Australian Colour Diary | Crafting Australian Wildflowers into Jewellery | 1961 @NFSAFilmAustralia

NFSA Film Australia Filmed as part of the Australian Colour Diary series, this short documentary, now in glorious HD, traces the remarkable journey of migrant designer Elizabeth Reimer, who founded a small costume jewellery business in 1951 and grew it into one of the largest of its kind in Australia.

The film shows Reimer’s meticulous creative process, where she draws inspiration from the Australian landscape. Viewers are given a close-up look of every painstaking step: from original sketches to the deft handiwork of craftsmen to the striking finished pieces. Drawing on both her classical European training and the sculptural forms of Australian wildflowers, Reimer translated more than twenty species into intricate wearable jewellery. Vivid colour film stock captures how Reimer reproduces their colours and textures through handcrafting, casting and hand painting.

Born in Hungary into a family of silversmiths and jewellers, Reimer trained at the Budapest Academy of Art and the Manchester School of Art before emigrating to Australia in the late 1930s. Inspired by the popularity of costume jewellery in post-war United States, she began producing pieces in a garden shed under the name ‘Arcansas’, later opening a studio in Mosman that employed dozens of staff. Among her most celebrated works was an elaborate tiara created for Moomba Queen Rhonda Parker. Her Arcansas designs were also exported internationally to markets including America, Canada, Singapore and Japan.

The documentary illuminates how migrant enterprise, the beauty of Australian flora and national celebration became intertwined in Reimer’s work – while also revealing the skilled hands and artistic precision behind each design.

Filmed between 1957 and 1971, the Australian Colour Diary series captures how Australians lived, worked and played across city and country, documenting a proud, diverse and constantly changing nation through informative, entertaining and often quirky short colour films.

Explore more stories from the Australian Colour Diary series in our curated playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction to Elizabeth Reimer
0:50 Wildflower-inspired jewellery designs
1:24 Crafting petals and components by hand
1:59 Casting and moulding process
2:24 Hand painting and finishing details
2:53 Tiara created for the Moomba Queen

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No.18
NFSA ID: 1416
Year: 1961
Credits:
Producer: Australia. Dept of the Interior
Production Company: Australian News and Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S. Allan

#AustralianColourDiary #AustralianHistory #VintageJewellery #MoombaFestival #filmaustraliacollection #WomenInBusiness #DesignHistory #NFSA #AustralianDesign #MigrantStories #ArchivalFilm

updated 6 months ago

Australian Colour Diary | Crafting Australian Wildflowers into Jewellery | 1961

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-03 | Filmed as part of the Australian Colour Diary series, this short documentary, now in glorious HD, traces the remarkable journey of migrant designer Elizabeth Reimer, who founded a small costume jewellery business in 1951 and grew it into one of the largest of its kind in Australia.

The film shows Reimer’s meticulous creative process, where she draws inspiration from the Australian landscape. Viewers are given a close-up look of every painstaking step: from original sketches to the deft handiwork of craftsmen to the striking finished pieces. Drawing on both her classical European training and the sculptural forms of Australian wildflowers, Reimer translated more than twenty species into intricate wearable jewellery. Vivid colour film stock captures how Reimer reproduces their colours and textures through handcrafting, casting and hand painting.

Born in Hungary into a family of silversmiths and jewellers, Reimer trained at the Budapest Academy of Art and the Manchester School of Art before emigrating to Australia in the late 1930s. Inspired by the popularity of costume jewellery in post-war United States, she began producing pieces in a garden shed under the name ‘Arcansas’, later opening a studio in Mosman that employed dozens of staff. Among her most celebrated works was an elaborate tiara created for Moomba Queen Rhonda Parker. Her Arcansas designs were also exported internationally to markets including America, Canada, Singapore and Japan.

The documentary illuminates how migrant enterprise, the beauty of Australian flora and national celebration became intertwined in Reimer’s work – while also revealing the skilled hands and artistic precision behind each design.

Filmed between 1957 and 1971, the Australian Colour Diary series captures how Australians lived, worked and played across city and country, documenting a proud, diverse and constantly changing nation through informative, entertaining and often quirky short colour films.

Explore more stories from the Australian Colour Diary series in our curated playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction to Elizabeth Reimer
0:50 Wildflower-inspired jewellery designs
1:24 Crafting petals and components by hand
1:59 Casting and moulding process
2:24 Hand painting and finishing details
2:53 Tiara created for the Moomba Queen

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No.18
NFSA ID: 1416
Year: 1961
Credits:
Producer: Australia. Dept of the Interior
Production Company: Australian News and Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S. Allan

#AustralianColourDiary #AustralianHistory #VintageJewellery #MoombaFestival #filmaustraliacollection #WomenInBusiness #DesignHistory #NFSA #AustralianDesign #MigrantStories #ArchivalFilm

Day-Old Chickens Bred for Export | Australian Diary 112 | 1960 | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-28 | Inside a precision engineered hatchery, thousands of eggs are turned, warmed and brought to life before being shipped across the world within just three weeks.

This newly restored 4K Australian Diary newsreel captures a remarkable moment in 1959, when Australia’s poultry industry was scaling rapidly and exporting day-old chicks by air to markets including Mauritius, Hong Kong, Borneo and the United States.

From mechanical incubators to expert chick sorting, the film reveals the speed and coordination behind an industry built for global reach. Made a time when technological advancement and Australian agriculture was booming, the footage presents an image of industrial prowess. The fluffy chicks on display aren’t treated with particular coziness or warmth - the focus is squarely on the momentum of the production line and mid-century innovation. The voiceover narration, meanwhile, takes on a more personal tone. Laidback and accessible language explains the system to audiences, drawing everyday Australians into their country’s export ambitions.

The Australian Diary series was produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit (later Film Australia) from the late 1940s into the early 1970s. Designed as short cinema newsreels, the films showcased Australian life, international visitors, cultural events, science, sport and industry. Today, the collection forms part of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), preserving important moving image records of Australia’s social and cultural history.

