I emigrated to Brisbane 20+ years ago, and the changes in those years since have been enormous, it is a beautiful city and outshines every city worldwide I have visited.
I am Vietnamese and was born in 1994 but somehow watching this makes me feel so nostalgic LOL. In 1994, my family still lived in a straw-and-dirt house while Brisbane in 1954 already had so many significant buildings. Just wow
I was born in 1959, just celebrated my 60th year. Watching this amazing video brought back all my memories as a young child going to town with my mum to pay bills and take care of other things. I easily remember the wharves and the old Victoria bridge as well as the streets in front of the City Hall. Also I remember that the city hall tower was the tallest structure in Brisbane then. The trams, the gaslights around city hall, the enormous hanging baskets of ferns hanging from the street lights. I don't have a problem with progress, but way too much of the historical value of Brisbane has been destroyed and it is a shame that while other cities in Australia and around the world are working to preserve their heritage it seems that Brisbane is in a hurry to do away with its. Thank you for the wonderful memories you have stirred in me while taking in the sights of this production. I'm going to Subscribe to your channel so I can see what else you have for me. Cheers.
As a young adult living in Brisbane now, it's really fascinating to look at how things have changed. I had no idea that City Hall looked like that, or that waiters could be that fancy! I love my city with all my heart, but it's nice to look back at what people have captured of the past. (It shows I haven't been outside in a while when I can't remember if we still have palm trees)
They did it on purpose so the heat would get reflected up so people couldnt congregate there. Brisbane = no place for demonstrations and protesters. Look at parliament house, the front of it is a drop off zone and main entrance to the uni so theres no place for demonstrators to stand.
And a kick up the arse, for the scumbags who are destroying our great city too👍 Sorry, needs to be said. HK in 5 years!!, very sad for those who know what Brisbane used to be like, even sader for those who will miss out for eternity....
61 years later, Brisbane is still beautiful. I've been around the world a few times, and I hold the opinion that Brisbane is one of the best cities there is. Great place to cycle around, too.
@Freewheeler No doubt is one of the best cities on th planet. Perfect climate also... BUT too expensive, real estate and rents are like New York or San Francisco.
lorenzo magazzeni nowhere close!? There’s not many cities you can work as a waitress and afford to live in a brand new apartment building with a pool and gym in the city. You actually can in Brisbane, rent vs what people earn is amazing compared to many cities I’ve been to around the world.
Brisbane has many little beautiful corners, it just takes a while to get to know them all. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to catch a train into the city and people watch walking from Queen St. Mall to Southbank and Kangaroo Point. The art museums are mostly free and have clean toilets and aircon. It's interesting to see in this video how the churches and the Town Hall used to tower over the other buildings, not anymore.
Grew up in the 70's in Bris it was a fabulous place. Campbell Newman Rio ed ki g george square. Loved the film brought back great memories particularly the ferries.
i always marvel at the old footage of the city hall. It looked so good before. They've really messed it up. Its almost like when someone has an addiction to plastic surgery
Yes it was a beauty alright, and the surrounding square was lovely too. Now everything has gone to pot. I hate going into the city now. So many roads cut off, buildings upon buildings all melding into one almighty mess. So sad Brisbane was truly beautiful back then.
I'm glad you can leave comments on this one. I remember visiting The Oasis swimming & garden centre when I was a small child on holidays with my family from N.S.W. I SO loved it; I don't think the film does it justice. I felt like I was in paradise! I don't think it's there anymore.
Clarice Aust mate!!! I was thinking about the oasis gardens a while ago. Last time I was there was 1983, end of year 12 party. It was a beautiful place. Long gone now, and I can’t even remember when it was redeveloped.
Loved the snippet of the olden days. Brisbane was a quiet gentle city in 1954. Now it's brash and pretending to be a "world city". Sorry, it's not. We who live in and love Brisbane don't care what people from other places call it. I'd rather be in a "big country town" than in a "big dirty city" any day. Uniqueness matters. There were some good old days in Brisbane and they were fun. Thanks for the memories!
