[Brookes Family Home Movies: Reel 7]

This film represents a slice of recreational and celebratory family life in Australia. We see scenes of people enjoying the water and sunshine at what could possibly be the beach at Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

There are sequences of children playing on the shore, filling their buckets with sand, and finding their balance on paddle boards. They float on the sea in inflatable rafts and play with a beachball on the shore. In the background, there are historic cars parked along the road beside the beach.

The film shows people fly fishing and enjoying water sports at what may be Twin Lakes in Geelong, Victoria.

We see children learning to use snow skis and playing with a frisbee in a suburban back yard. They swim, snorkel and float in an inflatable raft in an above ground backyard swimming pool

A streetscape lined with lovely houses reveals children riding a billy cart and kicking a football. This street could possibly be Cleeve Court in Toorak, Victoria.

The film shows scenes of a young girl’s birthday party being celebrated in a suburban back yard. There is footage of children playing various party games, including a treasure hunt for peanuts in their shell. The treasures are collected in the girls’ skirts and counted at the end of the game. Dressed in their best party dresses, the children play on roundabout swings, monkey bars and a slippery slide.

This film shows good examples of family recreational activities, including fly fishing, swimming, paddle boarding, football, children’s party games, children’s fashion, and vehicles typical to the era.

This film was made on 16mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:10:58:00 A boy rides his billy cart from the top to the bottom of the street
00:11:03:00 A boy riding on his billy cart
00:11:29:00 A young boy kicks his football outside on the street
00:11:50:00 Backyard games at a children’s birthday party
00:12:04:00 Young girls in party dresses on a round-about swing
00:14:08:00 Children playing on a slippery slide