Titles curated by Elizabeth Taggart-Speers
103 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2
C
Chas E Blanks: Families at Seaside, Sydney Harbour advertisement – c1930
This ad is filmed in a home movie style, and features the producer’s own family.
D
Dame Nellie in the Mitchell Estate Garden, Lilydale home movie – c1927
This is home movie footage of opera star Dame Nellie Melba at her home, the Mitchell Estate Garden in Lilydale, Victoria.
The Digger Carries On: Repatriation Illustrated documentary – 1919
This 1919 film reassured Australians that returned servicemen were being looked after, in part through retraining.
Dipping Sheep historical – 1899
This short clip shows sheep being dipped in arsenic on a Queensland farm in 1899.
Don Bradman in England newsreel – 1930
Don Bradman is interviewed in 1930. This informal interview also gives him the chance to effectively demonstrate his batting technique.
E
Endurance documentary – 1933
After watching Home of the Blizzard Ernest Shackleton asked Frank Hurley to film his expedition across Antarctica with the aim of funding part of the expedition through film sales.
F
Farey: Opening of Sydney Harbour Bridge home movie – 1932
Lesley Francis Farey captured what it would have been like to be in the crowd at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
First Victory Home Loan: Squander Bug advertisement – 1945
This ad aimed to persuade Australians to donate money to the war effort, portraying it as patriotic and a show of commitment to the cause.
Fourth Liberty Loan advertisement – 1943
A Fourth Liberty Loan campaign was launched to encourage people to buy national savings stamps to contribute to the war effort.
From England to the USA: Menzies Wartime Tour home movie – c1941
Part travelogue and part historical record, this home movie captures official visits as well as the prime minister’s own travel.
From the Bush to the Bungalow documentary – 1920
Produced at a time when the timber industry was considered romantic, Bush Bungalow shows the power of nature and man’s ability to conquer it.
G
Government Party Boards SS Lucinda historical – 1899
In this actuality footage from 1899, Queensland politicians board the paddle steamer Lucinda, moored at a wharf on the Brisbane River.
H
Here Comes Santa advertisement – 1929
In this 1929 cinema advertisement, Santa and a young girl dressed as a fairy arrive by horse-drawn carriage at Alexandra Hospital and distribute presents.
Historic Beechworth home movie – 1971
This colour home movie gives us a glimpse into Beechworth, showing us the local scenery and architecture and people panning for gold.
I
Imperial Tractors: Western Australian Farmers Support an Australian Industry advertisement – 1937
This cinema advertisement introduces Imperial Tractors and uses a similar style to the industrial documentaries produced in the 1920s.
Inauguration of the Commonwealth documentary – 1901
This is possibly the first feature-length documentary made in Australia and the first Australian film to use multi-camera coverage.
K
Kiwi Shoe Polish: Shine Sir advertisement – 1914
This cinema advertisement illustrates what employers on the home front faced when their staff enlisted themselves into the war effort.
L
Lifesavers: Cryst-O-Mint Flavour advertisement – 1925
Running for over 17 minutes, this cinema advertisement is long compared to current standards.
Loading Horses on the SS Cornwall historical – 1899
Horses board the SS Cornwall on 31 October 1899, prior to the ship’s departure for the Boer War.
M
Magnavox Wireless: Why Jones Chose a Magnavox advertisement – 1925
Compared to contemporary car radios, the Magnavox Wirelesses seems absurd because of its large size.
Maxonol Gramophone: Buy a Good Gramophone and Keep Her at Home advertisement – 1925
Typically for a cinema advertisement of the time, it takes a narrative style and is shot like a slowly paced short film.
Melbourne Cup 1896 historical – 1896
This film documenting the 1896 Melbourne Cup is one of Australia’s oldest surviving films. A horse gallops into the foreground and blocks our view until the film’s producer gives the horse a pat on its rump.
Melbourne Scenes historical – c1925
Various subjects such as Alfred Deakin’s funeral and an AFL match reveal glimpses of Victorian life in the 1920s.
Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 1 home movie – 1948
This 16mm colour home movie filmed and edited by Sir Robert Menzies is an extraordinary record for not only Australians but the British too.
Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 2 home movie – 1948
A truly mesmerising piece of footage taken through the eyes of Australian prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies, during a family journey through Europe.
Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 3 home movie – 1948
This home movie is the third reel of a four-part travelogue filmed by Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, in 1948.
Menzies RG: Our Coronation Tour home movie – 1953
This home movie filmed by Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, captures the official ceremonies for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Menzies RG: Our Royal Visitors home movie – 1954
Sir Robert Menzies recorded the royal visit of 1954 and the pomp, ceremony and excitement that surrounded it.