Watch more Australian Colour Diary films here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No. 112
NFSA ID: PFQXZ3AQ
Year: 1959
Credits:
Production Company: Australian News And Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S. Allan
Narrator: Harry Dearth

#AustralianDiary #NFSA #NFSACollection #AustralianHistory #NFSAFilms #4KRestoration #ArchiveFilm #Newsreel #Agriculture #Farming #GlobalTrade #Easter

Concerto for Orchestra | Sydney Symphony Orchestra | 1965

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-25 | From the Film Australia Collection comes a rare behind-the-scenes portrait of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as they prepare and perform Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, the very work returning to their stage this week.

Backstage at Sydney Town Hall, Conductor Dean Dixon prepares for performance, shaping every movement before a single note is played.

Watch the whole film here: youtu.be/BDa4AGhzbHE

Title: Concerto for Orchestra
NFSA ID: K73NRR9E
Year: 1965
Director: Robert Parker
Producer: Stanley Hawes
Associate Producer: Malcolm Otton
Production Company: Australian Commonwealth Film Unit

#SydneySymphonyOrchestra #ConcertoForOrchestra #BelaBartok #ClassicalMusic #NFSA

Australian Colour Diary | Nature Study of Seals at Phillip Island | 4K

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-24 | A rare aerial survey of Australia’s seal colonies at Phillip Island, captured in this beautifully restored 4K archival film from 1957.

Filmed as part of the Australian Colour Diary series, this documentary follows the Royal Australian Air Force and Victorian Fisheries and Game Department as they conduct a unique seal census at Seal Rocks. With access only possible by helicopter due to treacherous seas, the film captures intimate behaviours of seals during breeding season, from protective mothers to territorial bulls.

This remarkable record highlights early wildlife conservation efforts in Australia, preserving a vivid portrait of seal life in the 1950s.

Watch more Australian Colour Diary films here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297

Subscribe for more Australian archival films in stunning 4K:
youtube.com/@NFSAFilmAustralia

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No. 1 - Nature Study of Seals at Phillip Island
Series: Australian Colour Diary
NFSA ID: PCDGM76X
Year: 1957
Australian News And Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S Allan
Narrator: Harry Dearth

#AustralianColourDiary #NFSAFilms #PhillipIsland #SealRocks #WildlifeFilm #AustralianHistory #4KRestoration

Elastic Gymnastics Finale | Danish Team in Australia | 1955

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-19 | A spectacular gymnastics finale from a Danish team touring Australia in 1955.

This Australian Colour Diary clip captures a rapid-fire sequence of flips, somersaults and a daring group formation, ending with their motto: a sound mind in a sound body.

Watch the full film here:
youtube.com/watch?v=PEAMeUahU1U

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No. 2
NFSA ID: 1395
Year: 1957
Credits:
Australian News And Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S. Allan
Narrator: Harry Dearth

#Shorts #Gymnastics #VintageGymnastics #1950s #AustralianColourDiary #NFSA #ArchiveFilm #Denmark #Acrobatics #GymnasticsHistory

Australian Colour Diary | Danish Gymnastics Team Tours Australia | 1957 | 4K

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-17 | With Queen Mary of Denmark visiting Australia this week, here is a wonderful historical moment connecting Denmark and Australia.

This 4K presentation of an Australian Colour Diary film from 1957 captures the visit of a youth gymnastics troupe selected from some of Denmark’s most talented young athletes. The group travelled internationally to promote physical fitness and cultural exchange.

The team included 15 young women performing rhythmic gymnastics and 17 men demonstrating strength, tumbling and coordinated group routines. Filmed at a Royal Australian Air Force base, the display features balance beam work, acrobatic tumbling, resistance exercises and high speed gymnastics performed with remarkable precision.

All members of the team were amateurs who funded their own travel, relying on admission receipts to cover the costs of the tour.

This historic footage has been digitally restored and presented in 4K, bringing new clarity to the original colour images from the Australian Colour Diary series.

The Australian Colour Diary series was produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit (later Film Australia) from the late 1950s into the early 1970s. Designed as short cinema newsreels, the films showcased Australian life, international visitors, cultural events, science, sport and industry in vivid colour.

Today the collection forms part of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), preserving important moving image records of Australia’s social and cultural history.

Watch more Australian Colour Diary films here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No. 2
NFSA ID: 1395
Year: 1957
Credits:
Australian News And Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S. Allan
Narrator: Harry Dearth

#AustralianColourDiary #NFSA #GymnasticsHistory #1950sSport #Denmark #FilmAustraliaCollection #ArchiveFilm #VintageGymnastics #QueenMaryDenmark

This Tiara Crowned the 1961 Moomba Queen

NFSA Film Australia 2026-03-05 | Australian jeweller Elizabeth Reimer’s dazzling rhinestone tiara shines in this 1961 Australian Colour Diary film, worn by that year's Moomba Queen, Rhonda Parker. The glamour and spirit of Melbourne’s Moomba Festival is captured in these glimpses of the crowd cheering for a newly-crowned Parker.

Watch the full story of Elizabeth Reimer and the Moomba Queen tiara here: youtube.com/watch?v=PEAMeUahU1U

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Australian Colour Diary. No.18
NFSA ID: 1416
Year: 1961
Credits:
Producer: Australia. Dept of the Interior
Production Company: Australian News and Information Bureau. Film Division
Director: Jack S. Allan

#MoombaFestival #1961 #AustralianHistory #NFSA

The First Days of School in Australia, 1971

NFSA Film Australia 2026-02-23 | After the summer holidays, students are now back in class, some for the very first time. Have you ever wondered what these early school days were like for Australian kids in the 1970s?

Filmed primarily at Hawthorn West Primary School in Melbourne, this 1971 clip is a window into Australia when it was redefining what children’s learning could be. Personal narration from a kindergarten schoolteacher offers precious insight: schools had a focus on independence, and teachers were still hashing out the best approach. Particularly when ‘proper kindergarten’ was still largely inaccessible.

These kids with their distinctly 70s attire and briefcases may seem distant, but much will seem familiar for parents and guardians. The pain of separation, the busy but determined teacher, the joy of play and discovery.

