[Wallace Clarke Home Movies: Reel 25]

Wallace Clarke was an amateur cinematographer and 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 captures a trip along the ‘Great Ocean Road’ in Victoria. The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 kilometres stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Victoria between Torquay and Allansford near Warrnambool. The film features many scenes of the ocean, coastal walks, rock formations such as the Twelve Apostles, and seaside towns.

Originally made on Super 8mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:12:00 title cards ‘A Walkabout Film’, ‘The Ocean Road’, ‘Filmed by WHC’
00:01:01:00 woman walking down a path from the lighthouse at Airey’s Inlet
00:01:14:00 the historic ‘Great Ocean Road’ sign over the highway
00:01:27:00 sign for ‘Cinema Point lookout’ with vintage car in foreground
00:05:06:00 the Twelve Apostles
00:09:20:00 two people at a lookout
00:12:00:00 woman lying on the ground with a camera
00:14:50:00 boats in a bay
00:16:31:00 a small harbour
00:17:38:00 a bluestone church, likely St John’s in Port Fairy
00:017:57:00 the Yambuk Inn in Port Fairy
00:19:42:00 an emu running down the road
00:19:57:00 two women comparing sticks for walking
00:23:42:00 a jetty by a river
00:24:40:00 sunset over the water
00:25:01:00 title card ‘The End’