Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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
#LifeInAustralia #WaggaWagga #AustralianHistory #NFSA #VintageAustralia #1960sAustralia #regionalaustralia
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
#LifeInAustralia #WaggaWagga #AustralianHistory #NFSA #VintageAustralia #1960sAustralia #regionalaustralia
