What would you see if you entered a world-first cultural heritage time machine?
Aboriginal-owned social enterprise Bilbie Labs has created virtual Meanjin so visitors can experience what Brisbane was like before colonisation, as part of the World Science Festival which kicks off in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Bilbie Labs CEO Brett Leavy, a Kooma man, told AAP that when people pull on the virtual reality goggles, they will be transported to a different time.
"I'm trying to respectfully represent First Nations cultural heritage in three-dimensional space to allow people to walk on country in the past," he said.
"It's a virtual heritage walkabout."
Virtual Meanjin takes visitors to an immersive world that strips away urban Brisbane to find a natural landscape.
Participants can walk around to find campfires, people and the Maiwar, or Brisbane River.
Mr Leavy said the experience combines cutting-edge technology with traditional storytelling to create an unforgettable journey.
"I love the reactions you get from people," he said.
"It's really special."
The experience uses a specially-created map or virtual songline, which displays cultural heritage sites around Meanjin that have a significant connection to the Indigenous peoples who have lived there for thousands of years.
The map uses Aboriginal iconography to represent known places of continued connection to country including sacred sites and ceremonial grounds.
"Just imagine putting the goggles on and then going to sites where Yuggera and Turrbal people have actually danced for thousands of years," Mr Leavy said.
"We try to make those scenes as authentically real as we can.
"One of the things that visitors can do is click on the map and they can join in on the corroboree and dance like the Yuggera people."
Mr Leavy said the tech team at Bilbie Labs works through a process of code creation with cultural overview from traditional owners.
"Cultural preservation is at the heart of everything we do at Bilbie Labs and we have the opportunity to create an immersive experience that not only entertains but also fosters a deep connection to country," he said.
Virtual Meanjin is part of the festival's evening program Social Science on Thursday and Friday, which will transform Queensland Museum into a hub of live music, discovery and experimentation.
Mr Leavy is one of the speakers taking part in the festival's panel talk on Saturday night, titled What Good is the Metaverse?
The World Science Festival runs from Wednesday to April 2 in Brisbane's cultural precinct.
