Hospital patients will soon be able to experience Kakadu and Litchfield national parks as part of a 360-degree virtual reality experience from the Holiday from Hospital program created by the Chimera Legacy Foundation.

Organisation founder and director Damien Thompson said the aim of the program was to use virtual reality to help patients feel less isolated by showing them beautiful natural locations in Australia during treatment.

He said he was inspired to create the project through surviving leukaemia, a bone marrow transplant, and a double lung transplant.

Mr Thompson said he is on a three-month journey across Australia to create immersive virtual reality content.

“Having faced my own battles in hospital, I know how isolating it can be,” Mr Thompson said.

“‘In setting up our Holiday from Hospital program, we have found patients don’t often want to go too far and enjoy exploring Australian destinations but to make this experience impactful, we require high-quality and 360-degree imagery.

“This journey is about bringing Australia’s beauty to those who need it most, inspiring them to never give up, just as I didn’t.”

His journey began in Cairns, and is taking in Darwin, Broome, Perth, Port Augusta, Alice Springs before and ending in Townsville.

Mr Thompson said he had been filming in the Northern Territory this week whichh included Kakadu and Litchfield national parks.

His project has a fundraising goal of $55,000 to cover the three months of travel, broken down into $20,000 for travel and accommodation expenses, $5,000 for VR equipment, $10,000 for editing and post-production, $15,000 for unique tours and adventures and $5,000 for contingencies.

The content will be shared with various hospitals across Australia that are part of the Holiday from Hospital program.

To find out more about the Chimera Legacy Foundation visit their website.