Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows black-and-white, silent footage of two activities in Darwin, Northern Territory, in the mid-1920s. The first is a sequence of a steam rail motor arriving at Darwin Railway Station with a shunting engine passing by. The second is a sequence of children diving into fenced-off sea baths and swimming to the other end.

Educational value points

• The scene at Darwin Railway Station, showing the small station and a small number of tracks, indicates that Darwin was still a relatively small town in 1926. Originally named Palmerston, it was established in 1869 and administered by South Australia until it was transferred to the Commonwealth in 1911 and renamed. The discovery of gold at Pine Creek in the 1880s boosted the town’s development, but after the gold rush Darwin’s growth slowed.

• The combined train coach and steam locomotive seen here is called a rail motor. Rail motors had several advantages for small railways. They were cheap to operate and were well suited to lines with unattended stations. In some parts of Australia, these fast, self-propelled trains were known as 'tin hares’ (after the mechanical hare in greyhound racing) and were introduced into service in the 1920s. The front of the rail motor shown is fitted with an old-fashioned cow-catcher.

• The railway shown is the Darwin terminus of what was then known as 'the line to nowhere’. The line, opened in 1889, was originally built by some 3,000 Chinese labourers and extended from Darwin to the Pine Creek gold diggings. The Commonwealth Government took control of the line in 1926 and extended it to Birdum. The line formed one extremity of the proposed north–south transcontinental railway that was not actually built until early in the 21st century.

• The second part of the clip shows children swimming in a fenced-off harbour pool. Some just tread water, while many appear to be capable swimmers starting to swim overarm. This style of swimming was first adopted by Australian Richard Cavill at the 1902 International Championships after he had observed a Solomon Islander, Alec Wickham, using a combination of an up-and-down kick with an alternating overarm stroke.

• The scene indicates that swimming during the day was permitted in Darwin in 1926. In the early years of the 20th century swimming was banned in many parts of Australia between the hours of 6 am and 7 pm as it was considered immodest for people to be seen in swimming costumes in the light of day.

• The children are wearing a one-piece version of a typical 1920s swimsuit. Known as the Canadian costume, it consisted of a pair of woollen knickers extending down the thighs and a sleeveless or sleeved woollen top, usually in dark blue. It was worn by men, women and children and offered unprecedented (for the time) freedom of movement in the water.

• This clip is an example of actuality footage, which is unscripted film taken as events occurred and usually intended to be used in a documentary or newsreel. Although the footage has been edited, it is not known if it was ever used.

• A range of film techniques are used to engage the viewer. For example, close-up shots of the rail motor taken from two locations give a good view of this unusual train. A long shot taken from above reveals the activity, such as it is, at the railway yards, while a medium shot of the swimming makes the viewer feel like they are right next to the pool.