Multi-wavelength Observations of Galaxies in the Southern Zone of Avoidance

We discuss the possibilities of extragalactic large-scale studies behind the Zone of Avoidance (ZOA) using complementary multi-wavelength data from optical, systematic blind HI, and near-infrared (NIR) surveys. Applying these data to the NIR Tully-Fisher relation permits the mapping of the peculiar velocity field across the ZOA. Here, we present results of a comparison of galaxies identified in the rich low-latitude cluster Abell 3627 in the B-band with NIR (DENIS) data, and cross-identifications of galaxies detected with the blind Parkes HI Multibeam survey with NIR data - many of which are optically invisible.