It’s summer in Australia and that means sun, sand and surf. But it didn’t always:

'In 1901, when Australia became a federation of states, Australians were not allowed to swim in the sea in most places in daylight hours. Many people did, but they risked prosecution.’

Paul Byrnes has curated a fascinating selection of films related to Australian lifesaving, surfing and beach culture.

They include some of the earliest surviving footage of surfing in Australia, lifesaving demonstrations filmed for the Queen’s visit in 1954, a look at the surf music scene in 1964 and champion local and international surfers in action.

There’s even Hot to Trot (1977) – a psychedelic animated short based on the adventures of Captain Goodvibes, a cartoon character who made his debut in the surfing magazine Tracks.

Drop into the Surfing collection and surf other titles on ASO.

Watch Australian Summers Past, an archive mash-up, and other films in the Summer Time playlist on the NFSA Film Australia Collection YouTube channel.

And have a safe and happy holiday season.

Above image, 'Surf club competitors at a surf carnival at Noosa Beach, Queensland, 1952’, courtesy of the State Library of Queensland.