Victorians on Vacation Exhibition Audio Tour Podcast

Introduction

Tue, February 19, 2008

Welcome to this audio tour of 'Victorians on Vacation', a State Library of Victoria exhibition open 30 November 2007-2 March 2008. Discover how our holiday habits have changed over time, reflecting changes in our society, lifestyles and tastes.

Part 1: To the Seaside

Tue, February 19, 2008

For most Australians the beach occupies a special place in our imagination. In fact, for many of us the very word ‘beach’ is interchangeable with holiday. Discover how our still-popular seaside resorts of Sorrento and Brighton Beach developed.

Part 2: St Kilda by the Sea

Tue, February 19, 2008

Improved access by railway line and, later, cable trams helped make St Kilda a popular resort by the 1880s. Discover some of the early stories and characters behind St Kilda's development.

Part 3: Heading for the Hills

Tue, February 19, 2008

In the mid-19th century artists such as Eugene von Guerard made Victorians aware of the great beauty of the Dandenongs and helped turn the area into a summer retreat to rival Brighton and Sorrento. Learn how von Guerard's magnificent painting 'Fern Tree Gully in the Dandenong Ranges' particularly captured the imagination of the early colonists and tapped into the worldwide craze for ferns.

Part 4: Going Bush

Tue, February 19, 2008

When Europeans first ventured into the Australian bush, notions of leisure were far from their thoughts. But many discovered a love of being outdoors, and bushwalking became a popular activity for holiday-makers. Hear stories about the activities of some of our bushwalking pioneers, who mapped trails, built huts and established rules and regulations with a sense of fun and eccentricity.

Part 5: Alice Manfield

Tue, February 19, 2008

Discover the story of one of Victoria's mountain tourism pioneers, Alice Manfield, or 'Guide Alice', who worked at her family's Mount Buffalo guesthouse and guided mountain climbers there in the early 20th century.

Part 6: Victoria's Snow Fields

Tue, February 19, 2008

The Library holds photographic collections that document the fun and comradeship on the ski slopes in the 1920s and 1930s. Learn how the intrepid early adventurers depicted in Kathleen Magill’s photograph album 'Across the Alps on Skis' did things before the advent of modern transport, accommodation and ski gear.

Part 7: A Shack by the Beach

Tue, February 19, 2008

Holiday accommodation is often a simple affair, whether a tent on a bush block or a beach shack lovingly constructed by its owners. Discover the story of how Edna Walling, one of Australia’s most influential garden designers, built a humble, sympathetic bush holiday home at Lorne in the late 1940s. Walling’s photographs and her account of this period touch on many of the themes in the 'Victorians on Vacation' exhibition.

Part 8: Homes on Wheels

Tue, February 19, 2008

The holiday experiences of most Victorians changed markedly in the mid-20th century with the arrival of the affordable family car. And then came the caravan. These early ‘homes on wheels’ first appeared in the 1930s and gave families unprecedented freedom. Follow the story of the Don caravan, the first Australian-made and designed caravan, made locally in Oakleigh.

Part 9: The Craze for Cycling

Tue, February 19, 2008

Melbourne embraced cycling as early as the 1860s with the first bicycles - wooden-wheeled velocipedes commonly known as 'bone shakers’. By the late 1800s, the cycling craze was at its height. Hear more about this fascinating era of 'spiders', 'high bikes' and 'rational dress'.

Part 10: The Golden Age of Travel Posters

Tue, February 19, 2008

Along with the growth of leisure and tourism in Victoria came the rise of the promotional poster. The 1920s and 30s were the Golden Age of poster design in Australia, with the Victorian Railways and Australian National Travel Association commissioning posters from the best commercial artists of the day. Discover more about the most popular of these designers and their work.

Part 11: Matthew Sleeth & Rosebud

Tue, February 19, 2008

As the 20th century progressed, a more prosperous middle class with greater leisure time and mobility continued to embrace the annual summer beach holiday. Matthew Sleeth, an acclaimed Melbourne photographer, captured this annual holiday ritual in his recent 'Rosebud' series. Hear about his observations on the timeless nature of the seaside holiday.