Watch the full documentary ‘I’m Going to School Today,’ on our channel @NFSAFilmAustralia

From the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Collection
Title: I'm Going To School Today
NFSA ID: 22856
Year: 1971
Credits:
Production company: Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Henry Lewes
Director of Photography: Don McAlpine

#AustralianHistory #EducationHistory #AustralianSchools #1970sAustralia #NFSA #FilmAustraliaCollection #AustralianDocumentary

Geraldton (1966) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-09-24 | Life in Australia: Geraldton (restored in glorious 4K) captures daily life in a growing coastal town on the shores of the Indian Ocean during the 1960s. Produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Immigration, the film promotes Geraldton as a prosperous regional hub and key supply centre for northern Western Australia—poised between sea and land, tradition and modern development.

This is the sort of town where a fuelling agent and storekeeper is also the mayor. Through the lives of local families, workers and civic leaders, the film showcases Geraldton’s rapid growth: from a population of 7 in 1850 to over 12,000 by the mid-1960s. Schools, hospitals, housing developments and civic projects frame the town as modern and family-friendly, while industries like cray fishing, farming, shipping and building drive its economic future. Geraldton’s beaches, sports facilities, and community theatres round out the picture of a lively, welcoming town.

The Life in Australia films (1964–66) were designed as glossy promotion for migration. They promised comfort and prosperity, but with limits: gender roles are rigid, First Nations people are absent, and inclusiveness was not part of the story. Produced in the final years of the White Australia Policy, the films closely predate the landmark 1967 Referendum.

Today, they stand as vivid time capsules—revealing both the optimism and the blind spots in how Australia wanted to be seen on the world stage.

👉 Recognise a face or place? Share your knowledge in the comments!

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Geraldton: Life In Australia
NFSA ID: 13304
Year: 1966
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Chris McCullough
Producer: Eric Thompson
Photography: Reginald Pearse
Music: Werner Baer

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

#LifeInAustralia #Geraldton #AustralianHistory #NFSA #VintageAustralia #1960sAustralia #WesternAustralia #filmaustraliacollection

Wagga Wagga (1965) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-09-12 | Wagga Wagga: Life in Australia, now restored in glorious 4K, captures life in a thriving regional city of New South Wales in the 1960s. Produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Immigration, the film promotes Wagga Wagga as a modern community with space to grow, midway between Sydney and Melbourne.

Through the lives of a factory foreman, a trainee nurse, a local reporter, a farmer and a town planner, it explores work, study, recreation and family life. The Murrumbidgee River, strong community spirit, and ambitious planning for the city’s future are all part of the sales pitch for a new start down under. The meaning of Wagga Wagga comes from the Wiradjuri language and is now officially defined as “many dances and celebrations,” though it was historically known as “the place of many crows.”

Unique within the series, Wagga Wagga was the only Life in Australia film directed by a woman—Rhonda Small. An Australian filmmaker who worked at the Commonwealth Film Unit from 1958 to 1967, she began as an editor before moving into directing. You can explore more of her work in our dedicated playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYjU0Xph-Gj5jtbneTpQzDYwR3ocLekal

The Life in Australia series (1964–66) was designed as glossy promotion for migration. They promised comfort and prosperity, but with limits: gender roles are rigid, First Nations people are absent, and inclusiveness was not part of the story. Produced in the final years of the White Australia Policy, the films closely predate the landmark 1967 Referendum.

Today, they stand as vivid time capsules—revealing both the optimism and the blind spots in how Australia wanted to be seen on the world stage.

👉 Recognise a face or place? Share your knowledge in the comments!

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Wagga Wagga: Life In Australia
NFSA ID: 13309
Year: 1965
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Rhonda Small
Producer: Eric Thompson
Photography: Richard Tucker
Music: Kurt Herweg

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/life-australia

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#LifeInAustralia #WaggaWagga #AustralianHistory #NFSA #VintageAustralia #1960sAustralia #regionalaustralia

Perth (1966) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-08-29 | Life in Australia: Perth (restored in glorious 4K) captures Western Australia’s capital in the 1960s. Made by the Department of Immigration, the film promotes Perth as modern, thriving and full of opportunity.

Told through the local newspaper’s eyes, it explores daily life – work, study, shopping, sport, health care and leisure. The bustling centre, sunny beaches and active community life are all part of the sales pitch for a new start down under.

The Life in Australia series (1964–66) was designed as glossy promotion for migration. They promised comfort and prosperity – but with limits. Gender roles are rigid, First Nations people are absent, and inclusiveness is not part of the story. Produced in the final years of the White Australia Policy, the films sit on the cusp of the landmark 1967 Referendum.

Today, they stand as vivid time capsules – showing both the optimism and the blind spots in how Australia wanted to be seen on the world stage.

👉 Recognise a face or place? Let us know in the comments!

👉 We’d love to hear from you in the comments if you have any information about the people or places featured in this film!

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
NFSA ID: 49014
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Henry Lewes
Producer: Eric Thompson
Music: Lawrie Lewis

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#LifeInAustralia #PerthHistory #WesternAustralia #NFSA #AustralianHistory #VintageAustralia #1960sAustralia #Perth #FilmAustralia #FilmAustraliaCollection #4KRestoration

Mount Gambier (1964) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-08-15 | Now released in stunning 4K, 'Mount Gambier: Life in Australia' follows a local family through the rhythms of work and leisure in South Australia’s south-east. The camera moves easily between the main street and the rolling farmlands, the limestone quarries and the nine cheese factories, the hum of the woollen mill and the expanse of the pine forests. The Blue Lake shimmers, Brown’s Lake hosts sleek water skiers, and the weekends are filled with dances, theatre productions and leisurely shopping trips.

It’s a portrait of small-town Australia where industry is calm and orderly, neighbours know each other’s names, and nature and community are intertwined. Comfort, beauty, leisure and plenty are the offer – a ‘Lucky Country’ vision that captures the optimism of 20th-century officialdom, while smoothing over the divisions and complexities of 1960s Australia.

The Life in Australia series showcased Australian towns and cities in an idyllic light, hoping to attract prospective immigrants with carefully tailored visions of a peaceful, prosperous life. The films were made in the time of the White Australia policy, and the invitation to middle-class families is clear.

If you recognise people, places or events in this film, we’d love to hear from you in the comments – your insights help preserve Australia’s rich social history.