I agree the last 7 to 10 years its gone down the shit hole. I left in 2014 to Europe and returned 1 year latter and it developed to fast. We need to stop pretending its a world city and take it back to the quite community style city it was in the 90s. The 90s was better, my aunty said the 70s I dont disagree either. Im sure they where all great time. But even 2011 was much better then now in late 2019.
Exactly. Remember the homes where every second home had a mango tree? Gone is the beautiful Brisbane I once knew. Now the house blocks are crammed with McMansions. They called Brisbane a hick town and I was proud of the name. Sad how it has become.
Of course nostalgia is a great thing when we tend to remember only the better things. Brisbane was more like a big country town back then rather than a more sophisticated city as it is now but that was no bad thing in many ways. One of the best places on earth to grow up in, serious crime almost unheard of and far less Govt. control though that goes for most places these days. Trams a civilized form of public transport and Queen st. developed with some beautiful buildings, torn down in the 70's and 80's to be replaced mainly by banality. Overall it's better now but it would be so much better if it's heritage had been more appreciated in those bad decades.
Brisbane has changed so much since the 1950's when the City Hall was the tallest building. Brisbane has grown and is still is the most beautiful city in the world.
@Hasil Atkins Lived in Sydney, been to Melbourne, New Zealand, South Pacific Islands, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe and Ireland. It is not just the City it self it is the people that make Brisbane great. It is a beautiful city a friendly city.
These films of Brisbane have really sent me way back into my memories. I remember the trams, the old City Hall, the squares, etc etc. Thank you for bringing them back to life for us to enjoy all over again. Brings tears to my eyes what has been done in the name of 'progression'. Brisbane was so beautiful back then. Many complained that we were a backward country town, but we ignored them, as everyone should've done. We were proud of not being stuck up like the bigger cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Hehehehe. Oh to have it back like that again, except with more coffee shops for us girls to meet and catch up in. Are you doing a film on the old Red Cross near City Hall? There used to be a coffee shop, showers and toilets etc. in there. It was great.
Regarding your question about the pools at Southbank - they were built after Expo 88 when the whole area was redeveloped. I worked on Expo, and after the show closed everyone realised that Brisbane needed to keep the feeling alive in some way, so the development was aimed at building a permanent public environment for the people to enjoy, in much the same way as they had the Expo. I also remember once going to the Oasis when I was a kid...loads of memories!
"Expo 88" was amazing. My partner worked at a complex where tourists sometimes couldn't use their entry tickets so they gave them to her. We had so much fun almost every day!
I was born in 1944. We lived in Lisburn St East Brisbane. When I was about 7 we used to go for a drive into the countryside. It was a beautiful market garden, full of custard apples, avocados , paw paw etc . There was also The Oasis, and the Acacia across the road, both with beautiful gardens and swimming pools. THE MARKET GARDEN I REFER TO IS CALLED SUNNYBANK. Looks nothing like it used to. Ugg.
I'm not that old but as a kid I remember we only ever drank oasis orange juice and apple juice till we were teens then it disappeared it was the nicest
NFSA Films when are we going to get more videos it's been a while? I'm a subscriber from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. And I hope it's more like this one. Your country is so beautiful 😍.
The popularity of the custard apple waned considerably. Here it gets two mentions and forms the centerpiece of 'fine dining'. "I've got an idea, what if we stretch these lobsters vertically?"
a Mate of mine heads a business started there almost 100 years ago, specialising in spuds and onions. Now at Rocklea of course but still very successful.
A trip down memory lane indeed. Nostalgia! How our society has altered - to its betterment? The City Hall is built on a swamp that just about engulfed Queen Street. During the 1893 flood my grandfather rowed down that main street in a row boat.
3:01 that Jeep!!! where is it today????!!!!! I want it,a rare post war woodie too!❤❤❤🚘❤🚘❤.The oasis isd just a housing area now. All sadly gone as are the commercial gardens.
