1960s Queensland - 'Route One: Highway to the Sun'

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

Apologies for the audio quality in this archival record. The distortion is due to the age of the film. At Queensland State Archives, we store records in specialised repositories and maintain them as best as we can. However, the condition of records can vary, impacting quality. Thank you for your understanding!

[@46I37]

Why don’t you try the Capstan Wow and Flutter removal tool to fix the audio?

[@petergraves2085]

Wonderful. In 1968, I hitch-hiked that road from Sydney to Cairns - and back. Even got a ride from the Qld police at one stage. Memorable.

[@charliepearce8767]

How thoughtful of the QLD coppers... Lucky you wasn't pinched for dealing drugs ect...

[@shirelsnr]

Do you pay your fare with a brown paper bag of cash?

[@petergraves2085]

@@shirelsnr Thanks for reading. No ! I can still remember what one said: "we can give you a lift, if you don't mind riding with the police". Which I accepted, as I seem to remember it was rather a hot day.

[@saxongreen78]

Lucky you didn't get bashed - Qld. Cops were notorious for it.

[@b08m4rt1n]

Amazing you made it through the Marlborough stretch without being murdered.

[@CoMorbiditty]

Just how l remember it as a young child. The expanse of land between the Gold Coast to Brisbane was an enormous country drive with farms. We loved it. Thank you so much for this.

[@WillaLamour]

This is absolutely marvellous! I am so happy you published it and I found it.

[@paulfogartysongs]

As a Queenslander I can verify all Australians talk with old tape jitters in their voices.

[@railtrolley]

There is a lot of ocean here. Voice sounds the same under water.

[@7403QCM]

And members of State Gov. Departments have 'very interesting' little moustaches??

[@ahall1459]

It's the sun...it fries our brains...

[@carcaridon]

Thats queenslinder in the state of queenslind. I shall laugh in a gay manner to your jesting ahahahaha oh my how you jest in a very modern way Sir. Do you still pay threepence for your fuel ?

[@bikerleo1966]

Hahaahahahahahahaaa

[@williamh2294]

one more quick story if i may? in the early sixties, we sometimes left Brisbane for Caloundra late on Friday evening, no traffic in those days and when we got to the top of hill near the old Caloundra lighthouse, about near Arthur St. intersection, Dad would put the Chev into neutral and coast from there down towards Moffat Beach/ Tooway Lake. Our record for this is over the old Tooway Lake bridge and about 20ft up the other side, when he would put Chev back in gear and we would keep going to house on Currimundi Lake! Never any other cars around! What great days!

[@kenraq2000]

I love reading these stories mate. Thanks for sharing William. My mum is 65 and grew up on the Sunshine Coast. I can't wait to show her some of these vintage videos tomorrow! How times (and the scenery) have changed

[@c-za]

Wow that’s very cool

[@helencarandreou7368]

Life was slower in those days and kinder. I live at Currimundi now and I love it. It would be better if there were less cars and less people.

[@williamh2294]

@@helencarandreou7368 Hi, we used to holiday in my mother's aunt's holiday fibro house in Cooper St, right on the lake edge. dirt road then. 1st holiday was in 1958.

[@helencarandreou7368]

@@williamh2294 Yes, no flash condos those days. I remember there was nothing from Mooloolaba to Caloundra but bush. You didn't need lots of money to enjoy the beach. Just a tent or a caravan somewhere and it was paradise.

[@brianlee5702]

I well remember so much of this road from my boyhood and it was an absolute delight to see it again. Especially as it was presented so nicely. A true snapshot of our wonderful and prosperous state built on the back of hard and honest workers. They were great times.

[@mickzammit6794]

My uncle and aunt did this trip from Ingham in the north to Currumbin creek each Christmas in an Austin A40. How laid back and beautiful that area was in the late 50s and early 60s. I'll never forget it.

[@freeagent8225]

Our parents drove from Melbourne to Surfers Paradise in December 1969. It was like travelling to another country, it was so far. It was great for families.

[@bohdan3239]

Aaah the good old days when you could truly take an innocent care free relaxing holiday without the high pressure Hype of everyone trying to rip you off ! Everything is so sanitised, regimented and regulated these days it takes away the fun, spontaneity and adventure out of your holiday.

[@SEEYAIAYE]

A lot of great camping and fishing spots are being bulldozed and turned into paid parking lots with firepits for RV's to pull up 6 in a row to "camp", ridiculous.

