A vice-regal Expedition with the Governor-General

When I was a kid at school, getting out of the classroom and going on a school excursion was the highlight of any term.
Filing onto a bus with my classmates, being taken on a tour of a museum or gallery or zoo and learning about history or geography or art - these things always created a great sense of excitement and adventure.
It’s been a while since I was at school, and things have changed quite a bit. But one thing’s for sure: excursions aren’t what they used to be. Back then we could only dream of visiting the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Pyramid of Giza, or the Great Wall of China.
There are many kids at school who don’t have the opportunity to visit some of our great landmarks. We’re a big country with people spread thousands of kilometers apart. Now, students and teachers can use the magic of Google Expeditions, to take students on virtual trips all over the world, including many places the school bus can’t go!

His Excellency General the Honorable Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of Australia, is shown the Google Jump Camera. 

This month we launched an Expedition for Government House, Canberra and an Expedition of the State Library of Victoria at Nichols Point Primary School in Mildura, regional Victoria.
It has been fantastic to work with the Governor-General to create an Expedition of Government House; to give all students across Australia, especially those who can’t make the trip to Canberra, the opportunity to visit Government House and learn about the important role that it plays in our Australian democracy.

His Excellency tries out Google Cardboard with kids from Nichols Point Primary School.

It’s also been exciting to work with the State Library of Victoria. I’ve always wanted to see Ned Kelly's armour, which is on display at the Library, and now, through the Library's Expedition and their partnership with the Google Arts and Culture, I will finally have the chance.
Since we launched the Expeditions Pioneer Program last September, more than a million students from 11 countries have taken one of our 200+ virtual reality trips—from the Great Barrier Reef, to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.

Andrew Hiskens (right), Learning Services Manager of the State Library of Victoria, shows an Expedition to students at Nichols Point.

Today, we’re making Expeditions available to everyone. To get started, all teachers need to do is download the Expeditions app onto a set of devices and choose where in the world they want to take their class. The app is available today for Android and will be available for iPhones and iPads soon.
I can't wait to check out Ned Kelly’s armour, swim Barrier Reef and explore the amazing Angkor Wat… all from our lounge room!
Posted by Sean McDonell, office lead, Google Melbourne