Dawn Fraser Baths

About the Project

Objective: To create an immersive Virtual Reality history of the Dawn Fraser Baths.

Concept Development: Our journey began creating a suite of educational Inner West History Site studies to aid teachers in delivering the history Syllabus to Years 7 -10.

We recognized the need for locally relevant sites so students could engage and learn the deep history of their local area.

We wanted the information held in the Library and History collections to come to life, have intergenerational appeal and activate the stories around significant sites.

This led to a collaboration between the Inner West Council History and Library team, Rampe Realistic Imaging Pty Ltd and Friends of Dawn Fraser Pool with the development of an interactive resource and Virtual Reality site.

The interactive technology provides an engaging and enriching experience that blends historical learning with the latest in digital innovation allowing historians, archaeologist, students, teachers, tourists and residents explore this hidden gem nestled on the Balmain Peninsula and Sydney Harbor.

Technical Design: The Virtual Reality was created using photography (aerial and ground based) and laser scanning and combined with a process called photogrammetry. Interactive elements include 3D objects using Pedestal 3D, 360 images, deep zoom images, comparison slider images and a full VR ready custom experience.

Content Creation: At the heart of our project is story telling and exploration of the layers of a historically significant Site. In this case tracing the transformation from rocky outcrop to a lush green landscape showcasing the only surviving example of a fully enclosed, public tidal baths from the late-19th and early 20th centuries in Australia. The online site showcases rare items and memorabilia from the Friends of Dawn Fraser Pool Archives collection

The site is completely referenced, peer reviewed and ready for the public's enjoyment.

How to Use

There are a range of interactive elements on this website to fully explore and come to know the site as it is today and as it was throughout its history. As well as basic text, quotes, references and images, some of the more interactive elements are outlined below.

Technology requirements

The site has been designed to be widely accessible. However, it does use a variety of modern graphics intensive web technologies and high quality imagery. This means that as a base requirement, a good internet connection and a relativly modern device is rerquired to get the most out of it. If your device struggles to show content, we advise to close other browser windows and applications. The VR experience in high quality does use significant resources. As such, we have provided a lower resolution standard quality which may work better for you. If not, please rest assured that all of the content in the VR experience is also available on the web pages themselves for maximum flexibility.

VR Experience

We have developed a VR experience of the different areas of the site to enable you to walk through the area, see historical photos and plans in context to where they were taken and also to see reconstructions of the different buildings that used to be located around the site.

You can enter the main foyer by using the VR button in the top menu bar and from there, see the other sites including the pool, Fitzroy Reserve and also White Horse Point (Elkington Park). These individual sites can also be entered diectly from the corresponding web page by clicking the VR button in the banner.

The VR expereicne has been designed to work on a variety of devices including computers, tablets, phones and VR headsets. To enter VR with a headset, use the VR icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.

3D Embeds

There are several 3D embeds on the webpages that enable you to interactivly view the sites and features. These are simple to use and some include buttons to control the display. The basic controls are left click and drag (or single finger swipe) to rotate, right click and drag (or two finger swipe) to pan, scroll wheel (or pinch) to zoom and double click (or double tap) to centre the view.

Historical Comparisons

We have developed a range of historical comparisons where we have rendered a current view of the site using our 3D assets to match the historical location of a series of photographs. You can simply use the slider to compare them or the range of options presented in buttons including swipe left and right, fade on or off and the ability to loop both of these for presentations.

Deep Zoom Images

Some images are presented in a deep zoom style interface which allows you to zoom into very high resolution to inspect details, read names or see other features hard to see in low res photos. Further to that, some have mulitple pages and some can flip to the back using the on screen icons. Simply scroll (or pinch) to zoom and left click and drag (or single finger drag) to move around.

360 Panorama Images

We have also created some 360 panorama images with a drone to enable you to look around various areas of the site. Simply scroll (or pinch) to zoom and left click and drag (or single finger drag) to move around.

Acknowledgements

Friends of Dawn Fraser Pool

Carolyn Allen - Friends of Dawn Fraser Pool