Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun 1950–1970

The three winners of the 1952 Miss Pacific Pageant pose on Sydney's Bondi Beach
NAA: A1500, K1220

 The National Archives’ photographic exhibition Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun 1950–1970 vividly reminds us of our enduring love affair with the sun and the sea. For those who grew up in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, the photographs in this National Archives touring exhibition should gently stir memories of idyllic summers spent at the beach.

The images in Summers Past were all selected from the Archives' vast photographic collection, mainly from the store of Australian News and Information Bureau images – half a million photographs dating from the late 1940s to the early 1990s.

About the photographs

In the 1950s and 1960s, Australian News and Information Bureau photographers captured a more innocent Australia through the lens – a relaxed and comfortable place where everyone knew their neighbours, happily tended their gardens and seldom locked their doors.

The government photographers recorded images of people, activities and events, mainly to help promote Australia overseas. Photos were seldom set up, but simply snapped to record the moment. In fact their occupational catchcry could well have been ‘smile, you’re on candid camera’!

You can see some of the photographs from the exhibition in our Summers Past showcase.