These are such important historical videos for the city now, even if they were designed with a certain migration policy that in current terms is "problematic" to say the least. Thankfully we have accurate records of the "real" Brisbane population, so the value here, pushing aside current era debates, is seeing these amazing views of this great city. I particular love in this one and the other one that followed: - seeing Cloudland ballroom - views of the river water colour before upstream digging and blasting changed it - industrial era Newstead and New Farm (which the local council erases in favour of bizarre tributes to WWII submarine pens on the riverwalk) - spotting familiar houses that have survived - how remote and unsettled Bulimba and even KP looked (which is wild given Greenslopes and West End were already carved up) I'd love to have footage like this of the areas that the Italians and Greeks, Polish and Welsh moved into. Each little hub of New Farm and West End and Darra and Ebbw Vale could tell some amazing stories!
I was born 400 yards from that river at the mater mothers. The river becomes part of every Brisbanites psyche. You could only cross it in a few spots up until relatively recently.
Nostalgia is a great because we tend to remember only the best. Yep, Brisbane was more like a big country town back in the 50’s and 60’s and in general none the worse for that. It wasn’t all beautiful by any means, a lot of the suburbs were somewhat run down and there was a great lack of trees in too many areas. The river was more interesting however as the P&O/Orient liners along with the smaller cargo/passenger ships used to dock at Hamilton wharves not far from the city centre and they made a great sight. The restaurant scene was pretty dire with not a lot of choice (though the quality of the food was very high) and a ridiculous draconian law that prohibited the majority of having a licence to sell liquor. It was a very safe city for sure so a great place for kids to grow up. Unfortunately the 70’s and 80’s saw the destruction of too many high quality inner city buildings for much inferior replacements, mostly due to corruption. The loss in the late 60’s of the environmentally superior tram system was a backward step but carried out in the name of “progress”
looks like an ad for the ten pound poms - look it has buildings and shops and everything - and SUNSHINE ! (never mind it's too bloody hot much of the year ...) I got my first uni degree from St. Lucia and my father went there as a medical student around 1940-45 when it was much smaller I expect.
Was that a Vauxhall Velox in front of the FJ Holden at city hall? Later saw a Standard Vanguard parked. What a heap of junk were they. Rust was their friend. They are stumps, not "piles" and besides ventilation the houses were lifted to try and escape the termites. Miramar, Mirabelle & Mirana. The Koopa was long gone since this film was made & the cruise in the Miramar to Bribie Island via Redcliffe required a strong stomach if the bay blew up.
It's unfortunate more people don't realise that Redcliffe had the first Qld colony and settlement. Redcliffe would have been brisbane City if not for moving things further down for better ship and fresh water access. They have a first settlement reenactment every year in Redcliffe to mark the historical event. So all in all, Redcliffe itself is the first city of QLD and the oldest one at that.
Hi glad you are enjoying the films. Yes we do have some films on that area and have already posted one on the Dubbo Jazz Festival 1970. Go to our channel page and browse through the films there you will find it and eventually we will post more.
@@TaisToiRQ Cnr of Turton Street and Station Road. The Acacia swimming complex was on the other side of the road and the caravan park I lived in was on another corner with the shops opposite. There was also a servo on the corner where the van park was.
Lawrie, the captions are a service provided by TH-cam using a voice recognition system that is, unfortunately, highly inaccurate. The technology seems to work OK when recognising US accents, but it's not very good with Aussie ones.
Hi Marc most of the films in the collection like this one that present a "postcard" of a town or city were made primarily as a sort of prospectus for intending migrants. A rosy piece of propaganda on what their life might be like should they come to Australia. There was also a domestic audience for these productions but mainly they were aimed at overseas audiences.
These old Brisbane videos are so depressing and sad. That first house on the still photo may not even be there anymore if you had a look. Everything was changing too quickly before I left, but it was such a heavily and industrial city even years ago. I have such strange memories of living here and it has caused endless problems even years later because you can't even escape Brisbane just by leaving Brisbane, in my experience.
just as I remember Brisbane.....we first arrived there in late 1951...this film appears to have been made around 1954/55? The film scan is good.....maybe some slight digital colour restoration could be applied? Stephen Fleay Bandung Java
Aussie expat here. I spent a fair bit of time in QLD ( mainly Brisbane ) as a young man in the late 60's, early 70's ( even got to ride on the trams a few times before they scrapped them ) but going on the cars in the video - the very latest I saw was an FX Holden which came out in 1948, and ran for a few years, so I'd say it wouldn't have been made any later than around 1950. Which was also the year of my birth.