[@jonnawyatt]

Yeah, let's get rid of those pesky food safety regulations. 😊

[@JudyRunolfsson]

Very interesting noticed

[@ChrisAnderson42]

Yeah but the roads were pretty bad back then. You'd spend a lot more time sitting in bottle necked traffic, all it'd take is one crash and you would be stuck for hours. The good old days weren't always better.

[@kidfreejones]

A shadowed way to just say some happy parts but forgetting the roads were horrible and slow, cars emitted loads of pollution and you roasted with no air con, smokers galore and all those people on the beach had no idea of skin cancer. All that pesticide on the plants and no matter where you went on holiday it took forever to get there and back again and it was insanely busy. It would all be awesome if they just didn't import millions of people, we'd all enjoy nice roads but room to move!

[@GazGuitarz]

I was a kid in Brisbane Queensland during this era. It was a bloody fantastic era. We actually used to be fairly self-sufficient and manufacture white goods, cars, furniture, clothing .. you name it. In fact, just about everything that has now been offshored to slave factories in Asia, we used to make or grow ourselves. Plenty of work and a growing middle class. Now we have very little, or gig economy only work, and a shrinking middle class, many of whom are so indebted that they will be paying for their overpriced homes until death. The highway to Gold Coast upgrades never helped. It's still a congested mess that could cost you a fortune in private toll fees. In the 60's congestion was normally caused by over-heating car radiators in the hot Queensland sun, as everyone made a dash to the beach on the weekend. Yes, it gets bloody hot and humid here! Now days, congestion is caused by over population. We have very few industries remaining. Mostly everything is imported and the best of anything that is grown or produced here is exported overseas while the public are sold inferior imports or the left overs. Oh.. and the Great Barrier Reef is dying!

[@frankboff1260]

Well said. Very sad.

[@yuk-erkmckirk9277]

What toll road are you talking about,i can still drive there without paying any tolls and it's 2021 now,and i live in brisbane. There is only the bridge toll if you live on the northside,don't frorget he is talking about highway1 not the logan motorway which goes west from it. And if you don't like the toll you can always drive through the city.

[@GazGuitarz]

@@yuk-erkmckirk9277 I did say "could" cost you a fortune in toll fees! I live at Woody Point. 2 toll points for me to get to highway1. You've got to be kidding about driving through the city along Kingsford Smith Drive! That's even more congested than the coast highway! Although I hear that the road upgrades have finally been completed, so it may have improved? Still a convoluted and out of the way route to take, especially on weekdays. Much easier for me to jump on the Gateway and pay the tolls than to be banked up in traffic in the CBD.

[@Ozsmallbore]

Great barrier reef is not dying.. do some proper research, not just greenie sensationalism

[@yuk-erkmckirk9277]

@@GazGuitarz you obviously don't get around Brisbane very much at all by the sound of it, i'm in the bayside south and i can get to friends at bardon in 20 mins across the gateway and Kingsford-Smith drive to the inner city bypass no problem at all during weekdays. Takes a bit longer during peak hour,but no doubt quicker than it was during roadworks. It's quicker to get to Ipswich than Ipswich rd is,try it on a gps and you'll be surprised,it is quicker than it was 20yrs ago as far as i'mconcerned. You need to get out a bit more than it sounds you do.

[@richard4short5]

I remember when this exact wobbly sound played on Ansett and TAA flights!

[@carcaridon]

Our TAA

[@nickmonk7945]

60 years later and it still isn’t finished

[@deanpd3402]

That's because of smoko.

[@rogergreen9861]

The first three minutes are scenes that just pre-date my childhood in Broadbeach, and many trips taken south from there to Coolangatta every weekend. Lovely to see the old Lennons hotel a couple of decades after it was demolished, with all of the memories flooding back. My grandparents used to tell me of the old road from Brisbane before the highway was constructed and what a difference the new road made. I'm suddenly reminded that I'm as near to 85 as I am as far from 21 now. A lot of locals would have instantly recognised the "Koalas Cross Here at Night" roadsign at Burleigh, as well.

[@adelarsen9776]

Koala's are pretty cranky during the day too.

[@rogergreen9861]

@@adelarsen9776 Lovely play on words there, mate. Nice work.

[@adelarsen9776]

@@rogergreen9861 I didn't make that up. All around QLD people have put their own sign up saying the same right below the official koala sign.

