Australian Arithmetical Game of Football? Around the Commonwealth by Aeroplane? Courtship and Marriage?

Welcome to the unique and quirky world of Australian board games from early last century.

Australia through board games

We’ve always been a nation of avid board-game players. In the early 1900s, Australia began creating its own board games. National Archives’ artistic copyright registration collection features many beautiful designs.

At the turn of the century, Australia’s main board game producer was the aptly named National Game Company, established by W Owen, a Victorian entrepreneur. But our collection also features many other aspiring game designers.

Each game gives a fascinating snapshot of Australia at the time. 

Social board games

Courtship and Marriage, created in 1909, is a game for 3 or 4 players with illustrations showing steps of courtship. It was designed by prolific artist Christopher George King, who created many of the classic games for the National Game Company. 

Players could be sent back to the Bachelors’ Club if they upset their girlfriend’s parents or return to the seaside after a fit of jealousy. They might also go on to a proposal after charming the parents, or to an engagement after a croquet party.

Another intriguing game is the 1927 game Shop at Allans the Drapers which follows a flapper buying hats and dresses on a shopping spree.

Aeroplane board games

Around the Commonwealth by Aeroplane was created in 1911 when the Commonwealth was only 10 years old. The Northern Territory was still part of South Australia and the Federal Capital hadn’t yet been named.

At that time, aeroplanes were still a novelty and needed many stops to refuel before arriving at their destination. This explains the many aviation game designs in National Archives’ collection.

Sports board games

For a sports mad country, it’s not surprising that many designs for Australian board games were sports focused. These included:

First World War board games

The First World War saw a great number of war themed board games designed. They were very much about the war experience. These included:

The quirky

Other games worth mentioning are:

• the delightful Fairyland, sold by the National Game Company 
• the geographically correct Harbour Hazard, registered in 1937
• the educational but heavy handed and proscriptive The Road Safety Game, produced by the Australian Road Safety Council in 1957.

Tim Bosanquet is Content Designer at National Archives of Australia.