Menzies’ Wartime Tour – England home movie – 1941
Sir Robert Menzies captures the atmosphere of London during The Blitz in 1941, recording the raid as it happened and then filming its immediate aftermath.
Morris, DG: Royal Agricultural Show, Adelaide home movie – c1943
This home movie shows two contrasting glimpses into the role of women during and after the Second World War.
N
Newtown Railway Station historical – 1899
This actuality footage from 1899 shows a train arriving at Petersham or Newtown Railway Station in Sydney’s inner west.
North Shore Steam Ferry historical – 1899
This short clip from 1899 shows a steam ferry docking at the Milsons Point Ferry Wharf in Sydney.
O
The Official Film of the Mawson Antarctic Expedition documentary – c1916
This film documents part of the treacherous 600-mile 1911–1914 expedition to the Magnetic South Pole led by Sir Douglas Mawson.
Official Opening of Canberra by His Royal Highness the Duke of York newsreel – 1927
The Duke of York (later King George VI) officially opens Parliament House in Canberra on 19 May 1927. Dame Nellie Melba sings the national anthem, 'God save the King’.
Opening of Queensland Parliament historical – 1899
This short clip shows the Queensland Governor arriving by horse-drawn carriage to open Queensland Parliament on 18 May 1899.
Q
Queen Street and Victoria Bridge historical – 1899
Using an original Lumière Cinematographe, Frederick Charles Wills and his assistant, Henry William Mobsby, capture a busy Brisbane intersection in 1899.
R
Rinso Laundry Powder : Hilda and Hugh Jones advertisement – c1940
Mrs Hilda Jones overcomes the drudgery of housework with the discovery of Rinso. Her husband Hugh is very relieved that he no longer has to suffer her bad moods.
Rinso Soap Powder: Then Came Happiness advertisement – 1931
Helen, worn out by the drudge of washing day, is introduced to Rinso by a girlfriend during a bridge night.
Rinso Washing Powder: Fairy Story Comes True advertisement – c1935
A young girl helps grant her mother’s wish to have a washing day that does not require long hours of scrubbing.
Roma Street Station historical – 1899
This short clip shows a train pulling up to Roma Street Station, Brisbane in 1899.
S
South Sea Islanders Cutting Cane historical – 1899
Photographer Frederick Charles Wills and his assistant, Henry William Mobsby, capture Melanesian labourers cutting cane in Queensland in 1899.
SS Katoomba Unloading historical – 1899
This actuality footage from 1899 shows the unloading of timber spars from the SS Katoomba at a busy wharf in Brisbane.
St Kilda Esplanade 1914 historical – 1914
This early footage of St Kilda includes the entrance to Luna Park and a jetty at the beach. The last shot, with its geometric form and structure, is like a Seurat painting.
The Story of the Kelly Gang feature film – 1906
Audiences of the time loved this film’s boldness and, with its live sound effects and narration, to them it didn’t seem silent.
Sugar Mills, Nambour historical – 1899
In this actuality footage from 1899, a horse drags a load of cane to a sugar mill where it is fed onto a conveyor belt for crushing.
Sydney Harbour and Anzac Day home movie – c1946
This colour home movie shows the official Anzac Day parade through central Sydney in 1946, one year after the end of the Second World War.
The Sydney Morning Herald documentary – 1911
One of the first Australian docos to be shot at night with artificial light, this Pathé short shows the newspaper printing process of the Sydney Morning Herald.
T
Tandaco Prepared Stuffing: Don’t Cry Dear Lady advertisement – c1942
A classic example of the stereotypical image we have of the Australian housewife.
Third Liberty Loan: This Is Vital to You advertisement – 1941
This cinema advertisement uses text to present a direct appeal from the Federal Treasurer, JB Chifley.
Threshing at Allora historical – 1899
This 1899 actuality footage shows workers tossing wheat sheaves into a threshing machine on a Queensland farm.
Travelogue of Eastern States newsreel – c1929
This travelogue, made around 1929, shows the major cities of eastern Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the new national capital.
W
Welcome to the English Cricket Team newsreel – 1932
At the start of what would become the infamous Bodyline series, there is no hint of hostility as Australian cricket captain Bill Woodfull welcomes the English squad to Australia.
Wheat Harvesting with Reaper and Binder historical – 1899
The official photographer of the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Frederick Charles Wills, films a farmer and his wheat harvest on a property in Jimbour.
