Life In Australia: Sydney

From The Film Australia Collection. Made by The Commonwealth Film Unit 1966. Directed by Joe Scully. Episode 12 of the Life in Australia series. This series was made to encourage immigration to Australia and to highlight the various social activities, employment and educational opportunities and lifestyles of the various cities and regional centres throughout Australia. This film shows an idyllic picture of life in the New South Wales capital of Sydney in the mid 1960s. Previously uploaded in SD it is now available in 4K HD.

[paulinusad]

The more I see this film the more I wish it was the sixties again, what a beautiful Australia it was .

[austfox]

‘Judy is working in one of the stores until she marries’... simpler times when a family with 3 or 4 kids could happily survive in Sydney on only one wage.

[leokimvideo]

All I know is Australia is NOTHING like this now. We barely manufacture anything, everything we buy is made in China. Now the whole family has to work or on welfare to survive. This film depicts the 'golden era' in Australia. Seeing how amazing Australia use to be is going to make me cry for days.

[DarrenLDowns-wpdr]

I love nothing better than in the Summer, opening a bottle of wine and watching these videos of Australia in the 1960’s.

[spudfrommars]

When the daughter got in the car and grabbed her make-up mirror at 1:27 I just naturally thought she grabbed her phone. How conditioned we have become.

[johnmcculloch]

I remember these days so clearly.
The double decker carriages were introduced in the late 60s. Bring back those days please.

[PCgonemad-ihpr]

Beautiful days!! That will never be seen again.

[pgclift]

Thanks for the great video. I was 15 in 1966 and it brought back many scenes that I could relate to. At 11.20 the scene is Coogee Oval. The rugby players in the green are Central Randwick and it's South Coogee in the red who I used to play for. Happy days (for the most part).

[patriot]

Find me a time machine! I wanna go back! The golden years of Australia!

[kickinkanga]

Australia looks nothing like this now unfortunately...
For many reasons...
What a clean and prosperous time it was for Australians...

[SeriouslyDavidD]

A snapshot of Australian when they had a economy with manufacturing.

[petergraves]

Thanks to the NSFA for putting up this (and the others, like Melbourne).


1966 was my first year of living in Manly and I often travelled on the "Dee Why" and the "South Steyne" Manly ferries, to my job in the Customs House at Circular Quay. Seeing all those wharves actually with ships berthed in them brought back my memories, especially the ways of unloading their cargo in slings by the wharfies. Before containerisation cost most of them their jobs.


And those green double-decker buses, where sitting up top and up front gave the most amazing views of the passing world.


They were such optimistic times.

[adrianr]

I lived in suburban Sydney from '71 till end of '73, loved it.

[chrisheggie]

Wow and OMG! I remember all of that and recognise so much as having been my life as a child of the '60s! That little Knox boy from next door at 2minutes and swimming across the T pool at the Ryde Swimming Centre Gladesville at 7 minutes might just as well have been me! So glad to see these old images again, such memories.

[artemisxw]

Film produced in 1966. I was 1 years old and migrated to Sydney in 1970 and we were the last boat of migrants entering Australia firstly arriving at Fremantle Port for processing then onto Melbourne and the migrant hostel then finally Sydney. I remember all those spots in this video, but those women got around, driving from Chatswood to Warringal Mall in Brookvale then Hyde Park in the city...

[HULK-HOGAN]

This is a remarkable time capsule! Excellent restoration and bravo to the team involved with its production. Back when Australia felt like Australia

[kiwaussiegirl]

Bought back great memories. Many thanks 🙂🇦🇺🇦🇺

[sharongoodsell]

Here's an idea bring our practical school learning back I learnt so much as a child back then ! We all know it was better

[aerotuc]

mostly we were CIVILIZED then .im proud to have seen Sydney back then as a child.Including having many photos with the unfinished opera house in the background.

[MuckoMan]

Im from the US and it is sad what this world economy has done. Such good trusting neighbors are now strangers who won't give you eye contact. I grew up in the 70's in Boston and we were poor but everyone worked together and had morals and pride in our country. My mother was born in Italy and my grandfather from Scotland. One thing they had in common was respect for hard work and being humble. The culture was taught to be respectful and have family morals. We all kept each other in check. Then the lawyers came and ruined a system that was working perfectly. It looks like Australia had it more together. I have a feeling there is no coming back from this.