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
NFSA ID: 56978
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Chris McCullough
Producer: Eric Thompson
Cinematographer: Volk Mol
Composer: Nigel Butterley

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#MountGambier #LifeInAustralia #FilmAustraliaCollection #1960sAustralia #SouthAustraliaHistory #BlueLake #AustralianHistory #NFSA #NationalFilmAndSoundArchive #VintageAustralia #AustralianDocumentary #AustralianFilmHistory #MidCenturyAustralia #1960sFilm #AustralianCinema #RegionalAustralia #AustralianHeritage #HistoricalAustralia #Australia1960s #RuralAustraliaHistory #BlueLakeMountGambier #MountGambierHistory #AustralianTourismHistory

Australian Lacrosse Championships (1947): WA vs Queensland - Historic Footage from Subiaco Oval

NFSA Film Australia 2025-08-14 | Witness one of the earliest films of an Australian lacrosse game at the Australian Championships, held at Subiaco Oval in Perth. This rare footage from 1947 starts with a parade featuring teams from West Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland. Watch as the hometown favourites, the Swans, storm home against the Bananalanders in a thrilling match!

We acknowledge John Butkiewicz of the Lambton Mount Lacrosse Club for drawing attention to this clip through his work on lacrosse history.

#AustralianLacrosse #LacrosseHistory #AustralianChampionships #SubiacoOval #SportsHistory #Lacrosse

Family Life in Cairns (1964) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-08-12 | In 1964, Cairns local Tony Taylor casts his net for prawns before heading off to work — just another day in the tropical north. This excerpt from Life in Australia: Cairns (1964) is part of the Life in Australia series.

Produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit as part of a government-sponsored effort in the 1960s to showcase a peaceful, prosperous life in Australian regional centres and cities.

@NFSAFilmAustralia

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
NFSA ID: 55619
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Producer: Eric Thompson
Cinematographer: Bruce Hillyard

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-a...

#LifeInAustralia #Cairns #CairnsHistory #FNQ #TropicalAustralia #VintageAustralia #FilmAustralia #NFSA #4KRestoration #AustralianHistory #PostwarAustralia #1960sLifestyle #AussieHistory #Australia

Cairns (1964) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-08-01 | Now in 4K! 'Life in Australia: Cairns' (1964) offers a postcard-perfect snapshot of life in Far North Queensland during the mid-1960s. The 'Life in Australia' series, produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Immigration, was designed to promote Australia to prospective migrants. They highlighted their destinations' natural beauty, industry and leisurely pace of life.

In 'Cairns', we see a tropical city framed by cane fields and coastline, where the rhythms of sugar harvesting meet the seasonal buzz of winter tourism. As with other films in this series, 'Cairns' presents a highly polished version of daily life: a vision of Australia shaped by optimism, uniformity and the government agendas of the time.

These films are fascinating cultural artefacts – not just for what they show, but for how they show it. Viewed today, 'Life in Australia: Cairns' offers insights into Australia’s postwar identity and values, and the idealised image the country wanted the world to see.

We would love to hear from you in the comments if you have any information about the people or places in this film!

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
NFSA ID: 55619
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Producer: Eric Thompson
Cinematographer: Bruce Hillyard

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#LifeInAustralia #Cairns #Queensland #CairnsHistory #QueenslandHistory #TropicalAustralia
#FNQ #NFSA #AustralianHistory #VintageAustralia #FilmAustralia #FilmAustraliaCollection #1960sAustralia #HistoryInFilm #4KRestoration #MigrationHistory #PostwarAustralia #Cairns1960s #AussieHistory #Australia

Tasmania the Wonderland (1935) | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-06-20 | Tasmania is calling! This travelogue, thought to be part of a longer film produced for cinemas in 1935, is pitched at tourists but often takes a more formal, educational tone. To the accompaniment of chirpy newsreel strings, we’re shown the attractions of Hobart and its surrounds: cruising the unspoilt Derwent River, trundling along in double-decker trams, sailing on the harbour and playing on Sandy Beach.

There’s an element of parochial pride in the narration, which extols Hobart’s harbour as one of the five best in the world, lingers on the IXL factory with its annual production of 13 million tins, and sings the praises of Tasmanian apples, ‘which might grace even the table of the Royal house.’ That touch of Anglophilia is echoed in the descriptions of the Derwent valley, with its crops of fruit and hops, as reminiscent of ‘old England’.

This may be quaint in the context of orchards, but takes on a more sinister note in a visit to Hobart’s Beaumaris Zoo, where a Tasmanian devil on a leash is chivvied while the narrator accuses it of being ‘spiteful and cunning’. Harder still to watch is the footage of the last surviving thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) in captivity, pacing its small, barren cage. It’s a reminder of the care that must be taken to preserve and protect what makes Tasmania wonderful. Since 1996, Threatened Species Day has been held in Australia on 7 September, the day this thylacine died.

Tasmania the Wonderful, although it seems to be incomplete, remains a detailed and valuable record of Hobart in the 1930s.

Discover more incredible archival footage from Tasmania at the NFSA: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/

NFSA ID: 55567
For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#TasmaniaHistory #AustralianHistory #1930sAustralia #VintageTasmania #TasmanianTiger #Thylacine #NFSA #4K Restoration #AustraliaIn4K #ArchivalFootage #TravelDocumentary

Launceston (1966) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-06-20 | Come with us to spend a day in 1966 Launceston. This short film, shot by the Commonwealth Film Unit as part of the Life in Australia series, was an explicit appeal to potential immigrants and begins as a visitor to the city would, with aerial shots showing its position in the Tamar River valley, and a ride into town from the airport on the TAA bus.

Day is for industry: photogenic factories where ingenious machines are operated by expert hands; a thriving retail centre; orderly schools. Night is for neon, rock dancing, dinner dancing and the ballet. Leisure is plentiful: art galleries, historic homes, water sports, cycling and even archery beguile the time. Social bonds are formed at church and the agricultural show, and even the hospital is a place of smiles and flowers.

Despite a glimpse of a Buddhist statue, Life in Australia: Launceston is tailored to portray a certain model of ideal living that excludes dissent or difference: there is no mention of the city’s First Nations history, and class is elided in these crowds of happy, productive citizens enjoying life together.

For modern viewers, the lovingly shot details of vintage Launceston remain the film’s enduring interest and pleasure.

We would love to hear from you in the comments if you have any information about the people or places in this film!

