Titles curated by Tammy Burnstock
40 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year
A
ABC Children’s TV Club – Monday Showcase television program – 1961
The iconic Children’s Hour on ABC radio morphs into television. This episode features artist Jeffrey Smart and Aroora the Red Kangaroo.
Adventure Island – Episode 1174 television program – 1972
A successful children’s show set on the magical Adventure Island, a ‘land that’s far across the sea’.
The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill – A Windy Day television program – 2005
Bottle Top Bill and his best friend Corky must travel by flying machine to retrieve their washing, which has blown away in the wind.
B
BMX Bandits feature film – 1983
A young Nicole Kidman stars in a story of BMX bikes and wannabe bandits.
Butterfly Island – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1985
A young Vietnamese refugee on the run complicates the Wilson family’s attempts to save idyllic Butterfly Island from a crooked resort developer.
C
Cybergirl – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 2000
Cybergirl crashes to earth. Pursued by evil replicant bounty hunters, she takes refuge with Jackson and his father Hugh.
E
Elephant Tales feature film – 2006
Elephant Tales tells the story of two orphaned elephant brothers Zef and Tutu and their search for a new future.
F
The Ferals – An Explosion of Talent television program – 1994
This irreverent puppet-live action series about a mangy group of animals pushes the boundaries of children’s television.
G
Go Back to Where You Came From – Series 1 television program – 2011
An immersive documentary in which six Australians test their prejudices by tracing in reverse the journeys taken by refugees to Australia.
H
H20: Just Add Water – Hocus Pocus television program – 2007
H2O: Just Add Water is about three teenagers facing everyday problems but with a twist – they become mermaids when in contact with water.
Heartbreak High – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1993
Edgy, fast-paced drama starring a young Alex Dimitriades and set in a multicultural urban high school.
Heartbreak High – Series 7 Episode 210 television program – 1998
Stolen goods, lawn bowls and a séance feature in this final episode of the groundbreaking 1990s teen drama.
The Henderson Kids – Series 1 Episode 2 television program – 1985
Teenage actors Nadine Garner, Kylie Minogue and Ben Mendelsohn feature in this classic 1980s children’s drama from Crawford Productions.
Hoota and Snoz – Series 3 Episode 13 television program – 2003
Snoz and Hoota are squabbling rivals in this 3D computer-generated animated series. In this episode, Snoz finds a mini Hoota included with the breakfast cereal.
Hoota and Snoz – Series 3 Episode 3 television program – 2003
Squabbling duo Hoota and Snoz star in the first 3D computer-generated animated series produced in Australia.
I
It’s Academic – Episode 40 television program – 1971
It’s Academic is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running quiz program in television history.
K
Kaboodle – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1987
An anthology of stories for children aged 5-12 years old produced by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation in the late 1980s.
Kindergarten Playtime television program – 1959
In 1959, two years after the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite is launched, Australia’s first pre-school television show tackles space travel.
L
Lockie Leonard – The Human Torpedo television program – 2006
Based on Tim Winton’s novels, this series follows ‘surf rat’ Lockie Leonard who is starting high school in a new town on the WA coast.
M
The Magic Boomerang – The Discovery television program – 1965
Tom uses a magic boomerang to find treasure, foil his greedy cousin’s plans and save the family farm.
Mr Squiggle and Friends – Cheer Up television program – 1990
A 1990s episode of iconic children’s series Mr Squiggle and Friends created and performed by Norman Hetherington, written by Margaret Hetherington and co-presented by their daughter Rebecca Hetherington.
Mr Squiggle and Friends – Episode 148 television program – c1960
Mr Squiggle is one of the most recognised children’s television characters. Although no longer on air, he continues to appear at exhibitions and science fiction conventions.
N
New Faces television program – 1982
A 1980s episode from the classic talent show hosted by Bert Newton.
O
Out There – Two Down Under television program – 2002
A comedy-drama for children set in an animal clinic in rural Australia.
P
Petals – A Boot Full of Petals television program – 1997
Petals is an animated series for preschool children which revolves around the adventures of five tiny flower ‘petals’ who live at the bottom of an overgrown garden.
Play School – Bags Wednesday television program – 1984
An episode of the iconic pre-school program Play School from 1984, featuring presenters Noni Hazlehurst and John Hamblin.
Play School – Opposites Monday television program – 2006
Justine Clarke and Rhys Muldoon sing, march, make ‘surprise’ hats for each other, read a book and play games as they explore the weekly theme of ‘opposites’.
Play School – Trains Thursday television program – 1969
An early episode of iconic pre-school program Play School featuring presenters Don Spencer, Anne Haddy and Ruth Cracknell.
R
Raw FM – What You Can television program – 1997
A series revolving around community youth radio station 99.9 Raw FM and the young people who run it.
Reg Grundy’s Wheel of Fortune television program – 1959
Reg Grundy’s television debut in 1959 was also his first game show.
RocKwiz – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 2005
Hosted by Julia Zemiro, a no frills pub-style cult music trivia night broadcast on SBS.
S
The Saddle Club – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 2001
Carole, Stevie and newcomer Lisa ride their way to true friendship in The Saddle Club.
Sale of the Century – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1980
Host Tony Barber invites contestants to compete for prizes by answering general knowledge questions.
Skippy – Be Our Guest television program – 1968
Clancy wants to make a good impression on her visiting mother. Instead, she gets lost in the bush where she is rescued by a group of Aboriginal men (played by visiting members of the Aboriginal Theatre from Yirrkala, Arnhem Land).
Skippy – Long Way Home television program – 1968
Dastardly Dr Stark kidnaps ‘no ordinary kangaroo’ Skippy for his own private zoo, but Skippy has other plans.
The Stranger – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1964
A stranger with an accent, amnesia and seemingly no heartbeat arrives at the home of the Walsh family in Australia’s first science–fiction series.
U
The Upside Down Show – Art Museum television program – 2006
A show for preschoolers using the talents of stand-up comedians the Umbilical Brothers.
W
Wheel of Fortune – Series 3 Episode 1 television program – 1990
‘Baby’ John Burgess, ably assisted by Guinness World Record-holder Adriana Xenides, hosts the long-running game show.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? – Series 1 Episode 5 television program – 1999
Immortalised by feature film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), this is the Australian version of the popular quiz show hosted by Eddie McGuire.
Why It Is So television program – 1973
Professor Julius Sumner Miller amazes and astounds his viewers with ‘light, optics and a brief adventure into modern physics’.
