25-05-2025
Incredible snapshots of Western Australia's history in Sea to Suburbia exhibition
Repairing a fence at Errabiddy Station, near Gascoyne River, 1973 ( Mike Brown, National Archives of Australia )
In 1973, two men are snapped getting dusty at Errabiddy Station in the Gascoyne to repair a fence. Young people enjoying Cottesloe Beach, 1969 ( Mike Brown, National Archives of Australia )
Kids jump off the rocks at Cottesloe Beach in the summer of 1969. The engineer, cook and crew of a pearling lugger open and clean shells, keeping a watchful eye for pearls off the coast of Broome in 1949 ( National Archives of Australia )
In 1949, the engineer, cook and crew of a pearling lugger open and clean shells in Broome, keeping an eye out for pearls. Danish migrants Poul and Lea Korsgaard enjoy a cocktail in the front yard of their suburban house in 1970. ( National Archives of Australia )
Danish migrants Poul and Lea Korsgaard enjoy a cocktail in the front yard of their suburban house in 1970. Children enjoy their showbags at the Perth Royal Show, Claremont, 1961 ( William Hartley, National Archives of Australia )
Children with their showbags at the Perth Royal Show in 1961. St Georges Terrace, Perth, 1946. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia )
It's all part of the rich tapestry of what life in Western Australia once was.
Snapshots of WA's history are on display in Perth as part of a National Archives of Australia exhibition exploring the state's identity after World War II.
The Sea to Suburbia exhibition evokes memories of the sights and sounds of the way of life in the west. A suave Cottesloe beach inspector surveys the surf in 1983. ( National Archives of Australia )
Co-curator Dr Kellie Abbott said the images were captured by Australian government photographers to "market" the West Aussie way of life to the world, and show the state through "rose-coloured glasses".
"A lot of the photos were taken by the News and Information Bureau, which was set up during World War II with a propaganda and censorship role," she said. A timber worker removes a large belly slab from a karri tree before felling, 1971. ( National Archives of Australia )
"Their role was to document Australian life, to go around the country and take photos of people, of places, of industry, of the environment.
"Part of their role was to create a positive image of Australia, to try to sell it to people who might be looking to migrate, but also just to represent Australia in the world as a modern country rebuilding after World War II. Playing bocce at the Italian Club, West Perth, 1979. ( National Archives of Australia )
"There's not ... a lot of cloudy skies or conflict or poverty. It's a selective image, a selective picture of Western Australia."
Dr Abbott said the bureau wanted to show Perth as a developing "modern" city, full of promise and diverse industries, with plenty of job opportunities.
"In some ways, people still look at it like an overgrown country town," she said.
"And I think these photos of the city capture that as well, it is a modern city, but there's also just a sense of people being a little bit unhurried, maybe compared to some other places, a bit more relaxed." Celebrating Australia II's victory in the America's Cup, Perth, 1983. ( Mike Brown, National Archives of Australia )
Battye Library historian Dr Kate Gregory said Perth and Western Australia changed dramatically in the middle of the 20th century, with rapid expansion in the developing suburbs.
"Post-war migration and the baby boom more than doubled the population and resulted in the rapid expansion of suburban development through the 1950s," Dr Gregory said.
"The 1955 Stephenson-Hepburn Plan for the Metropolitan Region created a vision for the city featuring corridors of suburbs connected by a major freeway system.
"River infill and the destruction of significant heritage buildings gave rise to the conservation movement which lobbied to protect the natural and cultural heritage values of Perth." Children frolic in Kalgoorlie's Lord Forrest Olympic Pool during a 1953 heatwave. ( Clifford Bottomley, National Archives of Australia )
Dr Abbott said she encouraged audiences to think about aspects of life in Western Australia that were not represented in the images.
"There are certain communities that are not represented in these photographs because of the nature of the mission that these photographers had," she said.
"It's a bit of a rose-tinted glasses kind of situation."
The Sea to Suburbia exhibition is at the National Archives of Australia Western Australian office in Northbridge until November 28. Aboriginal pearl sorter, Broome, 1964. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Wilfred Brindle ) Miners on the Golden Mile, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 1947. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Jim Fitzpatrick ) Mass tennis class, Perth, 1967. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Mike Brown ) Perth's playground, Kings Park in 1973. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia ) The banks of the Swan River in front of the Narrows Bridge, South Perth, 1969. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Mike Brown ) Sunbaking on Port Beach in 1975. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Mike Brown ) Great white shark caught off Albany, 1975. ( John McKinnon, National Archives of Australia ) Fishermen inspecting cray pots in Fremantle, 1969. (
Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Mike Brown ) Palm Beach jetty in Rockingham, 1975. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia ) Shearing shed, Western Australia, 1972. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia: Norman Plant ) Cheyne Beach Whaling Station, Frenchman Bay, Albany, 1970. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia ) Retted straw at Blackwood Flax Mill in Boyup Brook, 1953. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Jack Gallagher ) Boats at Fremantle, 1962 ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Alex Ozolins ) Post office, Pinjarra, 1946. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia, Max Dupain ) Water hazard at Wyndham Golf Course, 1970. ( Supplied: National Archives of Australia. ) Credits Posted 6m ago 6 minutes ago Sun 25 May 2025 at 12:11am
