Portrait of an Australian

1963, 26 Minutes

Using paintings, illustrations and folk song, this black and white film traces the origins and development of an Australian tradition—that mythical character, the typical Australian.

From the moment the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove, the Australian character, or the Australian myth, began to grow. The earliest days of white colonialism saw the strength and resilience of the explorers and bushmen eulogised and celebrated. From the risk-taking adventurers of the gold rushes, and free, outdoors life of the swaggies and shearers, to the brave diggers of the First World War, this film examines the types of masculinity that have contributed to a portrait of Australian identity.

An Australian Commonwealth Film Unit Production