Home Sweet Home? uses more than 50 black and white images from our Mildenhall collection and photographs from private collections to recall life in the early days of Canberra. To many who moved to the new capital, Canberra then had few visible charms and the empty landscape came as quite a shock, especially for those moving from the metropolitan lifestyles of capital cities.
But as the new residents began seeing each other at the shops, the post office, at church, on the bus and in the bank, new friendships and moral support offset the initial shortcomings. As people do, they soon found entertainment and hobbies. Many established gardens, some played tennis at Eastlake, or golf at the old Royal Canberra course. The Manuka Pool was a favourite spot during the long, hot summers, and the Cotter Dam was popular for swimming and fishing. After dark, there were Albert Hall dances and films to see at the Capitol Theatre.