[Wallace Clarke Home Movies: Reel 9]

Wallace Clarke was an amateur filmmaker during the 1960s to the 1990s. Wallace was particularly keen on capturing both the Australian landscape and the people who enjoyed it. As well as Australian urban settings and some world travels, Wallace’s films focus on the many hiking and camping destinations that he visited.

Often carrying the credit, ‘A Walkabout Film’, Wallace’s movies indicate that he was part of a nature study and walking group called ‘The Walkabouters Club of Victoria Inc’. The ‘Walkabouters’ formed in 1968 as a result of a Council of Adult Education (CAE), Outback Study Tour to Central Australia. Some of the attendees decided to start the Club in order to continue educative walks particularly around Victoria. The Club encouraged their resident artists and photographers to capture their activities.

The collection of Wallace’s films was donated to ACMI by his widow Gwenda Clarke and is shot on various formats, predominantly Standard 8mm and Super 8mm film.

This film shows scenes from around the Northern Territory as Wallace and companions travel by car, with what appears to be camping gear packed on the roof, to Kulera, Finke River and Tempe Downs. As always, Wallace films the various landscapes as he travels.

Originally made on Super 8mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:02:00 road sign ‘Kulgera 168’ followed by views of the long dusty red road ahead from the moving car and a handmade sign for ‘Goody Lookout’
00:00:30:00 sign ‘Finke River’, the river and a low bridge which the travellers’ car crosses
00:01:05:00 metalwork sign for ‘NTRB Henbury Meteorites Reserve’ followed by driving scenes through dusty scrub
00:03:14:00 a hopping kangaroo and a Northern Territory magpie goose walks through long grasses
00:03:35:00 old cattleyards
00:03:45:00 Kings Canyon and many views of surrounding countryside
00:09:46:00 a golden full moon at night