City on the Swan

Promotional tourism film presented by the Western Australian Tourist Development Authority and produced by the Western Australian Government Film Unit. The film showcases Perth through its architecture, industry, transport, recreation and tourist attractions, presenting the city as a modern urban centre organised around the Swan River.

City scenes include St Georges Terrace, London Court, Wellington Street, the Hotel Adelphi, the Old Barracks, Narrows Bridge and Canning Bridge. Sequences at the General Post Office show radio telephone and postal services, while footage of factories and manufacturing includes porcelain and domestic pottery production, woodworking and the manufacture of period and modern furniture using plastics and metals.

The film follows Perth from the end of the working week into the weekend. On Friday evening, factory and city workers leave work as peak-hour traffic, buses and rail services carry commuters from the city to the suburbs and surrounding areas.

Saturday is presented through sport and recreation, including Australian rules football (footage of match between West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne teams), cricket, golf, rowing, motor racing, horse racing, water skiing (footage of women synchronised on skis) and the “novelty and brilliance of the marching girls”.
Tourist and civic sites include Queens Gardens with its Peter Pan statue, black swans at Hyde Park, the museum displays at the Old Mill in South Perth, (Princess) May Drive in Kings Park, and the University of Western Australia (footage of Winthrop Hall’s reflection pond and bust of Socrates). Also includes an excursion to Yanchep which features boating, gardens, swimming and afternoon tea.

Perth’s nightlife is represented through drive-in cinemas, including footage of projectionists at work, and the Ambassadors Theatre on Hay Street (demolished 1972).

On Sunday, focus returns to the Swan River, with fishing along Riverside Drive, speedboats and yacht racing on the river. The film concludes by promoting Perth as the “City on the Swan”, defined by the river, outdoor recreation and a relaxed metropolitan lifestyle (“Gentle and gracious, Perth makes its appeal with a delightful flare as the City on the Swan.”)