I emigrated to Brisbane 20+ years ago, and the changes in those years since have been enormous, it is a beautiful city and outshines every city worldwide I have visited.
I am Vietnamese and was born in 1994 but somehow watching this makes me feel so nostalgic LOL. In 1994, my family still lived in a straw-and-dirt house while Brisbane in 1954 already had so many significant buildings. Just wow
Australia has been slowly down hill since the 70s..
I was born in 1959, just celebrated my 60th year. Watching this amazing video brought back all my memories as a young child going to town with my mum to pay bills and take care of other things. I easily remember the wharves and the old Victoria bridge as well as the streets in front of the City Hall. Also I remember that the city hall tower was the tallest structure in Brisbane then. The trams, the gaslights around city hall, the enormous hanging baskets of ferns hanging from the street lights. I don't have a problem with progress, but way too much of the historical value of Brisbane has been destroyed and it is a shame that while other cities in Australia and around the world are working to preserve their heritage it seems that Brisbane is in a hurry to do away with its. Thank you for the wonderful memories you have stirred in me while taking in the sights of this production. I'm going to Subscribe to your channel so I can see what else you have for me. Cheers.
SirDilbere
My sister relocated to Brisbane almost 50 years ago.
She loves it there, not a chance in the world she would return south of the border.
Brisbane has been "in a hurry to do away with it's heritage" since the 1970s.
All class
You can thank sir Joh for the removal of our historic land marks
As a young adult living in Brisbane now, it's really fascinating to look at how things have changed. I had no idea that City Hall looked like that, or that waiters could be that fancy! I love my city with all my heart, but it's nice to look back at what people have captured of the past. (It shows I haven't been outside in a while when I can't remember if we still have palm trees)
That City Hall shot just blew my mind knowing what it looks like today all paved over
Yes ... Newman destroyed it with the concrete.
All those cars!!
@@alwyn626 No the council at the time did it. It as nothing to do with the state government and was in fact a Labor council.
@@alextaskov4084 Newman was the mayor at the time. He then went on to be premier.
They did it on purpose so the heat would get reflected up so people couldnt congregate there. Brisbane = no place for demonstrations and protesters. Look at parliament house, the front of it is a drop off zone and main entrance to the uni so theres no place for demonstrators to stand.
I'm so so glad these films have been made easily available to everyone! Thank you so much to those who have made it possible.
Fantastic! Great memories … great people who built our great city! Thank you!
And a kick up the arse, for the scumbags who are destroying our great city too👍
Sorry, needs to be said. HK in 5 years!!, very sad for those who know what Brisbane used to be like, even sader for those who will miss out for eternity....
Brisbane back then looks so much better then
These old videos are really beautiful!
61 years later, Brisbane is still beautiful. I've been around the world a few times, and I hold the opinion that Brisbane is one of the best cities there is. Great place to cycle around, too.
yes tho somewhat degraded. it should be much nicer.
@Freewheeler
No doubt is one of the best cities on th planet. Perfect climate also...
BUT too expensive, real estate and rents are like New York or San Francisco.
lorenzo magazzeni nowhere close!? There’s not many cities you can work as a waitress and afford to live in a brand new apartment building with a pool and gym in the city. You actually can in Brisbane, rent vs what people earn is amazing compared to many cities I’ve been to around the world.
Brisbane has many little beautiful corners, it just takes a while to get to know them all. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to catch a train into the city and people watch walking from Queen St. Mall to Southbank and Kangaroo Point. The art museums are mostly free and have clean toilets and aircon. It's interesting to see in this video how the churches and the Town Hall used to tower over the other buildings, not anymore.
I grew up there. It’s s nice place but terrible for working I think.
