Title:
Vacation Scenes from Australia and New Zealand
REEL ID:
L018R027
RUN TIME:
0:12:19
FORMAT:
16mm motion picture film
FILM TYPE:
Color reversal film (home movie stock)
SOUND:
Silent (no synchronized sound)
Description:
This home movie documents a vacation journey through Australia, capturing coastal scenery, rural work, wildlife encounters, and urban life through candid, observational footage. Shot on color 16mm film without synchronized sound, the reel reflects the varied pace of mid-20th-century overseas travel.
The film opens along the coast with ocean waves crashing against the shore, followed by scenes of wild ostriches grazing in open fields. Forest sequences feature towering trees, giant ferns, and lush undergrowth, culminating in a waterfall cascading through dense woodland. An Australian flag blows steadily in the wind, grounding the journey in place and national identity.
Travel and leisure appear throughout. Children sit in a rowboat while sailboats move across calm water. A Qantas airplane is shown at an airport, reinforcing long-distance travel by air. Roadside scenes include pillows placed in the backs of parked cars—suggesting improvised rest stops—along with vehicles navigating mountain roads and low-water crossings under signs warning of wind and dust blowing across the roadway.
Rural and agricultural life is documented in detail. Sheep graze in open fields, baby lambs are bottle-fed by children, and goose families move together across pastureland. Heavy logging machinery hauls logs, while crop-dusting planes fly low over farmland. A woman picks and cuts fruit directly from a tree, another prepares lobsters for a meal, and fishermen place cages into the water as seabirds circle overhead.
Urban scenes contrast with the countryside. Buses move through busy city streets, some carrying baby carriages mounted at the front and rear, while women push prams along sidewalks. Landscaping flowers and trees line residential neighborhoods. A horse-drawn carriage moves along the beach, and people gather beside a signpost pointing toward distant cities.
Additional vignettes include people kayaking on calm water, a man feeding a magpie, flowering trees in the countryside, and a truck marked “Red Band Beer — At Its Best” transporting beer through town. A brief maritime reference to the Hinemoa boat and signage reading “New Zealand Golden Fleece” hint at trans-Tasman connections during the trip.
Preserved as a personal travel record, this footage offers a vivid midcentury portrait of Australia—its landscapes, industries, wildlife, and everyday routines—captured through analog home moviemaking.
Tags:
Australia, International travel, Home movies, 16mm film, Color home movies, Silent film, Coastal scenery, Ocean waves, Forest, Giant ferns, Waterfall, Wildlife, Ostriches, Sheep, Lamb feeding, Geese, Magpie, Kangaroo country, Agriculture, Logging machinery, Crop dusting, Fishing cages, Lobsters, Seagulls, Qantas, Air travel, Sailboats, Rowboat, Kayaking, City buses, Baby carriages, Urban life, Horse carriage, Beach, Wind warning sign, Mountain road, River crossing, Landscaping flowers, Red Band Beer truck, New Zealand references, Midcentury travel, Americana abroad, Analog film, Nostalgic footage, Archival travel footage
