SYDNEY, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Some of Australia's most precious artefacts will be available to history buffs all around the world via a new online archive, storing thousands of digitised images from six museum's collections.
Authorities revealed on Tuesday that following a successful trial, six regional galleries from across the state of Victoria will partake in a broad rollout of the initiative.
Digital photography and cutting edge scanning technology will be rolled out across the institutions to immortalise centuries-old letters, textiles, sculptures, paintings, drawings and more, creating a lasting record of Australian and world history.
"The digital era has brought a new type of gallery visitor with it," Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said.
"This project takes our renowned regional galleries to Australia and the world, while preserving their wonderful collections for future generations."
Anybody in the world will be able to access the archives via the Victorian Collections website, with a planned 25,000 objects hoping to have been digitised by 2020.
Materials susceptible to ageing will be included in the project such as First Peoples artworks and rare textiles -- creating a crucial lasting legacy of those items which would otherwise be lost to time.
"Our regional museums and galleries are a vital part of what makes Victoria the creative state," Foley said.
"We're proud to support the work they do in telling our stories and caring for our cultural treasures."
