Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
"Nice to be with you in colour, this is the first time that I've not been in black and white." – Bert Newton
Six years before Australia officially switched to colour, lucky audiences got an early glimpse of the future. At the 1968 Royal Melbourne Show, GTV 9 Melbourne (Nine Network) screened a special test film featuring some of the country’s biggest TV personalities—including Bert Newton, Hal Todd, and Mike Walsh—stepping into colour for the very first time.
For viewers at home, the transition to colour was gradual, but for those on screen, the change was immediate. As Bert Newton put it, for the first time, he wasn’t in black and white. This was the beginning of a new era in Australian television.
Discover more about the arrival of colour TV in Australia
🔗 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/revolution-will-be-televised
"Nice to be with you in colour, this is the first time that I've not been in black and white." – Bert Newton
Six years before Australia officially switched to colour, lucky audiences got an early glimpse of the future. At the 1968 Royal Melbourne Show, GTV 9 Melbourne (Nine Network) screened a special test film featuring some of the country’s biggest TV personalities—including Bert Newton, Hal Todd, and Mike Walsh—stepping into colour for the very first time.
For viewers at home, the transition to colour was gradual, but for those on screen, the change was immediate. As Bert Newton put it, for the first time, he wasn’t in black and white. This was the beginning of a new era in Australian television.
Discover more about the arrival of colour TV in Australia
🔗 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/revolution-will-be-televised
