Gathering Flame, The

1969, 21 Minutes

The sea has a certain fascination for Australians – as the largest island in the world, Australia is surrounded by sea and has 36,000 kilometres of shoreline.

Lighthouses and buoys provide a necessary landfall - a mantle of safety for all ships that enter our waters. The Gathering Flame makes magnificent use of the ocean as a background to the operation and maintenance of navigational safety aids around the country, from the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, to the Imperieuse Reef in Western Australia.

An interesting split screen effect fused with a groovy, 60s pop-inspired soundtrack makes this a fast moving, colourful documentary.

Produced by the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Shipping and Transport.
© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

EXTRAS

Lighthouse Keeper, The (1949, 11 Minutes)

There are few lonelier jobs than that of a lighthouse keeper.

Around Australia’s long coastline are the lighthouses that provide navigational aids to ships at sea. Many of them are located in isolated spots, cut off from the general society, but the people who tend them never fail to keep the lights ablaze.

This program looks at the lifestyle of a family living in the lighthouse on Maatsuyker Island, off the southwest coast of Tasmania.

An Australian National Film Board Production. Produced by the Department of Information.
© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia