu; and admiring the stupas of Borobodur.
And all without leaving the Guyra council chambers. Phileas Fogg would have loved virtual reality.
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The council libraries have purchased five virtual reality headsets - two for Guyra, three for Armidale - using an annual funding grant from the State Library.
Staff hope the public will be able to book a VR session within the next couple of months - but Guyrans got a taste at a school holiday workshop on Friday.
"It's really a chance for regional kids to try this new technology," library coordinator Aimee Hutton said. "You can access these kinds of things in the cities more readily, but it's harder in the country. So we really want to make this technology available."
Library staff will launch the technology soon, and hold a road show to introduce it. They will bring it to the Armidale Mall and the Guyra main street; visit schools and nursing homes; and show the public what VR can do.
"Libraries are always evolving, and you have to keep evolving," Ms Hutton said. "This is certainly our way of staying relevant. We see it as our responsibility to bring new things to communities and help educate and open the minds of everybody. That's what we're trying to do with virtual reality."
While some VR apps are games - immersive versions of Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja, for instance - much of it is educational. Job simulations can help to train electricians, chefs, and plumbers. Users can board Apollo 11, and set foot on the moon; pilot an aeroplane; kayak through Antarctica; or sit in a concert hall and listen to Elton John or to an orchestra play Stravinsky.
"It's really futuristic, for want of a better word," library assistant James McBride said. "It's immersive and interactive in a way that I never thought would be possible with games."
One of the most popular apps is Wander - a virtual reality version of Google Earth.
"You can go to any address in the world," Ms Hutton said. "You can take tours through popular buildings like the White House - all from your living room." Mr McBride has used it to visit Antarctica and Petra.
The library staff hope to introduce this technology to disabled people and to nursing home residents.
"People who are bedridden can jump in a VR experience for half an hour and escape their worries," Ms Hutton said.
"We've had an inquiry already from an elderly person who's always wanted to go to a particular place, but is now too old to travel there. We're going to set up a time where we can take them there in virtual reality."
Library staff, Ms Hutton said, will explore the possibilities for council: training new staff, or even holding virtual meetings. So could council meet in Parliament House or the Roman senate - or, for a change of scene, underwater or on the moon?
New technology is being developed for VR all the time, Ms Hutton said. "TAFE NSW Digital in Armidale is really strong in virtual reality technology. There are some really great people there. They've helped us with advice on which headsets to buy. Hopefully we can strengthen that relationship and work with them to develop the technology and unlock more benefits."