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Treasures of Katoomba (1936)

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A treasure hunt at Katoomba

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

At Echo Point in the Blue Mountains, lovers Jack (Harry Cantor) and Jill (Margaret Jackson) begin their quest to find a £500 cheque hidden in the area. They proceed along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk followed by other sightseers and treasure seekers. They pass by the Three Sisters. 'Uncle Leo and his Californian yodelling hikers’ join in the fun and, with the gathering crowd, sing and saunter by the rippling waters of Leura Cascades. A man plays a piano accordion atop a rock outcrop. Jack and Jill and assorted questing hikers wave to each other across the Jameson Valley.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

Hurley became the chief cameraman for Cinesound Productions in 1935 and filmed Cinesound travelogues, documentaries and feature films throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He would often shoot, script and narrate the films, giving him strong creative control. Hurley’s enthusiastic narration in this clip is an example of how he used an on-the-spot commentary style of narration (possibly developed during his Antarctic expedition films) to add an immediacy to the scenes unfolding on the screen. The yodelling hikers in this clip are an odd touch (they seem to be more suited to the European snowfields) but, together with the music, create a celebratory mood presenting the Blue Mountains as an enjoyable destination for recreation and fun. The film screened locally and these scenes quite probably included extras from the region.

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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.

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  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
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