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
NFSA ID: 44007
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Directors: Peter Young and John Edwards
Producer: Eric Thompson
Cinematographers/Directors of Photography: Rodney Musch and Reginald Pearse

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#LifeInAustralia #Launceston #Tasmania #NFSA #AustralianHistory #VintageAustralia #FilmAustralia #FilmAustraliaCollection #1960sAustralia #HistoryInFilm #4KRestoration

Hobart (1966) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-06-20 | The Life in Australia series showcased Australian cities in an idyllic light, hoping to attract prospective immigrants with carefully tailored visions of a peaceful, prosperous life in attractive settings. They were made by the Commonwealth Film Unit in 1966 as part of the White Australia policy, and their invitation to middle-class families is clear.

Life in Australia: Hobart (now restored in 4K) uses the device of a cheery postman on his round to stitch together various scenes of the city, from its parks, fountains and shopping arcades to its harbourside views and glamorous theatre crowds. Factories, schools, laboratories and construction sites are shown as sites of calm and orderly industry, with the camera and soundtrack rendering production lines in almost balletic terms. Bowls, beers, bands and boats are the reward for a productive day.

Small-town friendliness with comfort, beauty, leisure and plenty is the offer, a ‘Lucky Country’ vision that captures the ideals of 20th-century officialdom – and its omissions. The divisions, diversity and complexity of 1960s Australia are smoothed into a homogenous dreamland with a soap-opera soundtrack, even as the film captures fascinating details of mid-century Hobart.

We would love to hear from you in the comments if you have any information about the people or places in this film!

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
NFSA ID: 55723
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Donald Anderson
Producer: Eric Thompson
Cinematographer/Director of Photography: Peter McKinley

Find out more about the Life in Australia series on the NFSA website:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#LifeInAustralia #Hobart #Tasmania #NFSA #AustralianHistory #VintageAustralia #FilmAustralia #FilmAustraliaCollection #1960sAustralia #HistoryInFilm #4KRestoration

Adelaide (1966) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-05-16 | Now in 4K! Life in Adelaide is a beautifully restored snapshot of South Australian life in the mid-1960s.

Directed by James Jeffrey and produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Immigration, it’s part of the Life in Australia series: Government-made films created to encourage (mostly British) migration through sunny, idealised portraits of Australian life.

In this version of Adelaide, the streets are tidy. The people are cheerful. The jobs are plentiful and the sun always seems to shine. From factory floors to football fields, the city appears secure, suburban and deeply self-assured – a carefully staged vision of the good life.

The 4K restoration brings out every detail. Letterpress signs. Lacquered hairstyles. The gleam of Holden hubcaps and polished verandahs. It’s a rich and polished view of mid-century Australia, but one with notable omissions.

Made during the final years of the White Australia policy, the film reflects a narrow version of the nation. There’s no sign of First Nations peoples. No real cultural diversity. No hint of the political and social changes already reshaping the decade. Women are shown mostly in domestic roles, and public life feels calm to the point of sedation.

Viewed today, it plays more like a mid-century sitcom than a documentary: a vivid time capsule that shows not just how Australia looked, but how it wanted to be seen.

🎞 From the Film Australia Collection of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA).

If you recognise any people or places featured in this film, we’d love to hear from you in the comments!

For reuse and licensing enquiries, please contact: access@nfsa.gov.au

#LifeInAustralia #Adelaide #NFSA #AustralianHistory #VintageAustralia #FilmAustralia #1960sAustralia #MigrationHistory #WhiteAustraliaPolicy #HistoryInFilm #4KRestoration #PostwarAustralia #FirstNationsHistory

Geelong (1966) | Life in Australia Series | 4K Restoration

NFSA Film Australia 2025-05-02 | Now released in stunning 4K, Life in Australia: Geelong is part of the Life in Australia series produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Immigration in 1966. Directed by Antonio Colacino, this short film was designed to showcase an idealised version of life in the Victorian regional city of Geelong — complete with stable jobs, family homes, bustling shops, and thriving sporting and cultural life.

But Geelong is very much a film of its time.

Made in the final years of the White Australia policy, this government-funded series was created to appeal to (mostly British) migrants, presenting a carefully curated image of Australia as a land of opportunity and prosperity. What’s missing tells us just as much as what’s included — there are no First Nations people, no visible cultural diversity, and women are portrayed in traditional domestic and clerical roles.

Viewed today, these films offer a fascinating glimpse into the mid-20th century Australian self-image: aspirational, orderly, and framed like a TV sitcom of the era. While they don’t reflect the full complexity or diversity of Australian society — especially during a decade marked by protest, reform, and transformation — they remain compelling time capsules of a nation in the midst of change.

Find out more about the Life In Australia series on the NFSA website: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/life-australia

#LifeInAustralia #Geelong #NFSA #AustralianHistory #VintageAustralia #FilmAustralia #1960sAustralia #MigrationHistory #WhiteAustraliaPolicy #HistoryInFilm #4KRestoration

Tea And Sugar Train

NFSA Film Australia 2025-04-15 | Made by the Commonwealth Film Unit 1954. Once a week the Tea and Sugar Train leaves Port Augusta and heads west along the Nullarbor with all the supplies needed by the track maintenance workers and their families that live along the route. Everything from a needle to a radiogram from a broom to health services comes on the train they call the Tea and Sugar.

Changes in the Office (1976) | Film Australia Classic on Workplace Change

NFSA Film Australia 2025-04-08 | Office tech is on the rise – and so are tensions. This short drama, starring the iconic Jacki Weaver, follows a union rep investigating job losses in a newly automated workplace, highlighting the challenges of advocacy and change.

This Film Australia Collection title complements Off the Record, a capsule on NFSA Player that deepens SBS’s Australia: An Unofficial History featuring thought-provoking titles about work, society and the shifting landscape of 1970s Australia.

Browse the full capsule at https://www.nfsa.gov.au/player

Watch Australia: An Unofficial History: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/australia-an-unofficial-history

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Changes in the Office
NFSA ID: 14947
Year: 1976
Credits:
Film Australia
Director: Keith Gow

#WorkplaceRights #UnionHistory #1970sAustralia #NFSAPlayer #FilmAustraliaCollection #nfsa #JackiWeaver

A City Family (1972) – Life at home in Australia

NFSA Film Australia 2025-04-08 | What did an Australian family look like in the early 1970s? This short film, made for overseas audiences, captures a tidy vision of home, work and recreation in the suburbs.

