[Wallace Clarke Home Movies: Reel 6]

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 and is shot on various formats, predominantly Standard 8mm and Super 8mm film.

This film, titled ‘Mountains of Mystery’, contains a trip around The Grampians National Park in Victoria. The filmmaker captures the various activities of visitors to the Grampians area as well as views across the mountains, an occasional bee, lizard, snake and echidna, trees, bush and wildflowers as well as the overall rocky terrain.

Originally made on Super 8mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:03:00 titles ‘A Walkabout Film’, ‘Mountains of Mystery’ and ‘A WHC Film’
00:00:22:00 hikers on top of a huge log across a creek.
00:01:57:00 an echidna hiding in the bush.
00:02:05:00 hikers walking along a bush track.
00:07:20:00 instruction card for walkers and hikers.
00:07:55:00 sign to various locations in the Park.
00:08:06:00 hikers climbing up trails and narrow ravines among dramatic grey rocky outcrops followed by views from the summit.
00:09:57:00 a koala asleep in a tree
00:10:02:00 an intrepid hiker perched precariously on a high narrow rock ledge
00:10:39:00 plaque for ‘Makefing Reserve’ near the Grampians
00:11:00:00 signpost for ‘Makefing Rd’ (in two directions) and ‘Emmet Rd’ and ‘Stockyard…’ (which could be a sign to ‘Stockyard Hill’
00:11:19:00 park sign for ‘Major Mitchell Plateau’, ‘Mt William’, ‘Jimmy Creek’
00:12:29:00 hikers preparing a couple of ‘billy cans’ of tea and/or food on a small open fire
00:12:59:00 a hiker in all red gear including a woollen cap with a ‘pom pom’
00:13:45:00 scenes of hikers on steep tracks and then views from the summit
00:15:12:00 hikers gather around a boiling ‘billy’ on a small fire
00:15:40:00 sitting enjoying their tea
00:16:25:00 and echidna hiding in the grass
00:16:37:00 tree ferns followed by an old, plank footbridge over a creek
00:16:57:00 title card ‘The End’