Old Australia: Marvellous Melbourne

3

There are a few Facebook pages dedicated to old photos of Melbourne, and Australia in general, and I love the old videos of Melbourne on YouTube, too. This is one from 1931, chosen partly for its beauty, partly for the fact it actually has a half decent sound track.

Features of this video include of course the classic trams and cars, streets which have changed quite a bit, juxtaposed with buildings that have barely aged a day, and (keep your eye out for it) an early ride-on mower.

What I find most striking from the commentary is the deep sense of history felt by Melbournians, even in the 1930’s. Colonial history was then still in living memory, as were the city’s founders.

One also gets the impression its residents were more than happy with the level of diversity.

Enjoy.

SHARE
Previous articleThe First Law of Economics
Next articleMoses Apostaticus: What is the Left?
David has studied history and political science at Melbourne University. His thesis was written on how the utilisation of Missile Defence can help to achieve nuclear disarmament. His interest in history was piqued by playing a flight simulator computer game about the Battle of Britain, and he hopes to one day siphon the earnings from his political writings into funding the greatest prog-rock concept album the world has ever seen.