This Film Australia Collection title complements Off the Record, a capsule on NFSA Player that deepens SBS’s Australia: An Unofficial History featuring thought-provoking titles about work, society and the shifting landscape of 1970s Australia.

Browse the full capsule at https://www.nfsa.gov.au/player

Watch Australia: An Unofficial History: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/australia-an-unofficial-history

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: A City Family
NFSA ID: 21259
Year: 1971
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Christopher McGill
Producer: Donald Crombie
Director of Photography: Michael Edols
Editor: Richard Moir

#AustralianFamilies #1970sLife #CityLiving #NFSAPlayer #FilmAustraliaCollection #nfsa #sbs

Rooftopics (1971) | Sydney from above

NFSA Film Australia 2025-04-08 | Take in Sydney from the rooftops in this gently surreal, wordless short. With a cheeky animated interlude and sweeping harbour views, this is 1970s city life with a twist.

This is one of many surprising Film Australia Collection titles that complement Off the Record, now streaming on NFSA Player — a capsule of thought-provoking films that deepens SBS’s Australia: An Unofficial History series, capturing Australian life from new angles.

Browse the full capsule at https://www.nfsa.gov.au/player

Watch Australia: An Unofficial History: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/australia-an-unofficial-history

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: Rooftopics
NFSA ID: 50040
Year: 1971
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Director: Antonio Calacino
Producer: Joe Scully
Director of Photography: George Alexander
Composer: Eric Gross

#sydney #AustralianCities #1970sAnimation #FilmAustraliaCollection #nfsa

How About A Break & You Can Do It (1975) – Women, work and recreation

NFSA Film Australia 2025-04-08 | In this double feature, housework gets a closer look – and so does the value of taking time out. A call to action for self-worth, balance and a life beyond domestic demands.

This Film Australia Collection title complements Off the Record, a capsule on NFSA Player that deepens SBS’s Australia: An Unofficial History series, and features thought-provoking titles that explore daily life, work and change in 1970s Australia.

Browse the full capsule at https://www.nfsa.gov.au/player

Watch Australia: An Unofficial History: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/australia-an-unofficial-history

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: A City Family
NFSA ID: 21259
Year: 1971
Credits:
Film Australia
Sponsor
Australia. Dept of Tourism and Recreation
Director: Deborah Kingsland
Producer: Suzanne Baker
Director of Photography: John Hosking
Editor: Ian Weddell
Cast/Actor
Max Cullen

CHAPTERS:
7:11 Now You Can Do It

#WomensVoices #1970sAustralia #DomesticLabour #FilmAustraliaCollection #nfsa

The Big Island (1970) | Australia on the move

NFSA Film Australia 2025-04-08 | A brisk and bright snapshot of 1970s Australia for international eyes – all sun, surf and economic boom. Fast-paced and full of flair, it’s a portrait of a young country finding its groove.

This Film Australia Collection title complements Off the Record, a capsule on NFSA Player that deepens SBS’s Australia: An Unofficial History series, featuring thought-provoking titles about everyday life in Australia from the 1970s.

Explore the full capsule at https://www.nfsa.gov.au/player, where the overlooked and unexpected take centre stage.

Watch Australia: An Unofficial History: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/australia-an-unofficial-history

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Title: The Big Island
NFSA ID: 14602
Year: 1970
Credits:
Australian Commonwealth Film Unit
Producer: Frank Nelson Bagnall
Director of Photography: John Hosking
Editor: Ian Weddell
Composer: George Dreyfus

#Australia1970s #TravelFilm #AustralianCulture #FilmAustraliaCollection #nfsa

Aussie Rules time capsule: footy icons of the 1920s and 1930s

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-07 | This silent promo film, made for cinemas, showcases the stars of what was then the Victorian Football League (VFL) in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Despite the fedoras in the crowd, some things haven’t changed. Fans of what is now the Australian Football League (AFL) would recognise the agony of the ‘crack forward’ injuring themselves, the training sprints, and the roar for the scoring of a goal.

The era is signalled by the hand-stitched emblems on the guernseys, the baggy shorts, and the complete absence of mullets – but the intensity on the spectators’ faces and the players' cheeky interactions with the camera feels as fresh as today.

#AFL #aussierules #footy #football #australia #sport

Australia: An Unofficial History | Trailer

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-07 | Journey back in time with screen legend and two-time Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook, Animal Kingdom) to uncover a forgotten vault of 1970s films in compelling new SBS series Australia: An Unofficial History.

Over the past 18 months, the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) has been working to source hundreds of hours of footage for the series, much of which has never been seen before. This footage sheds extraordinary new light on the immense social, cultural, and political changes that took place in Australia during the 1970s.

Finding the right footage required specialised research skills and a deep understanding of the national audiovisual collection, which contains millions of hours of content.

In the series, contemporary perspectives on mental health, First Nations rights, multiculturalism, feminism, and LGBTQIA+ issues are highlighted against the prevailing attitudes of the 1970s. This context allows us to gain a clearer understanding of how and why certain views have or have not changed over time. The archival footage provided by the NFSA brings historical events to life, enabling a deeper connection with those who experienced these pivotal moments. It offers an exciting opportunity to reflect on Australia’s transformation and progress.

Catch the next episode on SBS at 7.30pm on Wednesdays in March, or catch up on https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/australia-an-unofficial-history

What Is A Cyclone?

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-06 | From the Film Australia Collection of the National Film and Sound Archive Australia.
Made by the Commonwealth Film Unit 1972. A Government educational film instructing the audience on the nature of destructive cyclones and what measures should be taken in preparing for such weather events.

The Making of Colour TVs in Australia

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-01 | Step inside the Philips plant in Clayton, Victoria, for a rare behind-the-scenes look at how colour television sets were made in Australia. This clip, from Australian Movie Magazine No. 7436, captures the precision and craftsmanship behind manufacturing these cutting-edge TVs as the nation embraced the shift from black and white to colour.

