[Wallace Clarke Home Movies: Reel 29]

Wallace Clarke was an amateur filmmaker who was particularly keen on capturing the Australian landscape from the 1960s to the 1990s. 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 is about a trip around North Queensland to locations such as Townsville and National Parks. Wallace films the wonderful brolga water birds of the title but also captures the dramatic Wallaman Falls in Girringun Park, which is Australia’s highest permanent single drop waterfall, and the Little Crystal Creek Bridge on Mount Spec Rd in Paluma Range National Park. The bridge and Mt Spec Road are of particular interest as both are listed heritage sites on the Queensland Heritage Register and were constructed during the Great Depression in the 1930s using mostly unskilled labour and with the application of ‘Unemployment Relief Scheme’ funds. Mt Spec Road remains substantially intact throughout the 18km of its length and demonstrates an extensive and now uncommon use of concrete arch culverts, dry stone walling and stone-paved gutters. Also, the very picturesque bridge is the only identified concrete arch bridge dressed with stone remaining in service in Queensland.

Originally made on Super 8mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:02:00 titles ‘A Walkabout Film’, ‘Where Brolgas Dance’, ‘Filmed by WHC’
00:00:27:00 the ‘Air Cloud’ tour boat moored at a pier
00:00:32:00 looking out from the pier over a lake or river followed by boats sitting on sand and mud when the tide is out and remains of old jettys
00:01:03:00 views of boats moored at jettys and piers
00:02:09:00 sunflowers in the foreground of mountains
00:02:27:00 the ‘Burdekin Bridge’ rail and car bridge in Queensland
00:03:38:00 sugar cane, wetlands and lily pads and roaming cattle
00:04:13:00 a large spider web in the wetlands complete with black spider in the middle
00:04:30:00 driving through Townsville in Queensland, and past the ‘T&G Building’
00:06:13:00 views of brolgas standing in grass and flying overhead
00:07:52:00 signs for ‘Mt Spec National Park’ and ‘Little Crystal Creek’
00:07:59:00 views of the Little Crystal Creek Bridge and the creek itself with its lovely rocky banks
00:08:24:00 a roadside picnic and exploring under the bridge
00:08:54:00 sign for ‘McClelland Bridge’ followed by scenic views of mountains and waterways
00:10:06:00 driving through the rainforest
00:10:48:00 views of the dramatic Wallaman Falls
00:11:01:00 sign for the Falls with facts and information for campers
00:11:34:00 sightseers at a lookout
00:12:03:00 a small modest road bridge
00:12:16:00 title ‘The End’