Exhibiting Australia

Expo ’70 opened in Osaka, Japan, on 15 March 1970. Its theme, 'Progress and harmony for mankind', aimed to promote worldwide unity by connecting the East and the West. More than 64 million people visited the expo, which ran for 183 days. Australia was one of 77 nations to participate in Expo ’70, the first ever world exposition held in Asia.

Australia's long association with international exhibitions dates to 1851, when colonial exhibits from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia were displayed at 'The Great Exhibition' in London. Australia has participated in almost every expo since, including Expo '88 which was held in Brisbane.

World Expo's bring nations together to promote and foster international relations and find ways to address the challenges of our time. At Expo ’70, Australia presented a modern view of a progressive country while embracing our unique culture. This was a purposeful shift away from the previous focus on agriculture and natural resources.

The Australian Pavilion

Architect James Maccormick's design for the Australian Pavilion featured a futuristic concrete 'sky-hook', inspired by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai's famous woodcut, 'The Great Wave'. Suspended from this arm, a 260-ton (236-tonne) circular roof appeared to float above the ground. The design of the building earned nicknames such as the 'Expo coat hanger' and was described by one critic as 'a dinosaur arising from the depths of the neanderthal swamp'.

Visitors followed a spiral ramp down through the pavilion past nine huge screens showing a film about life in Australia titled 'Horizon'. A huge globe in the centre of the pavilion illustrated Australia's close geographic relationship to Japan, with an exhibit titled 'Neighbours on Longitude 135°'.

Crowds then entered the 'Space Tube', a 61-metre-long semi-subterranean tunnel with moving walkways, designed by exhibits architect Robin Boyd. This space was filled with a kaleidoscope of futuristic exhibits and psychedelic projections aimed to portray Australia as a modern industrial nation. Visitors exited the Space Tube through a transparent tunnel with a view of a waterfall in a sunken garden with ghost gums, red rocks and native plants imported from Australia.

The pavilion was built by the Japanese Shimizu Construction Company under the supervision of the Australian Department of Works. After the expo, the main pavilion was relocated to Yokkaichi City where it remained until it was demolished in 2014.

Architectural concept drawings

Visiting Expo ’70

The Australian Pavilion welcomed 11,155,442 visitors over the duration of Expo ’70. The one millionth visitor was welcomed to the pavilion on 5 April 1970, less than a month after opening. Some notable visitors included H.R.H. Prince Charles, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako of Japan, and the Australian Prime Minister John Gorton.

Australia, like other participating countries, was allocated a day in the overall events calendar to showcase our culture. Australia's National Day at Expo ’70 was on 8 May 1970 and over 3,000 guests were entertained by a diverse program of performances. The event was held on the Festival Plaza, the central expo zone, dominated by artist Taro Okamoto's 70 m tall sculpture titled 'Tower of the sun'.

The Australian Youth Orchestra, the Marionette Theatre of Australia – famous for The Magic Pudding and Tintookies 2000 puppet shows, and the Royal Australian Navy Band were among the performers.

Acknowledging identity

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture was represented at Expo ’70 through a display of bark paintings from Arnhem Land, and the inclusion of Evonne Goolagong Cawley in a virtual tennis game.

The Aboriginal Theatre Foundation, a group of musicians and dancers from Australia's far north, performed at Australia's National Day. The inclusion of live performances was significant and was promoted as one of the highlights of the program. A press release stated, 'this will be the first time Australian Aborigines have ever performed their traditional dances outside Australia'.

A kaleidoscope of culture

Architect Robin Boyd was responsible for the design of the exhibits in the main pavilion, the Space Tube and the Exhibition Hall. The theme for the Australian Pavilion was 'Some Australian contributions to progress and harmony for mankind'.

The Space Tube exhibits fell under 4 sub-themes: 'Man', 'Man and nature', 'Man and manmade', and 'Men and man'. The subjects covered by these exhibits celebrated Australian accomplishments in advancements in medical science, Australia's role in meteorology, research into immunology, modern household design and electronics, and arts and entertainment.

Boyd also contributed to thirteen seasonal displays covering a broad range of subjects from Australian wildflowers to industrial photography.

An Aussie welcome

The Australian Pavilion was staffed predominantly by a team of Australian hosts, unlike other countries' pavilions which employed Japanese staff. The front of house team comprised 25 female 'hostesses' and 8 male 'attendants'. Their duties included directing visitors, distributing information, answering questions and escorting important guests.

The ability to speak Japanese was compulsory. Other desirable attributes, as listed in the job advertisement, suggested applicants should be 'preferably under 30, attractive in personality as well as appearance, in good health and well educated'.

Australian fashion designers Prue Acton and Mike Treloar designed the host uniforms for Expo ’70. The female uniform comprised a golden-yellow dress, a silver-grey topcoat with matching grey shoes, gloves and a handbag. The male uniform featured silver-grey trousers, and a golden-yellow shirt with a green jacket. The uniform colours were chosen to complement the interior design of the Australian Pavilion, which was inspired by the colours of Australian parrots.

Australia at Expo 2025

Fifty years later, the world exposition returns to Osaka with the theme 'Designing future society for our lives'. National Archives of Australia is proud to be an Official Provider of the Australia Pavilion and to be part of this worldwide event by showcasing some highlights from our collection on a truly international stage.

A selection of images from the national archival collection are on display in the 70's retro lounge at the Australia Pavilion. Facsimiles of drawings are also available for visitors to view including architectural and landscaping drawings and fashion designs.