All aboard for the virtual railway museum tour

The new Matterport virtual tour will highlight points of interest around the museum and give people who might not be able to physically visit, an insight into its wonderful displays.

The Bicentennial Railway Museum was founded by local railway maintenance staff and has been operated by Armidale Regional Council since 1993.

Armidale was an important railway centre in the past, and the museum commemorates this role and the work of generations of local men and women who worked for the railways. The museum is located at the Armidale Railway Station in Brown Street.

Museum staff have been working on digitising and modernising Council museums and making the spaces more accessible to the public.

"With this new virtual tour, we're not just showcasing our rich railway heritage, but we're also inviting others to experience it from the comfort of their homes, sparking curiosity and interest in our city," Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland said.

"By offering this immersive experience, we're not only catering to train enthusiasts but also opening doors for those who might not have had the chance to visit in person. Armidale is now just a click away for anyone who wants to visit our fantastic museums."

The project is part of a continuing effort to create digital twins of the museums in Armidale and is made possible thanks to a partnership with New England Regional Art Museum.

The Armidale Folk Museum's virtual tour, created using NERAM's professional 360-degree camera, has had more than 200 unique visitors since uploading in January.

The virtual tours are not intended to be a replacement to in-person visitation to any of council's museums, rather a way to encourage enthusiasm for the museums among the wider public.

Visit www.armidaleregional.nsw.gov.au/community/arts-and-culture/museums to take a look at the new virtual tour of the Armidale Railway Museum. To book an in-person Railway Museum visit, phone 6770 3836.