The ABC's Tiny Oz hosted by Jimmy Rees captures historical moments in miniature

Now this delightful three-part series is giving us another perspective of our country, and her history, by reducing everything to miniatures.

Tiny Oz celebrates craft and history in equal measure as comedian Jimmy Rees and miniature artist JoAnne Bouzianis-Sellick meet the incredible craftspeople who are consumed by miniature minutiae.

In each episode a snapshot of Australian history is recreated. Modellers, artists, historians, crafters and makers, coming together to capture a particular moment in miniature.

The story of episode one is when hundreds of exotic animals that were escorted down Sydney's Macquarie Street in 1916, en-route to their brand-new home at Taronga Zoo.

There was no Harbour Bridge and the animals were marched from their home in Moore Park, through the city to the harbour where they were put on barges to cross the water.

Other episodes look at the once-bustling pearling town of Broome and how migration shaped the region, for better and worse; and a hot air balloon launch that fascinated and scandalised the people of Adelaide.

For Rees the whole series was something of a learning experience, not only finding out about interesting historical events, but discovering the whole world of miniatures.

"The miniature community is humungous," he says. "And I think we only scratched the surface of it.

"We were meeting people who made all sorts of things. One guy made tiny pots and vases and things, the size of your fingernail, and he's even got tiny pottery wheels because, apparently, you need tiny pottery wheels to make tiny pots.

"Other people make domestic scenes, with flowers and furniture, and figurines doing everyday things.

"You name it, someone makes it, it was just fascinating."

While you might think of the world of miniatures as a craft or a hobby, many artists are making a living from creating such things as architectural designs, models for film and television, using computers and 3D printers alongside more expected materials.

He sees the series as a fun way to impart some forgotten history of Australia. The ABC has a great track record of bringing history to life, think of such shows as the Back in Time for ... series, and Tiny Oz is no different.

(Production has just began for the latest installment, Back in Time for the Corner Shop.)

"For the events we've chosen, we've had to do our research," says Rees. "In the first episode there were only a few newspaper articles and some photographs of the zoo move in 1916. Can you imagine what it must have been like to see elephants and giraffes walking down one of Sydney's main streets."

Rees and Bouzianis-Sellick kind of get to experience that. At the end of each episode they are "shrunk" and immersed in the scene.

"We walk through the model like we're there," he says.

"Sure it's all shot on green screen but we're seeing it at scale and it really is a little tour through the moment of history."

The Sydney scene took 80 days and 1275 hours to complete, becoming a multi-dimensional march down Macquarie Street. The detail will astound you.

Rees wants us to think about the miniatures in our own lives, whether we're building with Lego or helping the kids make dioramas for school projects.

"We've all probably dabbled in it at some point, but the this community takes it to a whole new level and it was a real pleasure meeting so many of them."

Rees is about to embark on a sold-out national tour based on his viral Meanwhile in Australia skits he released on social media during the pandemic.

The series is well into 50 something iterations. Does he feel as though he's captured a little of Australian history himself with these fun videos?

"A few people have said that," he laughs. "I guess I did in a way, it's a time we've all been through. The National Archives have asked if they can store some of them."