Grew up in the 70's in Bris it was a fabulous place. Campbell Newman Rio ed ki g george square. Loved the film brought back great memories particularly the ferries.
It looked so quiet and elegant and peaceful then.
Look how clean the river was
i always marvel at the old footage of the city hall. It looked so good before. They've really messed it up. Its almost like when someone has an addiction to plastic surgery
The same way society is heading.
#transvestigation #transvestigations
Yes it was a beauty alright, and the surrounding square was lovely too. Now everything has gone to pot. I hate going into the city now. So many roads cut off, buildings upon buildings all melding into one almighty mess. So sad Brisbane was truly beautiful back then.
agree, I lived there in the 90's and it had a unique vibe. It now has no vibe. It's an embarrassment to Australia.
I'm glad you can leave comments on this one. I remember visiting The Oasis swimming & garden centre when I was a small child on holidays with my family from N.S.W. I SO loved it; I don't think the film does it justice. I felt like I was in paradise! I don't think it's there anymore.
Clarice Aust mate!!! I was thinking about the oasis gardens a while ago. Last time I was there was 1983, end of year 12 party. It was a beautiful place. Long gone now, and I can’t even remember when it was redeveloped.
@@shanewilson398 A beautiful place! 'Nice to hear your memories of it, too. :)
Clarice Aust cheers
Loved the snippet of the olden days. Brisbane was a quiet gentle city in 1954. Now it's brash and pretending to be a "world city". Sorry, it's not. We who live in and love Brisbane don't care what people from other places call it. I'd rather be in a "big country town" than in a "big dirty city" any day. Uniqueness matters. There were some good old days in Brisbane and they were fun. Thanks for the memories!
I agree the last 7 to 10 years its gone down the shit hole. I left in 2014 to Europe and returned 1 year latter and it developed to fast. We need to stop pretending its a world city and take it back to the quite community style city it was in the 90s. The 90s was better, my aunty said the 70s I dont disagree either. Im sure they where all great time. But even 2011 was much better then now in late 2019.
Still it's strange how well known it is becoming and how famous people can become in Brisbane
Exactly. Remember the homes where every second home had a mango tree? Gone is the beautiful Brisbane I once knew. Now the house blocks are crammed with McMansions. They called Brisbane a hick town and I was proud of the name. Sad how it has become.
everything is fake and pretend now. society in a nut shell... who is the biggest and loudest.
anything humble is longggg gone and lost.
Australia's true hidden gem. Queenslander homes are also very unique and this is what separates Brisbane from the other capital cities in Australia.
They are adapted from colonial Asian houses with Chinese flourishes. Look at the decorative style of some of the old ones
I love Brisbane. Haven't been there for a while, but it's always a nice escape from the Melbourne winter.
Of course nostalgia is a great thing when we tend to remember only the better things. Brisbane was more like a big country town back then rather than a more sophisticated city as it is now but that was no bad thing in many ways. One of the best places on earth to grow up in, serious crime almost unheard of and far less Govt. control though that goes for most places these days. Trams a civilized form of public transport and Queen st. developed with some beautiful buildings, torn down in the 70's and 80's to be replaced mainly by banality. Overall it's better now but it would be so much better if it's heritage had been more appreciated in those bad decades.
The only thing better now are the coffee shops. But I loved the old country town, the big house blocks and carefree living.
Sadly lots of that heritage was lost in the 70s and 80s thanks to a corrupt government.
I loved this so much! Im used to seeing old footage of other countries. It's wonderful to see a record of my city finally.
Glad you enjoyed it! There might be a couple more for you here: th-cam.com/play/PLC1C65CB0D8565AE2.html
@NFSAFilms thank you! I'm doing a little vintage binge today so I'll add this to the queue!
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the film. We will be posting more Brisbane material in the future.
Could you possibly add the date to future titles please?
It's incredible to observe the humble beginnings of what is now a world city.
Better times, fond memories
Brisbane has changed so much since the 1950's when the City Hall was the tallest building. Brisbane has grown and is still is the most beautiful city in the world.
