Our home is a convenient 20 minutes from the airport and within the flight path of most planes taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang.

Our neighbours might know when work and life gets a bit too much for us to handle, as we’d stand in our front porch and try to flag down random planes flying over our house screaming: “Wait for me!”

Over the past two month the number of planes flying over our home are few and far between, so that thrill together with a number of others is out for now.

It is going to be a while before we see ourselves hop on a plane again. With air travel pretty much at a standstill, friends and family are having a tough time booking flights to and from their destinations. What more with contact tracing being carried out for passengers on two flights last week with passengers who tested positive for Covid-19.

So when I got this invite to virtually travel through New South Wales (NSW), I had mixed feelings. Nothing beats the thrill of hopping on an aeroplane and stepping out onto the tarmac in a different country, but that will have to be off the cards for a while and the next best thing is virtual travel which just might inspire your next trip once the global lock-down is over.

There are however additional perks in this weekend’s live programs. Hey! would you get pointers on to workout like Chris Hemsworth if you travelled to NSW on your own?

In addition to this this, virtual visit will be hosted by familiar faces and experts in various locations including Chefs Matt Moran, Kylie Kwong and Hayden Quinn, childrens’ entertainers The Wiggles, Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park’s Head Zookeeper Chad Staples and Clarence Slockee from the Bundjalung Nation on the north coast NSW.

Viewers will be able to experience all of the top tourist draw cards from Bondi Beach to Sydney Opera House, the Blue Mountains and Byron Bay online, as they virtually ‘meet’ NSW legends in food and wine, arts and culture, Aboriginal tourism, nature and wildlife. 

Tourism Australia’s ‘Live from Aus’ broadcast and live stream this weekend (May 16, 2020 – May 17, 2020) intends to reach 13 million home bound audience and fill the global travel void.

If it’s your cup of tea below are the schedules and links to ‘Live from Aus’

Saturday 16 May 2020

7am (AEST): Welcome to Country with Clarence Slockee live from the Illawarra

8am (AEST): Train like Chris Hemsworth with Luke Zocchi & Dan Churchill from Centre, live from Byron Bay

9 am (AEST): Bondi Brekkie Bowls with Guy Turland, live from Bondi Beach

10am (AEST) Kids Club: Sing and Dance with The Wiggles, live from Sydney

7pm: Mate Night Dinner Party with Matt Moran, live from Chiswick Restaurant, Sydney

8pm: Pub Trivia Night with Rove McManus, live from The Royal Hotel, Bondi

Sunday 17 May 2020

6am (AEST): Sunrise Yoga with Elements of Byron Bay, live from Byron Bay

8 am (AEST): Take part in an Aussie wildlife Q&A with Zookeeper Chad Staples, live from Featherdale Wildlife Park, Western Sydney 

10 am (AEST): The Great Aussie Brunch with Three Blue Ducks, live from Sydney and Byron Bay

1pm (AEST): Sunday BBQ Lunch with Hayden Quinn, live from Sydney

8pm (AEST): Night at the Sydney Opera House, live from Sydney

VisitNSW Instagram and Facebook channels will share the NSW highlights across the weekend and an ongoing program of videos promoting NSW destinations and tourism operators will follow.

For more NSW virtual experiences, check out the  #LoveNSW virtual tourism experiences map and visitnsw.com.

Information and pictures courtesy of Destination New South Wales