Google has introduced the latest tool in its bid to photograph Australia – the Google Street View Trike, which makes its debut at Taronga Zoo today.

While Google Street View cars – equipped with a camera mounted on the roof – have been used to capture many of Australia’s roads for Google Maps, the pedal-powered Street View Trike goes off-road.

The 110kg modified bicycle is mounted with a Street View camera and GPS system.

In a release, Google said: “The Street View Trike will help Google gather images of off-the-beaten track and pedestrian-only locations across the country, taking Street View beyond road-accessed landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge to places like Taronga Zoo and perhaps even national parks.”

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Google Australia engineering manager Raul Vera said: “We’re lucky enough to live in a country with some of the most spectacular natural environments and architectural features on the globe, and the Trike will allow us to get off-road to share these marvels with people around Australia and the world.

The Google Street View images collected by the trike will be live on Google Maps later this year.