@Hasil Atkins Lived in Sydney, been to Melbourne, New Zealand, South Pacific Islands, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe and Ireland. It is not just the City it self it is the people that make Brisbane great. It is a beautiful city a friendly city.
For those interested, this was produced 1959.
This is a great flash back and brings back many memories of brisbane in the 50s and 60s.
Wow! Amazing! They put colour into the film?
Can’t believe that was 70 years ago! And 70 years before that was 1880! Wow!
I loved this! Brisbane still looks - freakishly- the same, nearly 60 years later! Thanks!
the fuck are you talking about?
Are you blind or have dementia????😂😂😂😂😂🤣😅
Back when the Southerners called us a big country town. ‘82 Commonwealth Games and Expo ‘88 put a stop to that
I saw my old dredge the Echenias 54 secs into video she been built the year before 1953 so she just new i was on it in the late 70s
Thanks for your comments. We appreciate the feedback. More old Brisbane coming up this week.
These films of Brisbane have really sent me way back into my memories. I remember the trams, the old City Hall, the squares, etc etc. Thank you for bringing them back to life for us to enjoy all over again. Brings tears to my eyes what has been done in the name of 'progression'. Brisbane was so beautiful back then. Many complained that we were a backward country town, but we ignored them, as everyone should've done. We were proud of not being stuck up like the bigger cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Hehehehe. Oh to have it back like that again, except with more coffee shops for us girls to meet and catch up in.
Are you doing a film on the old Red Cross near City Hall? There used to be a coffee shop, showers and toilets etc. in there. It was great.
What about Ipswich?😁
LaFayette Arises
Glad to see your comment
Regarding your question about the pools at Southbank - they were built after Expo 88 when the whole area was redeveloped. I worked on Expo, and after the show closed everyone realised that Brisbane needed to keep the feeling alive in some way, so the development was aimed at building a permanent public environment for the people to enjoy, in much the same way as they had the Expo.
I also remember once going to the Oasis when I was a kid...loads of memories!
"Expo 88" was amazing. My partner worked at a complex where tourists sometimes couldn't use their entry tickets so they gave them to her. We had so much fun almost every day!
Yeah, the oasis! I forgot about that one. If you lived on the southside, that was the place to go on a hot January school holidays.
Wow it's amazing seeing the difference decades can make to a city
I just love this. What an amazing historical look at our city!
"Magnificent evening. Wonderful dinner. And a good orchestra. Oh, and a wholesome root afterwards."
Brilliant!
Only if you went to one of those Gay spots...
@@Mercmad Hacienda in Valley
Yeah those women look horny!
At least comments haven't been shut off on this one, unlike Life In Australia: Brisbane, something that should never happen on an NFSA video.
I was born in 1944. We lived in Lisburn St East Brisbane. When I was about 7 we used to go for a drive into the countryside. It was a beautiful market garden, full of custard apples, avocados , paw paw etc . There was also The Oasis, and the Acacia across the road, both with beautiful gardens and swimming pools.
THE MARKET GARDEN I REFER TO IS CALLED SUNNYBANK.
Looks nothing like it used to. Ugg.
The Oasis was at Sunnybank, got demolished a few years ago.
thanks. I wondered about that
I'm not that old but as a kid I remember we only ever drank oasis orange juice and apple juice till we were teens then it disappeared it was the nicest
To make way for chinese investors
There is still an oasis juice bar on queen street
When I was a kid I used to love going to the Oasis such a shame it is no longer there 😢🇦🇺
Wow really great video. thanks for uploading
Thanks for the feedback Tim.
NFSA Films when are we going to get more videos it's been a while? I'm a subscriber from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. And I hope it's more like this one. Your country is so beautiful 😍.
awesome...a time to remember. reflect and never forget...great work :)
The popularity of the custard apple waned considerably. Here it gets two mentions and forms the centerpiece of 'fine dining'. "I've got an idea, what if we stretch these lobsters vertically?"
what about the prawnapple tho.
The old fruit & veggie markets in Roma St seen from 01:45-02:06. Closed 1964.
a Mate of mine heads a business started there almost 100 years ago, specialising in spuds and onions. Now at Rocklea of course but still very successful.
