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Provincial Cities of Australia: Ballarat, Victoria (c.1932)

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Historical Ballarat

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

This clip opens with a view of Lydiard Street in the centre of Ballarat, Victoria, followed by shots of the statue of Peter Lalor and the monument to the Eureka Stockade uprising. The Ballarat Town Hall and Post Office are shown. The voice-over narration by Frank Thring touches on Ballarat’s history as a goldmining town. As Thring talks about the gold revival of the 1930s, men dig up the streets in search of treasure. The clip is accompanied by an instrumental score.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

For the most part, this travelogue is similar to others of the time in presenting the main historical features of a city, its civic buildings, recreation areas and tourist attractions. However, this clip shows a glimpse of how the economic depression of the 1930s affected many people throughout the country.

During the Great Depression, the prices fetched for gold led to a revival of prospecting in parts of regional Victoria. The men in this clip digging up the streets were most likely unemployed and looking for a way to survive. Although not directly referred to, the strain of the Great Depression is clear and contemporary audiences would have understood the prospectors’ situation.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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