[@sueandjuliancallil7984]

My wife and I drove on our honeymoon from Melbourne to Mackay in December 1960. The unmade "road" from Brisbane on went through fields and was known as the Crystal Highway...we were lucky and only broke 2 windscreens in our VW !

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

Only 2!?!?

[@sueandjuliancallil7984]

@@QueenslandStateArchives ...That was day# 1.

[@kingdomfor1]

Yes it was called the crystal highway, thanks for reminding me, my dad drove it any times brisbane to mackay in his ford customiline

[@sueandjuliancallil7984]

@@kingdomfor1 Yep,we me a ford customline driver north of Brisbane who had broken a windscreen...they were great wraparound affairs,our VW screen was one flat sheet!

[@WendywdjnyJ]

interesting 😊👍🏻... just such a shame that many of those industries are gone now

[@markrushton4631]

The best days and we had them, now its just stress and go faster,what's on the mobile ,FOMO.Im glad to have grown up then.We had loads more fun and didn't cost much to boot.

[@rogerc23]

No doubt about that. And we weren’t programmed to be morons by big tech either

[@williamh2294]

in the mid 1960,'s, the traffic going home to Brisbane from Caloundra, was so bumper to bumper on the old single lane, each way, old Bruce Highway, we were sometimes able to get out and have a Thermos of tea and biscuits, before traffic moved again. Heading up to Caloundra from Brisbane, we would always stop for cuppa at Jowarra Park, near the old Caloundra turnoff, before heading into Caloundra and up the very steep hill, where we caught the first glimpse of the ocean. It seemed such a long way in those days, in the old '37 Chev and the old Hillman Minx! Best days ever!

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

We love your story. Thank you William!

[@kathleenrayner1234]

William h Thank you for reminding me of how far everywhere seemed from Brisbane. My brother had a Hillman minx. Such good times. We would also stop for a cupola at Jowarra Park 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@williamh2294]

@@kathleenrayner1234 I'm glad you remember those days as well as I do. They were a wonderful time up the North Coast then, not the "sunshine coast" in those days.

[@alanrix5344]

Yes I remember trips from Brisbane to Caloundra were an adventure in the old fj holden as you wound your way past the Glasshouse mountains .Great times

[@redplanet7163]

2023...it's still bumper to bumper.

[@stuffedgrubs]

7:05 early aboriginal feeding ground. Our mob settled in beachmere to Bribie from Stradbroke island. There was still a fair of our ancestors markings all the way through the scrub. Fun fact my old man's first job was planting the pine trees all through from beachmere to glasshouse mountains. 🍻

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

Thank you for sharing!

[@stuffedgrubs]

@@QueenslandStateArchives no worries. I did the Brisbane/ Mackay overnight run for ages. My personal story was taking my old man for a run and getting stung up the footy shoots by a massive wasp in a double cresting the top of the OLD gunalda range. Holey hell what a trip to the bottom that was. 😂😂 I laugh now...

[@again5162]

In the 90's we learnt that Aboriginals boys would travel to the Gold Coast to a sacred spot to be circumcised and leave as men, only 1000 years ago the Gold Coast was swamp jungle and may have contained crocodiles

[@williamh2294]

anyone else remember going to Gilltraps Motor Museum at/near Kirra

[@danozism]

Great film! I love these historical documents. Uploading them to KZbin ensures that so many more people get to see them, and they are now just a click away for another sixty years or more. 2:33 -It appears that koalas were better protected 60 years ago than they are today, at least in some parts of Australia!

[@mayflowerlash11]

I was 5yo in 1960. We lived in Adelaide. On 2 occasions we motored from Adelaide to Mackay along Route 1. In Mackay we took a cruise on Roylan Cruises. Many scenes in this film I would have seen although to be honest because of my age I cannot claim to recall them exactly. But I am left with the impressions. Today I live in Rockhampton and travel to Gladstone and Mackay occasionally. But the road landscape has changed enormously. I occasionally catch sight of the old highway and recall that as a 5 yo I was driven along that now discarded, disused road.

[@williamh2294]

those good old multiple seat swings! 5.39. there was 2 in Caloundra also, Shelley Beach and Moffat Beach. at 5.39 on tape.

[@karenstott7980]

Music sounds like my cat learning the piano.

[@fknows1]

60 year later and they are still building the road

[@brodiemiller2296]

They only just finished the Burpengary on and off ramps 😂

[@petersargeant1555]

60 years later and parts of the Bruce goat track haven't changed... except for 3000% more traffic.

