Two Murrays: Film & Sound Archives

We went down to Canberra last Sunday (27 November) courtesy of Murrays Coaches...

Around 40 listeners came with us.

Senior curator Matthew Davies opened proceedings with a talk in the theatrette, and then we were split into groups for an intimate look behind the scenes. Archive staff gave up their Sunday to come in and take our listeners through what they do, and it was fascinating to see the often very elaborate processes involved. 

A stop-off at the Archive should be a "must" for visitors to Canberra. Historic films, television and radio programs are presented in a very accessible and interesting way. The gallery area features old news reels, Australians in combat, sporting history and much more. 

The Archive collects, preserves, interprets and shares Australia's historic and contemporary screen and sound culture. There are more than 1.6 million items in the national audiovisual collection, making it Australia's most extensive collection of moving image and sound materials.

However if you can't get to Canberra, you can still explore the NFSA collection of film, sound and emerging new media by going online. Go to www.nfsa.gov.au/collection. this is a free educational resource presenting more than 4000 downloadable clips froim Australian films and TV programs, put into context with notes from curators and teachers.