[Douglas Wilson Home Movies: Reel 3]

Douglas Wilson (1919–1980) was an amateur filmmaker whose films are a snapshot of Australia in the 1950s to 1960s. Douglas’s home movies captured aspects of life in Australia’s major cities as well as in regional areas, often with a focus on public areas, transport or infrastructure projects. A collection of his films has been donated to ACMI by a member of Douglas’s family.

This film titled ‘Sydney’, contains scenes around the Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, including the toll station, Circular Quay, the streets and traffic of the CBD and Toronga Park Zoo.

There are scenes are filmed from a high vantage point, probably the Bridge itself and from a boat or ferry on the Harbour.

Originally made using 16mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:05:00 title ‘Sydney’
00:00:45:00 toll stations on the Sydney Harbour Bridge
00:00:57:00 Circular Quay, yachts and scenes around the Harbour from a high vantage point
00:02:11:00 title card ‘Sydney’ followed by scenes of the city
00:03:25:00 Toronga Park and the zoo
00:03:30:00 pelicans on the water followed by koalas, monkeys, seals, penguins, hippopotamus and giraffe standing by a height chart
00:05:29:00 zebras, antlers, flamingoes, tortoises and an emu, lions and tigers, dingoes or dogs of some kind and deer
00:07:48:00 title card ‘Departure from Sydney’ followed by views around Sydney Harbour