Hobart: Life in Australia in 4K

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 during the final years 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 mail deliverer 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.   

Find out more about the Life in Australia series