Before you stream SBS’s series Australia: An Unofficial History, make a detour through the NFSA’s vaults. Off the Record is a curated capsule of short films that peel back the surface of 1970s Australia.

Everybody had to start somewhere.

On 25 April, Australia pays tribute to those who have served and died in military and peacekeeping conflicts.

This film shows an idyllic picture of life in the Victorian capital of Melbourne in the mid 1960s.

The Commonwealth Film Unit (later called Film Australia) chronicled the Sydney Opera House's construction from 1959 to 1973.

People in national dress gather for the procession at the ceremony of the opening of the Sydney Opera House.

This short film was produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit from historic and contemporary footage of the Sydney Opera House.

Author Colin Thiele reads from his book Storm Boy as we see how the film interpreted the world he created.

Christmas is celebrated in the middle of the Australian summer under a blazing sun. But even in the heat it is a season for traditional things; for family affairs and meeting with friends.

This segment from Australian Colour Diary 4 is about a ceremony held at the Victorian Shrine of Remembrance to honour those who made the supreme sacrifice during the First and Se