Living Virtually – free online resources

 

Whilst we are house-bound, we could certainly all do with some things to keep us stimulated.  We’ve compiled a list of free resources available online – zoom/Skype, performing arts, travel, galleries, cooking, animals, libraries and more. Enjoy and share it with your friends and family.

Remember to also move – go for a walk, do some gardening and get some lovely sunshine on  your face!

 

Connecting with your family & friends

Zoom: video tutorials on how to use it.

Skype: getting started with Skype

Movies & TV Shows

ABC iView, SBS On Demand and commercial TV catch-up services cost nothing. Also anyone with an Australian library account has access to Beamafilm and Kanopy, which offer a range of top-quality recent release movies and TV shows.

Performing Arts

Filmed on Stage: the theatre community has come together to provide viewers from around the world  the opportunity to stream select theatre productions for free!

Sydney Opera House: Sydney’s great dame of concert halls has recently released a huge digital offering, with concerts, talks, and behind the scenes content. Visit the digital season here.

Australian Ballet: free cinema-quality digital season brings their full-length performances to Australians at home.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra: a huge catalogue of live concert videos to explore.

Melbourne Comedy Festival: needs some laughs? This festival is available on ABC iView 

Cirque du Soleil: 60 minute special featuring Alegria, KOOZA and KÀ!

Verdi’s Attila Opera: recorded live in concert at Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House on 14 March 2020 by ABC Classic.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals – The Show Must Go on will be releasing musicals weekly for free.

 

Galleries & Museums

The Louvre offers virtual tours for a few big exhibits, including the ‘Egyptian Antiquities’ – a huge exhibition spanning over multiple floors and featuring ancient items from the Pharaonic period.

The British Museum has a great interface to explore – would-be museum attendees enter via an enormous timeline, and can click on coloured dots representing areas of the world, which take them to items of that era and area.

National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) impressive art collection on a virtual curator-led tour.

Enter the quirky Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) and say G’day to Tim and his elaborate tattoos between 10 am and 4.30 pm through the Tasmanian museum’s live stream.

Travel

Australia’s Aquatic Experiences – 360 degree coastal and aquatic videos

Palace of Versailles – wander through the Palace and gardens with the purpose built VR tour

Austria: Experiencing Austria Virtually

Explore.org – live cams from around the world

Animals

Sea Life Sydney – virtual aquarium &  Wild Life Sydney Zoo – virtual zoo

Taronga Zoo TV: watch your favourite animals live.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: California’s famous aquarium is live-streaming several of their well-known exhibits over the lockdown, and one of the cutest by far is the sea otter cam.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary: tune in for heart-warming live streams of cute and cuddly koalas alongside other Australian native animals.

Cooking

Maggie Beer: cooking classes on her Facebook page here.

Jamie Oliver: Keep Cooking & Carry On: Jamie’s presenting easy-to-follow, super-flexible recipes with lots of useful swaps and tips to help you feed yourself and your loved ones in these unique times. Visit it here.

SBS Food: recipes, shows and videos 

Libraries

Local public libraries – Many local public libraries offer access to eBook loans and other online services. Visit your local library website to see what’s available.

City of Sydney Library – free to join for all NSW residents

State Library of NSW – also free to join

Gutenberg Project – Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks,  mainly classics where the copyright has expired. Books can be downloaded or read online.

There is so much available online for free – google away and see what you can find!

 

Arthritis NSW – we’re here to help

We’re here to help whenever you need us. We have a variety of options available for support and information.