[@chuckselvage3157]

It only took another 59 years to make it full dual carriageway from F3 to QLD.

[@sallyjohnson5985]

Good old days when the books were able to be balanced and the credit genie hadn’t yet escaped! Life seemed simple with less bells and whistles but more enjoyable. Like to have travelled the country back in those days. Less dickheads on the roads then!

[@carcaridon]

When women and children did as they were told no matter how drunk dad was behind the wheel.

[@angeladoll1126]

We did this route twice up from Sydney. once in the 60s wen I was a kid then again for good in the 70s wen I was a teen the big pineapple landing in surfers breakfast of real ozzie burgers and milkshake +chiko roll on the beach. Settled in caloundra. Stunning scenery beautiful people. Up the coast to cairns ect ect as far up and in to blackwater.those were the days. Iam a tourist in my own childhood now 😂 . this vid gave me goose bumps.

[@deldridg]

Great find and thank you for sharing this. Hoping to find similar footage from that era around the Mid North Coast area of NSW too (unlikely in the Qld State Archives though). 🙂

[@hamlltonhope8123]

Watched wonderful footage on KZbin, maybe not exactly the area you are interested in, but thereabouts. When my brain reboots, I will try to track it down and give you the link.

[@deldridg]

@@hamlltonhope8123 That's very kind of you and thank you. I've seen a lot of NSW, east to west, north to south etc. and was brought up on the Mid North Coast, near Port Macquarie. If you do find it, that will be much appreciated. In the meantime I'll continue my searching and will pass on anything interesting as well. Warm regards - Dave

[@cecilia8957]

I love watching these kind of videos....i lived on the Tweed Coast around this time...born 1957

[@paulbrewer2513]

That dredge they mention was the Echenias built by Walker Brothers Ship Yards Marybprpugh she built 1953 I worked on it as a deck Boykin the late 70s before she sunk off tangalooma as artifical reef

[@Darkpixies]

As a queenslander I can verify not one chemtrail was spotted in any of this footage and qld was sunny, that's why it is called the sunshine state.

[@ACDZ123]

WA should be called that

[@HerbLayt]

Pity there is no mention of how the Committee pushed to have the road built - my grandfather, H J Layt, was secretary of the Committee and put in many long hours on the project, ultimately it was named Bruce Highway after the Minister for Main Roads Mr. Bruce. That was back in 1930s

[@clancywoods7728]

Wow. As someone who uses the Bruce Highway on a daily basis, I thank him.

[@stuffedgrubs]

👍🍻

[@smitajky]

People did not drive such large distances in times past. We went to Townsville from Melbourne in 1956 to spend 6 months on Magnetic Island. It took 4 nights by train to get there. The only time people there had seen a Victorian was during troop movements to New Guinea for the war. Cars were far from common. Even in Victoria most roads were narrow. Relying on the relative low traffic volumes. How times had changed even by the time of this film.

[@nickmonk7945]

Great comment. We should have stuck with rail more than what we have

[@Primaate]

Just saw dad and family in our car, on way to Buderim. Annual pilgrimage north from whatever RAAF base we were at ....

[@mayflowerlash11]

Well i am astonished. I wrote my previous comment early in the video. Gradually the story makes it's way up to Mackay where the Roylen Cruises are highlighted. The cruiser Petaj is one of the cruisers my family holidayed on. These cruisers were built in WW2 as small patrol boats, after the war they were converted to holiday cruisers.

[@mariafarrugia1192]

WATCH OUT FOR PEDOPHILES...

[@erichay1640]

Why am i feeling nostalgic about a time period that I didn’t even live? Lol

[@mediagrant]

maybe you dont understand reality

[@erichay1640]

@@mediagrant what do you mean

[@richard4short5]

Im nostalgic for the battle of Stalingrad......i even have PTSD....from that time......LOL

[@freemind9734]

Ah the memories! Gold Coast in the 60's as a kid was a wonderful time to be alive.

[@queenslander7756]

What a blast from the past! Lived at Gold Coast in early 70’s. Went to Uni in Brisbane from Bundy where I was born. Just completed a motorhome trip to Cairns. Love that part of the country!❤️👍🏼

[@captaindapto6463]

i can only begin to imagine how good the fruit must have tasted back then.

