The remote, cold, wet and windy Macquarie Island is a place few people will ever visit.
But it's now possible to experience life on the sub-Antarctic island through a virtual tour constructed using more than 1,000 photos stitched together.
Through the interactive, users can see the island from various vantage points and explore all the various buildings to see where expeditioners cook, eat, relax and work.
"The virtual tour is incredibly detailed," said Travis Thom, who leads Australian Antarctic Division's Strategic Infrastructure Project.
"The photos that were taken are really high resolution, and because it's a 360-tour it provides a great opportunity to really understand the nuances of a research station."
Macquarie Island is halfway from Tasmania to Antarctica and takes three days to reach by boat from Hobart.
The AAD only re-supplies the island's research station once a year and only a handful of people spend time there over the winter months.
"Accessing the tour is a brilliant opportunity for the public to get a real insight into a place that very few people get the opportunity to see," Mr Thom said.
"They'll be able to view it on their computer, on their mobile phone … even with virtual reality goggles."
He said the tour takes in some of the natural features of the island as well as a glimpse inside existing station buildings.
"Whether it be standing on the top of the Razor Back Ridge and looking over the isthmus back towards the station, or sitting inside the living space and experiencing where expeditioners have breakfast, lunch, dinner, surrounded by the memorabilia from past expeditions and the historic photos is fantastic and a real joy in which to share," Mr Thom said.
There are also animals to spot with many penguins visible amongst the tussock grass and seals scattered on the beach.
Interactive used by designers of new research station
The tour was created as a visual aid for architects and engineers who are designing a new research station on the island.
The new station will be located on higher ground than the old one.
"The existing site is one of the lower points on the island and it's subject to storm-surge events, and the weather conditions there do mean it is in poor condition," said Adrian Young, modernisation manager for Macquarie Island.
The number of buildings on the new site will be reduced and the old station will be demolished.
"We've done a lot of investigation on selecting the [new] site and that included looking at nesting sites, not only for the penguins in and around the station, but where the seals congregate," Mr Young said.
"We've tried to minimise the impacts as to where these animals occur."
The new station is expected to be completed by late-2022.