Western Australia’s netball superstars unearthed the State’s golden secrets on an interactive virtual adventure through Perth’s CBD, as they walked the Heart of Gold Discovery Trail.
Armed with the free Heart of Gold Australia app, West Coast Fever players Stacey Francis, Jhaniele Fowler, Verity Charles and Shannon Eagland travelled through time from the gold mines of today to the early gold rush of the 1890s, learning the rich history and importance of gold to Australia’s future.
Exploring 11 locations from Elizabeth Quay to The Perth Mint, the players listened to fascinating audio and video tales, played augmented reality games and explored fun widgets to earn their commemorative #heartofgold medallions.
As they traversed from point to point the players learnt of the harshness of outback life during the early gold rushes, famous gold discoveries, how gold contributes to the growth of WA’s economy, the role women play in mining, the innovation of new infrastructure and the establishment of Perth as the State’s capital.
“It really was an educational experience for me! I also love the interaction of the games in the app, it is something really different,” said Verity Charles.
The journey kept the athletes entertained, as they posed for gold-themed photos with each other using the app’s camera frames, tried their hands at locating their very own gold ‘diggers brooch’, and had a laugh acting out a tableau in the grounds of the Supreme Court.
“I really enjoyed the tour of the city, seeing some places I have never been to before and seeing some of the gold history that went down with some of those places,” Shannon Eagland explained.
Jhaniele Fowler, named West Coast Fever’s 2019 Most Valuable Player, said exploring London Court was her highlight of the day, as she enjoyed taking photos and found the augmented game to find the brooch very entertaining.
At the trail’s last stop, The Perth Mint, the netballers completed a golden quiz to claim their #heartofgold medallions and victory for completing the 2.5 km walk trail using the knowledge they had acquired that day.
“It was a fantastic day to enjoy Perth’s weather and I answered the golden quiz at the end of the trail, so I got a coin!” exclaimed Stacey Francis.
The Heart of Gold Australia app is free to download for mobile or tablet devices from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
The Gold Industry Group is proud to be the Elite Partner of West Coast Fever.