[@timeswehadwewonthaveagain6980]

And the water

[@timeswehadwewonthaveagain6980]

@Benz1209 less chemicals added

[@rogerc23]

@Benz1209 well the fact it’s been gmo'd to death and most fruit and vegetables now have about 30% to 40% of the nutrients they did in the 60s and 70s might give you an idea

[@Mercmad]

@benz1209 See the tomatoes packed separately and wrapped like apples? that was because they had soft skins which broke easily but when the tomatoes arrived in the local fruit shop,you could taste the aromas out in the street. Same when peaches were n season etc. All gone now ,And changed so they can be shipped by truck and stay on a supermarket shelf for a few days.

[@easydailytrades4205]

Most definitely a nicer time! Look how we have changed? It's not for the better!

[@trafalgar22a8]

Bravo! I love my Queensland. Been to every place in this video..

[@heatherhall3452]

Gosh how things have changed so significantly in such a short time - haha Cyclone Ellie in Townsville they say, I live in Townsville, I didn’t know I named my daughter after a Cyclone 🌬🌪

[@KFBbythesea]

I spent a few years in Townsville. Great place. Crocs are problem now though.

[@Bunjee98]

Australia was a free country back then

[@gheffz]

Was

[@Brad656]

Shouldn’t all that be under water by now ??? That’s what we’ve been getting told over the last 60 years 😂😂😂😂

[@BizRon-dm8ye]

Shh. Don't want that footage showing the coast in the same place half a century + ago being destroyed now do we haha.

[@flamingstag2381]

latest car i spotted was a holden 1963 ej !

[@johnbrooks9523]

Come on mate, this is QLD! Became stranded here in '73 & I'm still here. I still can't go backwards fast enough to keep up with the locals. I think it's the heat. QLD has provided me with a life, so I should be grateful. It would have taken QLD GOV employees at least 10 years to shoot all that footage back in the '60s. And, whoever did most of the "shooting" was pretty keen to promote 2 tone FC & FB Special sedans & wagons. The whole show reeks of shonky car dealer trying to shift trade ins. It's not as though QLD's Gov back then was rotten to the core with corruption? I notice they've edited out every skerrick of police vehicles & stations. The idea back then was to attract southern tourists, lure them up here, then relieve them of the burden of their money by any means. What's changed? I'll now review the 1st 5 mins to the heavy Gold Coast promotional section. I think I saw the odd HR in some of that. But, the whole show looks to be paid for by a Holden dealer to me & a promotion for QLD's money grubbing Dept of Main Roads. Whoever made this program would be horrified if they visited the GC now. I travelled from Nanango into Surfers last week. Cavill & Orchid Aves look like a Turkish bazzaar or a street in Beirut, complete with matching "wildlife". It's hideous, & the entire GC is a bewildering concrete jungle maze of man made junk clogged with crawling traffic & stuck up elitist freaks in flashy expensive throwaway cars made in hellhole countries by slave labour with European badges stuck to them like Mercedes, Porshe, VW, Citroen & Renault. None of them would know what an EJ was, where it came from & wouldn't care. I spotted a dusty EJ wagon under a house in Dalby last year. Think I might go chase it.

[@williamh2294]

we had an EJ Premier auto

[@johnbrooks9523]

My Aunty bought a brand new EJ van in '62, the year I was born. She kept it until the day she died. I never met her son. I understand he has it now, tucked away in the dandenongs. The sedans never caught my attention, but I love the wagons, utes & vans. I'm also a lifetime fan of Grey engines & the EJ Grey was the best of 'em. I'd love to drop a stove hot Grey into an EH ute. That'd upset the Red motor lovers! A good Grey can make a reliable 160BHP, just enough to scare a healthy XU1.

[@paulclarke4571]

Didn't a comment on the couple of hundred klm of dirt road north of Rocky and dangerous low level bridges that were still there when I first went north in 75

[@PeteNasia]

And still was dirt in 1985

[@cameronmoore4061]

@@PeteNasia filled with potholes even today

[@batmanlives6456]

Hilarious!! Queensland roads were horrendous back when this was filmed … There were punts still over some rivers going to Cairns Every bridge was single lane ! From memory, north bound had right of way , southbound had to give way? How things have changed

[@tfisher41]

The lucky generation who were able to buy a home and also retire!

[@bobjackson4720]

I did the trip as far as Townville last year. Enjoyable trip.

