[Wallace Clarke Home Movies: Reel 3]

Wallace Clarke was an amateur filmmaker during the 1960s to the 1990s. Wallace was particularly keen on capturing both the Australian landscape and the people who enjoyed it. As well as Australian urban settings and some world travels, Wallace’s films focus on the many hiking and camping destinations that he visited.

Often carrying the credit, ‘A Walkabout Film’, Wallace’s movies indicate that he was part of a nature study and walking group called ‘The Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc’. The ‘Walkabouters’ formed in 1968 as a result of a Council of Adult Education (CAE), Outback Study Tour to Central Australia’. Some of the attendees decided to start the Club in order to continue educative walks particularly around Victoria. The Club encouraged their resident artists and photographers to capture their activities.

The collection of Wallace’s films was donated to ACMI by his widow Gwenda Clarke.

This film, titled ‘Echuca’, captures a visit to the township of Echuca on the Murray River in Victoria as well as travels along the river itself. Wallace focuses on travelling the river and also on the historic buildings in Echuca itself.

Originally made using Super 8mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:05:00 titles ‘WHC Presents’ and ‘Ehuca’
00:00:20:00 paddle steamer travelling on the Murray River.
00:01:26:00 to 00:02:50:00 historic public buildings and houses around Echuca township
00:01:53:00 historic ‘Log Buggy’ in Echuca which holds a felled log from the nearby Moira Forest
00:03:04:00 steam rollers in Echuca
00:04:22:00 Echuca-Moama Bridge over the Murray River
00:05:02:00 motor traffic and streets in Echuca
00:05:04:00 St Mary’s Catholic Church in Echuca
00:05:39:00 Paddle Steamer Adelaide, berthed as an exhibit in the Hopwood Gardens in Echuca, in the 1960s
00:07:58:00 passengers on a paddle steamer on the river
00:08:55:00 water skiing on the river
00:09:03:00 ‘Weir & Lock No 26’ at Torrumbarry
00:10:07:00 logging and sawmill on the riverbank
00:12:35:00 open fire barbeque and picnic on the riverbank
00:13:59:00 examples of fungi along the river
00:14:50:00 group gathering with guitarist at dusk