Stepping back in time with Walhalla's virtual experience

by Aidan Knight

"From Liam Neeson to the Prime Minister, everyone wants to visit Walhalla".

These were the words Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing used to summarise the importance of the mountainside goldmining town last week, when launching the Walhalla Alive Virtual Reality Experience.

The immersive project was driven by the Walhalla Heritage and Development League (WHDL), who worked with Regional Development Victoria and Baw Baw Shire Council to secure a $50,000 State Government grant from the Tiny Towns fund.

The virtual reality experience was developed using archival images, current-day video mapping, and film production to blend the two and reconstruct them three-dimensionally for modern audiences.

Designed by Chris Gillard of Team Creative, who worked closely with WHDL and community members, which allowed them to step in as actors portraying historical figures within the simulation.

The Walhalla Experience was the second 'cultural project' worked on by the company, which has an extensive client base ranging from Snowyhyrdo, Victoria University, Tafe Tasmania, and the Outdoor Education Group.

"We did some mapping of the area and then did the same thing again - this time with the actors in costume. We then played with the opacity of them to make them appear as flickering, 3D ghosts".

Mr Gillard told the Gazette he "didn't need Liam Neeson," who famously frequented the town in 2024 when it was turned into a set for his film Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky, because the Walhalla locals were so good to work with.
"None of these guys were actors, but they actually became the actors (through the process)", he said.
This was not lost on Ms Shing, who championed the commitment and enthusiasm the locals have for the historic town.
"Walhalla is small but oh so mighty as a result of the work that you do," she said, describing the town as a "best case scenario" for communities seeking to leverage grants and government programs.
The outcome is an enveloping first-person perspective of the gold-mining town at it's peak, which Ms Shing praised as a model for how small communities and use advocacy and technology to tell their stories for decades to come.
"There are so many [stories] to tell", she said. "There is so much connection to industry, and community, to triumphs and devastation, natural disasters and recovery...and Walhalla encapsulates all of those things in so many ways."
WHDL president Rob Ashford told guests at the launch the project was born from a decision in 2021 to completely overhaul the Walhalla museum's displays, in an effort to better explain the town's past to visitor's passing through, in a way that will grab attention more readily and effectively.
He said visitors were now viewing the township as "lots of trees" and a scattering of buildings, when it could be more effective to tell the town's story by showing what it once was.
"The plan was to use technology to help visitors understand just how good this place was, fill in the missing bits, and tell the story," Mr Ashford said.
The project includes a flexible, multilingual space for visitors that will provide visitors with a more accessible and engaging way to explore Walhalla's rich gold mining history.
The launch also highlighted Walhalla's broader ambitions, including a push for World Heritage recognition of its historic goldfields landscape.Mr Ashford said the VR project is intended not only to enhance the museum but to strengthen Walhalla's positioning within the central goldfields region as governments progress long-term strategies and infrastructure investments to support heritage tourism.
Organisers hope the attraction will deepen visitors' understanding of Walhalla's mining heritage, support local businesses and volunteers, and provide a new focal point for the town's ongoing efforts to preserve and promote its history.
Right: Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing on the tools, learning what Walhalla looked like in the 1800s via virtual reality.
Below: Baw Baw Shire mayor Kate Wilson, Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing, and Cr Brendan Kingwill watch on as Cr Suzanne Allen tests the virtual experience.