Discover more about the evolution of colour television in Australia
🔗 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/revolution-will-be-televised

With thanks to Cinesound Movietone Productions

Bert Newton’s First Steps Into Colour TV | A Glimpse of Australia’s Future

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-01 | "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

Gough Whitlam Bangs the Gong: Australia Joins the Colour TV Boom

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-01 | In 1974, Gough Whitlam cut the ribbon on the Rank NEC factory in Penrith, marking a major milestone in Australia’s colour TV revolution. The factory would soon produce thousands of television sets, creating jobs and fuelling local manufacturing as the nation prepared for its long-awaited switch to colour.

As Whitlam toured the facility, shaking hands with Japanese executives and inspecting production lines, the event reached a dramatic finale—a bodybuilder stepped forward to strike a massive gong, the unmistakable symbol of the Rank Organisation. With that resounding crash, Australia’s colour TV rollout was well and truly making noise.

Discover more about the arrival of colour TV in Australia
🔗 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/revolution-will-be-televised

How Graham Kennedy Helped Introduce Colour TV to Australia

NFSA Film Australia 2025-03-01 | Before C-Day was even on the horizon, Australian TV’s biggest stars were already experimenting with colour – some more successfully than others. At the 1968 Royal Melbourne Show, GTV 9 (Nine Network) introduced The King himself, Graham Kennedy, as the ‘King of Colour.’ In true Kennedy fashion, he took the title literally, painting three bold stripes onto a white wall—his own unique take on the future of Australian television.

Fast forward to 1 March 1975, and Australian television officially flickered into a new era. Colour TV arrived in all its glorious, slightly garish brilliance, marking a revolution in both living rooms and broadcast studios. The transition wasn’t without its drama—panic over ‘colour monsters,’ last-minute technical adjustments, and the challenge of ensuring news anchors didn’t look radioactive under the new lighting.

Fifty years on, we celebrate the moment when the tube went technicolour and the icons who made it unforgettable.

Discover more about the arrival of colour TV in Australia
🔗 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/revolution-will-be-televised

A Steam Train Passes | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | A Steam Train Passes is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Take a nostalgic trip through the countryside with a C38 class steam locomotive. The 3801 has been lovingly restored at the State Dockyard in Newcastle and is filmed on one of its final journeys from Sydney to a series of country railway stations. A Steam Train Passes is generally regarded as Australia’s finest railway film and is imaginatively shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler (DANCES WITH WOLVES).

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

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Darwins Brave New World: Origins | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Darwin's Brave New World: Origins is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

This dramatised documentary series looks at how Charles Darwin’s early experiences in Australasia were crucial in formulating his radical theory of evolution. When 21-year-old Darwin embarks on a five-year voyage to the Southern Hemisphere, it transforms him into a revolutionary and groundbreaking scientist. On the last leg of his voyage to New Zealand and Australia, Darwin goes further than ever before in developing his new theory of evolution and gains incredible insight into how life evolves. On his return to England in 1836, Darwin’s ideas grow into obsession. On the verge of dying from a mysterious disease, Darwin confides his work to two people: his wife Emma, and a young botanist called Joseph Hooker, who has just returned from a voyage to the Southern Hemisphere.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/darwins-brave-new-world-origins/
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Darwins Brave New World: Evolutions

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Darwin's Brave New World: Evolutions is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Darwin turns his back on scientific celebrity and becomes a virtual recluse while he secretly gathers evidence for his theory of evolution. His faith is shattered by the death of his daughter, but he has a steadfast supporter in botanist Joseph Hooker. Darwin is also helped by the return from Australasia of one of his greatest allies, Thomas Huxley. Hooker and Huxley encourage Darwin to publish his ideas, but then a letter arrives from Indonesia with news of an evolutionary theory almost identical to Darwin’s. Darwin is shattered: has 20 years of work come to nothing?

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/darwins-brave-new-world-evolutions/
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Darwins Brave New World: Publish and Be Damned

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Darwin's Brave New World: Publish and Be Damned is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Darwin turns his back on scientific celebrity and becomes a virtual recluse while he secretly gathers evidence for his theory of evolution. His faith is shattered by the death of his daughter, but he has a steadfast supporter in botanist Joseph Hooker. Darwin is also helped by the return from Australasia of one of his greatest allies, Thomas Huxley. Hooker and Huxley encourage Darwin to publish his ideas, but then a letter arrives from Indonesia with news of an evolutionary theory almost identical to Darwin’s. Darwin is shattered: has 20 years of work come to nothing?

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/darwins-brave-new-world-publish-and-be-damned/
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Kokoda: The Counterattack | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Kokoda: The Counterattack is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

This two-part documentary series offers the first major re-evaluation of Australia’s most important military campaign after Gallipoli – the battle for the Kokoda Track to keep New Guinea from falling to the Japanese during the Second World War. By late September 1942 things looked grim for the Australian forces. The Japanese army had advanced to Ioribaiwa Ridge, just 40 kilometres from Port Moresby. The Australians were trying to force the Japanese back along the track and into the sea; the Japanese refused to relinquish their foothold in Papua New Guinea. To tell the story with authenticity, the filmmakers walked and filmed the length of the Kokoda Track, capturing the visceral nature of the terrain and the ‘green hell’ of the Owen Stanley Ranges.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/kokoda-the-counterattack/
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Kokoda: The Invasion | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Kokoda: The Invasion is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

From the corridors of power to the battlefields of Papua New Guinea, this two-part documentary series covers the Second World War military campaign between Australia and Japan that changed the course of Australian history. From day one of the Kokoda campaign, the fighting was politicised, mismanaged, mythologised and venerated. KOKODA delves behind the myths to tell the story from both sides of the conflict, giving an authentic and comprehensive account of the desperate confusion of war, the intricate connections between the frontline soldiers and military high command, and the political agendas that influenced the campaign and continue to impact contemporary Australian society. For the first time in telling this story, the camera crew walked and filmed the entire Kokoda Track, authentically capturing the visceral nature and harsh beauty of the terrain.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/kokoda-the-invasion/
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East Timor – Birth of a Nation: Lu Olos Story | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | East Timor – Birth of a Nation: Lu Olo's Story is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Francisco ‘Lu Olo’ Guterres survived over 20 years of armed resistance against Indonesia, rising to the rank of commander in the Falintil army. Following East Timor’s independence, he becomes President of Fretilin, the party that led the East Timorese struggle during the occupation. Now, Lu Olo faces new challenges as he makes the transition from guerrilla fighter to politician during the lead-up to East Timor’s first national democratic election. Narrated by Cate Blanchett.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/east-timor-birth-of-a-nation-lu-olos-story/
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Rosas Journey – The Story of a Nation | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Rosa's Journey – The Story of a Nation is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