Great, thanks so much. Such interesting footage, very enjoyable. You have so many clips for me to look through.
Thanks for sharing
A trip down memory lane indeed. Nostalgia! How our society has altered - to its betterment?
The City Hall is built on a swamp that just about engulfed Queen Street. During the 1893 flood my grandfather rowed down that main street in a row boat.
Thanks, and yes there are we will get around to posting them eventually. Keep watching.
would be sweet to live in THAT Brisbane...2020 its just like any other world city....
1:53 I can't believe those pineapples didn't fall of that truck!
Love it ! Reminds me of wonderful days past :-) Wish I was still there !
Give us kiwis some love too... This is all beautiful.
NZ is a poor man's version of Canada..
Beautiful Brissy! Love and miss u. Greetings from Chile.
3:01 that Jeep!!! where is it today????!!!!! I want it,a rare post war woodie too!❤❤❤🚘❤🚘❤.The oasis isd just a housing area now. All sadly gone as are the commercial gardens.
That's great information Ce thanks for letting us know.
These are such important historical videos for the city now, even if they were designed with a certain migration policy that in current terms is "problematic" to say the least. Thankfully we have accurate records of the "real" Brisbane population, so the value here, pushing aside current era debates, is seeing these amazing views of this great city. I particular love in this one and the other one that followed:
- seeing Cloudland ballroom
- views of the river water colour before upstream digging and blasting changed it
- industrial era Newstead and New Farm (which the local council erases in favour of bizarre tributes to WWII submarine pens on the riverwalk)
- spotting familiar houses that have survived
- how remote and unsettled Bulimba and even KP looked (which is wild given Greenslopes and West End were already carved up)
I'd love to have footage like this of the areas that the Italians and Greeks, Polish and Welsh moved into. Each little hub of New Farm and West End and Darra and Ebbw Vale could tell some amazing stories!
Also Saturday - a really nice little film directed by Dean Semler based around Lake Cargelligo west of Dubbo
An amazing look back in time :)
Filmed the year I was born! Brisbane was better then....
Damn those murals at the end are awesome.
Thank you I'm glad you enjoy them. The archive is extensive so there are plenty more to come.
I was born 400 yards from that river at the mater mothers. The river becomes part of every Brisbanites psyche. You could only cross it in a few spots up until relatively recently.
Looks like paradise.
Nostalgia is a great because we tend to remember only the best. Yep, Brisbane was more like a big country town back in the 50’s and 60’s and in general none the worse for that. It wasn’t all beautiful by any means, a lot of the suburbs were somewhat run down and there was a great lack of trees in too many areas. The river was more interesting however as the P&O/Orient liners along with the smaller cargo/passenger ships used to dock at Hamilton wharves not far from the city centre and they made a great sight. The restaurant scene was pretty dire with not a lot of choice (though the quality of the food was very high) and a ridiculous draconian law that prohibited the majority of having a licence to sell liquor. It was a very safe city for sure so a great place for kids to grow up. Unfortunately the 70’s and 80’s saw the destruction of too many high quality inner city buildings for much inferior replacements, mostly due to corruption. The loss in the late 60’s of the environmentally superior tram system was a backward step but carried out in the name of “progress”
Thank you so much for sharing this footage! Amazing to see places in the CBD that I've walked, but in black and white :D
Brisbane, before the river view got ruined by the concrete canyons on either side at New Farm and East Brisbane.
We have other Brisbane films already posted too. More to come.
Your welcome :) I really love them and look forward to seeing more ..
looks like an ad for the ten pound poms - look it has buildings and shops and everything - and SUNSHINE ! (never mind it's too bloody hot much of the year ...) I got my first uni degree from St. Lucia and my father went there as a medical student around 1940-45 when it was much smaller I expect.
Brisbane,,Beautiful,,back then..
to bad Sir Joh & Katter & the like,,decided to level the place,,,,,,
Beautifull place,film,time...
Was that a Vauxhall Velox in front of the FJ Holden at city hall? Later saw a Standard Vanguard parked. What a heap of junk were they. Rust was their friend.