[@Bernie5172]

Back in the day when everyone had a job

[@JoshDaleyaus]

Ok boomer

[@rossie273]

........... and a "job" was real work for 40hrs/week . Not holding a Lollipop "full-time" for 15hrs/wk .

[@DounutCereal]

Man I feel like I was born in the wrong era at times, the 60's looked fun Now I'm working 40 hours a week just to make my half of the rent share and food to eat in the town I was born in while watching the place shed its local population from around me as they're pushed out by multimillion dollar holiday homes

[@Zzudwa]

And shot aboriginals equally with kangaroos by the Flora and Fauna Act* *Yes, I know that it's myth

[@Bernie5172]

@@Zzudwa there's always one fool in a crowd of 2 people

[@maryfitzgerald4812]

So glad to have got the best of it. Turned into a dump.

[@Bohemian-Rhapsody]

Back when Australians were from Australia and the Italians taught us about food and farming. Back when Brisbane to Gold Coast meant you drove past bush and trees along the way.😅

[@craigquinn7887]

Wow back when nearly every Aussie drove a Holden apparently 😁👍😎

[@GazGuitarz]

Ford was also quite a popular choice. There was an underground "war" between Holden and Ford owners. lol.

[@maryreichle7623]

Plenty of FordcZephyrs.

[@leroyybrown]

Saw a few Chrysler's

[@railtrolley]

This old footage is a vehicle spotters paradise. Lots of US cars were assembled in RHD here too. And the rare Flxible Clipper coach.

[@stephenuhe9229]

I spent my childhood school holidays at the twin cities. Such good times.

[@jeanettemcdonald5779]

A much more relaxed time the 1960s, not so much turmoil and crime.

[@peterglen734]

really nice to go back for a while,great

[@clancywoods7728]

1:39 haha i was so confused until I remembered New Guinea was part of Australia at the time.

[@Elitist20]

Wondering how would a PNG car have got to the Gold Coast? Tasmania at least has a ferry.

[@adelarsen9776]

@@Elitist20 Drive across the bridge.....

[@JBofBrisbane]

Deck cargo to Cairns.

[@cecilia8957]

I didn't know that

[@CrazyWhiteVanDriver]

Png still is, along with new zealand.

[@douga3212]

'ghost-like Port Douglas'. Wow.

[@brianlee5702]

I picked that up, too.

[@johncernusco4866]

It was a goast town so was Cooktown

[@peternakitch4167]

This was produced 1966-1970 I think, the narrator mentions dollars and miles, and that makes it after February 1966, but before 1973 when metric was introduced. He briefly mentions a cyclone near Townsville; can’t be sure 100% sure but the best fit would be 1967 or 1968.

[@suekennedy1595]

It’s got a tram in it so it could be a combination of years footage, last tram was 1969 I think.and no more tobacco farms.

[@acmlsrtvxacmlsrtvx3059]

John Nash , I have not seen John for 25 years. Are used to do the Royal Easter show in Sydney as ring commentator he scored many generations. Another great Australian

[@davidhoffmann7467]

Bruce highway still not finished 😂

[@michaelhayden725]

In 1962 my family drove our FC Holden Station Sedan to Cairns and back. Some of those very narrow Qld roads were more than a bit scary.

[@SeeNoEvil777]

The Crystal Highway!

[@StellasScrappyCrafts]

I love this video. Lots of familiar scenes.

[@dukkha62]

I remember going to Jack Evans' pet porpoise pool on the Gold Coast when I was in my early teens. Jack would always select the best looking women in a bikini to feed the porpoises - ensuring of course that his arm was tightly around their waist to stop them falling in. I still have a photo of me feeding a seal with fish which would clap when fed.

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

Hi Rod, thank you for sharing that story. We found a picture of Jack Evans in our online album for you: www.flickr.com/photos/queenslandstatearchives/36761854972/in/photolist-YgBokD-Y1w7HJ-YgBnAH Grabbed from our 1960's album: www.flickr.com/photos/queenslandstatearchives/albums/72157680793930036 We hope you enjoy!

[@again5162]

I read the old photo book with Jack Evans, the guy was a machine he started off by hooking large sharks in the surf on a paddle board, he hauled them in by hand and charged bypassers on the beach to pat and take a picture with the sharks he caught. We all start out small

[@gigantor62]

Lol. I have a photo with Jack whilst I was feeding the seals as well ( circa 1967 ). I can't believe I still have it.