ROSA’S JOURNEY tells the story of independent East Timor through the eyes of a remarkable and resilient woman. Following the acclaimed documentary EAST TIMOR – BIRTH OF A NATION, the film picks up with young East Timorese widow Rosa Martins and her family seven years after independence. Unlike the celebratory climate of 2000, life in East Timor is violent and democracy fragile as one of the world’s youngest nations faces an uncertain future.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/rosas-journey-the-story-of-a-nation/
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East Timor – Birth of a Nation: Rosas Story | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | East Timor – Birth of a Nation: Rosa's Story is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Rosa Martins, a young widow, lives with three of her sons in a shack she built herself in East Timor’s capital, Dili. After 18 months of saving, she finally has the money to travel to two distant orphanages where, in desperation, she had sent her three older children. Despite the difficulties she faces, Rosa is determined to give her sons and daughters a good education and the opportunities denied her by war and poverty. Narrated by Cate Blanchett.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/east-timor-birth-of-a-nation-rosas-story/
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Marco Polo Jnr Versus the Red Dragon | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Marco Polo Jnr Versus the Red Dragon is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Marco Polo Jnr never expected to inherit a legacy tied to the legendary explorer, but when fate hands him half of a magic medallion, he sets off with his sidekick Sandy the Seagull on a daring quest. Their adventure leads to the kingdom of Xanadu, where they must help Princess Shining Moon confront the menacing Red Dragon.

Australia’s first animated feature, this landmark film brought together over 100 animators and artists. Former American teen idol Bobby Rydell lent his voice to Marco, adding pop star charm to this classic adventure.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/marco-polo-jnr-versus-the-red-dragon/
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Rangle River | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Rangle River is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

When Marion (Margaret Dare) returns from Europe, she quickly butts heads with Dick Drake (American star Victor Jory), the new manager of her father’s struggling cattle station. With Rangle River mysteriously drying up, suspicions fall on the rival station next door. But is there more to the story?

Also known a Men with Whips, this pulpy Australian western packs romance, adventure, singing cowboys, and a high-stakes stockwhip showdown. The story comes from prolific American adventure writer Zane Grey, inspired by his 1930s big-game fishing trip to Australia.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/rangle-river/
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Rare Chicken Rescue | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Rare Chicken Rescue is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Mark Tully is on a mission to protect the endangered chickens that saved his life. The Queensland rare-chicken breeder credits the birds with helping him overcome his depression. He sets out on an epic chicken chase to find at-risk poultry breeds before they disappear forever. Travelling 10,000 kilometres across five states, along the way he connects with other Australians who share his passion.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
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The Cheaters | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | The Cheaters is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

One of Australia’s major surviving silent films, THE CHEATERS was made by the McDonagh sisters, the first women to own and operate a production company in this country. Their third feature is a suspenseful melodrama inspired by popular American and German films of the 1920s. Isabel McDonagh (billed as Marie Lorraine) plays Paula Marsh, a professional thief who falls in love with the adopted son of Travers, a wealthy business owner. Paula is ready to quit the criminal life, but her crime boss father needs her for one more job – and it involves stealing from Travers. The NFSA restored THE CHEATERS in 2017, with segments of colour tinting reproduced from the existing reels.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

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The Story of Rosy Dock | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | The Story of Rosy Dock is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

This animated short film tells the story of a woman who ventures into the Australian desert to live. Not seeing the unique wonders around her, she innocently imports foreign flora to recreate her former home. But her new garden in the wilderness has an unexpected cost. Internationally acclaimed children’s book author and artist Jeannie Baker uses a unique collage art form to capture the textures and colours of the central Australian landscape in remarkable detail.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

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NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/the-story-of-rosy-dock/
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Wildness | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Wildness is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

Olegas Truchanas and Peter Dombrovskis were two of Australia’s greatest wilderness photographers. Both came from Baltic Europe, and they shared a bond like that of father and son. They migrated to Tasmania where their passion for nature became a crusade to save an environment under threat. Their philosophy was simple and remarkably effective – if people could see the beauty of Australia’s wild places, they might be moved to save them. Both died in the wilderness, doing what they loved, and left a legacy of extraordinary images.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/wildness/
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Wokabaut Bilong Tonten | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | Wokabaut Bilong Tonten is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

A young man from a coastal village in Papua New Guinea searches for his missing brother-in-law after his wife dies. On his travels around the country, Tonten (Turuk Wabei) meets a Chimbu girl in the highlands and visits Port Moresby for the first time. A Tok Pisin drama based on the emergence of Papua New Guinea as an independent nation, WOKABAUT BILONG TONTEN was the first feature film shot in Papua New Guinea with an all-Indigenous cast.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/wokabaut-bilong-tonten/
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The Floating Brothel | Preview | NFSA Player

NFSA Film Australia 2025-02-13 | The Floating Brothel is now available to stream in full and on demand on NFSA Player.

This is the story of the Lady Juliana, the first all-female transport ship to be sent to Australia, as part of the Second Fleet. In 1789, the fledgling British penal settlement in Sydney was crippled by disease, hunger and depravity. But help was coming from a most unlikely quarter. In this dramatised documentary, three 21st century Australian women discover the rags-to-respectability tale of their female convict ancestors on the Lady Juliana. The ship’s street girls, thieves and con women will do whatever it takes to survive the voyage. These spirited and resilient women will give the young colony hope and the promise of a future.

NFSA Player is the one-stop shop for streaming over 60 titles from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection. Visit to unlock explosive documentaries, gripping real-life dramas, fascinating historical experiments, and uplifting stories from our collection – all available to stream on-demand.

No subscription needed – just pay for what you want and enjoy!

Start streaming now on
NFSA Player: https://player.nfsa.gov.au/film/the-floating-brothel/
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