They are stumps, not "piles" and besides ventilation the houses were lifted to try and escape the termites.
Miramar, Mirabelle & Mirana. The Koopa was long gone since this film was made & the cruise in the Miramar to Bribie Island via Redcliffe required a strong stomach if the bay blew up.
I went on the miramar years ago....in Townsville!
Thank you so so much for posting this, how beautiful:)
It's unfortunate more people don't realise that Redcliffe had the first Qld colony and settlement. Redcliffe would have been brisbane City if not for moving things further down for better ship and fresh water access. They have a first settlement reenactment every year in Redcliffe to mark the historical event. So all in all, Redcliffe itself is the first city of QLD and the oldest one at that.
If only time travel was real ( which it isn't) I would visit all the large cities in the 50s, including Brisbane & the Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast 🌞
Wow! Love it!
Yes - they are informative and fun.
Hi glad you are enjoying the films. Yes we do have some films on that area and have already posted one on the Dubbo Jazz Festival 1970. Go to our channel page and browse through the films there you will find it and eventually we will post more.
Good to watch thanks
this made me want to cry
The river was so clean then
Some more Brisbane history. As a kid, I used to live near the Oasis (described at 6:30).
Where was the oasis?
@@TaisToiRQ Cnr of Turton Street and Station Road. The Acacia swimming complex was on the other side of the road and the caravan park I lived in was on another corner with the shops opposite. There was also a servo on the corner where the van park was.
Wow! Fantastic! Thanks!
Yes the Gold Coast is truly a outer suburb of Brisbane these days 🎉
Ahh! Finally Brisbane, my home!!
Oh my god, that was a beautiful country
I wish I was born in Australia
This Australia doesn't exist anymore.
@@scottyfromhawaii8306 yes. no it doesn’t.. barely hanging by a string 😞
Lawrie, the captions are a service provided by TH-cam using a voice recognition system that is, unfortunately, highly inaccurate. The technology seems to work OK when recognising US accents, but it's not very good with Aussie ones.
Hi Marc most of the films in the collection like this one that present a "postcard" of a town or city were made primarily as a sort of prospectus for intending migrants. A rosy piece of propaganda on what their life might be like should they come to Australia. There was also a domestic audience for these productions but mainly they were aimed at overseas audiences.
This is great context. Please consider putting it somewhere more prominent!
beautiful
love the 'prawnapple'!
How Classy was That / World Class.
What a great history!! We really don't realise how great this city is. Everyone else keep the fuck out!!
These old Brisbane videos are so depressing and sad. That first house on the still photo may not even be there anymore if you had a look. Everything was changing too quickly before I left, but it was such a heavily and industrial city even years ago. I have such strange memories of living here and it has caused endless problems even years later because you can't even escape Brisbane just by leaving Brisbane, in my experience.
* heavily congested
Thanks Kathy. We will be posting another old Brisbane film soon so please keep an eye for it.
NFSA Films
Great Stuff.
Nothing Wrong with that, the Way it was.
Look at it Now what a Joke
just as I remember Brisbane.....we first arrived there in late 1951...this film appears to have been made around 1954/55? The film scan is good.....maybe some slight digital colour restoration could be applied?
Stephen Fleay Bandung Java
Aussie expat here. I spent a fair bit of time in QLD ( mainly Brisbane ) as a young man in the late 60's, early 70's ( even got to ride on the trams a few times before they scrapped them ) but going on the cars in the video - the very latest I saw was an FX Holden which came out in 1948, and ran for a few years, so I'd say it wouldn't have been made any later than around 1950. Which was also the year of my birth.
favenchi in tHe notes it says it was made in 1954
He does not say that the outside dunny was the only system we had until the late 1960s.
Nothing like this today . Oasis pools are blocks of rich people houses . Brisbane is a huge ghetto now days .
You have obviously never been to a ghetto.
Future Minds - And your Mama Cried! Thank ya, Thank ya very much!
Sunny downtown Brisvegas.
lets bring the 50's back!