[@darioburatovich2240]

I enjoyed the music.....

[@thabet165]

I love australia 🇦🇺 ♥

[@flowerpower8722]

What happened to the budding industries, the pride in local achievement and optimism?.

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

united nations lima accord 1975.

[@AngryTurds]

And the labor party. 😀 "but mah feelins"

[@BCBtrucks64]

possibly 10million people in the country back then and you can tell , how good would that be !

[@ACDZ123]

F yeah .that's why I love WA. Huge state with only 3 million

[@rodneyshearer6127]

oh to go back to those days

[@AngryTurds]

Best backing music EVER. 🙃

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

You liked the warble?

[@AngryTurds]

Nope. Sarcasm translates poorly via text.

[@carcaridon]

I for one loved it. Very modern and hopeful. Like Queensland was actually thriving happily.

[@qldsafari]

Loved it👍

[@jackwhite3934]

4 lanes, hahaha. I would like to see that today. 50 years to get home.

[@CrazyWhiteVanDriver]

They aren't that bright in Qld.

[@mmmail1969]

@@CrazyWhiteVanDriver and still 2wice as bright as you! ;)

[@jcthe2nd]

the wow and flutter is strong on this one

[@jax993]

I did this drive alone with my little dog from the Gold Coast were I grew up all the way to Cairns to live in December 2022 they were still doing roadwork 🚧 😂

[@williamh2294]

the Caloundra sign at 9.42 was a replacement for an earlier one in same place... "Caloundra..Fun in the Sun"

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

Thanks for sharing William! We LOVE comments that provide deeper insight :)

[@blackdog1485]

And now in 2021, the roads are in the same condition...

[@carcaridon]

But redgo is higher

[@leighjohnston5496]

so good in so many ways. I guess the big pineapple wasn't here for this recording. so good (as tis is about our roads) in fact, as you see @11:40 .our roads were so good. our trailers didn't even need movers (steering)

[@QueenslandStateArchives]

You are right Leigh, the Big Pineapple wasn't built until 1971!

[@KateANDERSON-y5d]

Great trip back , thanks

[@bobeden5027]

They are still "Fixing" Route 1, hey?

[@danrobinson572]

Looks amazing there!

[@JudyRunolfsson]

This is straight to the point

[@lindajohnston1936]

Wonderful. Loved this trip into the past. I don’t think progress is always a good thing. The Gold Coast was wonderful in that era. Terrible now.

[@markstevenson3880]

Truly amazing, road conditions must have preservatives added. They are exactly the same 63 years latter with only 35x the traffic flow, toll fares, and a big brother to see where the traffic jams stretch out to.

[@paulnguyen8910]

The highway looks different since the pandemic began in March 2.020.

[@jackthelad9933]

Jaysus wept. The background music is enough to put anyone off.

[@divarachelenvy]

fantastic.

[@dazza2024]

Only wish we could still have those days the best state in Oz.

[@riversandtrees]

Big shout out to all my cousin's must have a Big family reunion love you all

[@Robochop-vz3qm]

Born in Southport. I recall koalas crossing the Pacific Hwy at South Tweed. 🐨

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

Now I know where some of those retro video game sounds came from.

[@thomaselliott573]

What a wonderful heritage we have. Also, what a shame that this has now been degraded for populist shallow opinions on race.

[@CrazyWhiteVanDriver]

What heritage is that exactly...

[@fonzgoose2279]

Thank you.

[@trevordickson8617]

It would be great to see this film & others like it restored & released on Blu-ray. The BFI does it for english historical films like those of Humphrey Jennings. Why can't Australia do the same sort of releases.

[@petersargeant1555]

My parents drove from Sydney to Brisbane in the early 50's, sand blowing over the road. They think that the GC is a pretty awful place, but there was nothing much there beforehand anyway.

[@johnpro2847]

Holden vehicles were king in those days ..love just looking at them

[@bigears4014]

The Australian Ford had only just started

[@trevorfitzgerald4996]

There would not have been 2 million people in Queensland in those days. Dad was a truck driver one of the drivers told me there was about 35 miles of bitumen between Dalby and Mount Isa . Even in the 70s there was plenty of dirt roads now there plenty of bumpy bitumen roads.

[@redplanet7163]

What a shame Noosa was skipped over. I guess it was barely a blip on the map back then.

[@briancornish2076]

Brilliant film. The charismatic Roads Commissioner puts MBAs to shame.