More than 2,000 new Aussie historic and cultural treasures from 25 local cultural partners just came online at the Google Cultural Institute. That’s a lot to look through, so here are eight of our favorites to get you started:

1. This plane made out of wood, metal and Irish linen: Australia’s oldest surviving military aircraft
[Image] Deperdussin taxi-type single seat training monoplane, Deperdussin Aeroplane Company, Australian War Memorial
You can virtually sit inside a tank, a bomber and explore extraordinary military hardware, documents and art work from “Mobility at War,” an exhibit curated by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.


2. This decked-out 1930’s handyman wagon
[Image] Harold Wright’s Saw Doctor’s Wagon, Mr Harold J. Wright, National Museum of Australia
This is the vehicle Mr. Harold Wright used to drive around rural Victoria and fix household items on request. Zoom in and you’ll find his claim to fame: “The Sharpening King is Here.”


3. These ice-caked Adelie penguins caught after a blizzard
[Image] Ice-caked Adelie penguins after a blizzard; Cape Denison, Frank Hurley, State Library of New South Wales
Check out this photo of penguins after a blizzard and other artefacts from historic expeditions through "Discovering Antarctica,” an online exhibit from the State Library of New South Wales.


4. This felted-wool convict jacket from Australia’s colonial years
[Image] Convict jacket, Unknown, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
From 1855-80 male convicts sent DownUnder were forced to wear these jackets made in Great Britain — the parti-colored ones were given to those convicted of larger crimes.


5. This Australian Aboriginal painting of stingray hunting created on tree bark
[Image] Hunting Stingray at Biranybirany by Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, Art Gallery of New South Wales Zoom into the details of this piece by aboriginal artist Nyapanyapa Yunupingu called Hunting Stingray at Biranybirany.


6. This example of recycling made beautiful on the coast off Bondi Bay
[Image] overconsumption by Kerrie Argent, Sculpture by the Sea View Kerrie Argent’s overconsumption and the other stunning artwork created as part of last year’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibit in Bondi, Australia’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition.


7. These sculptures made out of air
[Image] The Hollows, Mikala Dwyer, Biennale of Sydney
Mikala Dwyer sculpted air to create The Hollows as part of the 19th Biennale of Sydney: You Imagine What You Desire. For more, take a virtual tour through the festival’s largest venue on Cockatoo Island.


8. This boomerang created by the first Indigenous Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia
[Image] Boomerang belonging to Neville Bonner, Neville Bonner, Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
Learn more about Neville Bonner and his boomerang through the Museum of Australian Democracy’s online exhibit.

These are only a few of the diverse Australian artefacts just added to the Google Cultural Institute. We hope you enjoy looking through them and learning more about some of this continent’s incredible stories and heritage.

Posted by Amit Sood, Director, Google Cultural Institute