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Australian life and culture

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Protester holding a placard that reads, Our Future is in Your Hands

Leigh Henningham, Protester holding a placard that reads, Our Future is in Your Hands, during the School Strike 4 Climate rally, Melbourne, 21 May 2021, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2956718607

Protest and dissent research guide

Use this guide to help find and access resources about the movements that have shaped social and cultural change in Australia.

Research guide
Protester holding a placard that reads, Our Future is in Your Hands

Leigh Henningham, Protester holding a placard that reads, Our Future is in Your Hands, during the School Strike 4 Climate rally, Melbourne, 21 May 2021, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2956718607

Environmental protests

Use this guide to help find and access resources in our collection about Australia's climate action protests, anti-mining protests and the Franklin Dam blockade. 

Research guide
1904 camera

Harold Cazneaux's first camera, 1904, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141166704

Harold Cazneaux (1878–1953) was perhaps Australia's best-known photographer of the early twentieth century. He purchased this camera in 1904, shortly after moving from Adelaide to Sydney, and made photographs of Sydney's streets and waterways.

In 1909 he became the first Australian photographer to exhibit his works in a solo show.

Cazneaux was a master of the pictorialist style of photography, using soft focus to capture scenes that were - and remain - familiar to many Australians in a new light. He was able to find a timeless, extraordinary beauty in the everyday.

Cazneaux collection

A large collection of glass negatives, papers and photographs dating mostly from 1904 to 1940 depicting many aspects of Australian life and architecture

Collection guide
Screenshot of an old website with a blue colour scheme, open to a page with information about the 2000 Paralympics with an image of an athlete running

Official site of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, captured in the Australian Web Archive, 3 October 2000 (view online)

About the Australian Web Archive

Just as a regular library gathers together books and manuscripts, the Australian Web Archive (AWA) collects online publications.

Information article
A National Library oral historian conducting an interview with a young woman
COVID-19 in Australia oral history project

The Library is recording interviews with a diverse range of Australians to ensure that stories of the COVID-19 pandemic are captured for present and future generations.

News article
Text reading 'Greetings from Barcaldine' with illustrations from around the town

Barcaldine, Qld, c. 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140673077

Australian postcards from the early twentieth century

Take a look at some of the postcards we hold from the first half of the twentieth century and the messages they were sent with.

Blog
A black-and-white group photo of participants from the Asian Lesbian and Gay Pride Group at the 1994 Mardi Gras. The group wears theatrical costumes with fans and headpieces, posing together with smiling faces, showcasing cultural pride and creative expression.

William Yang, Asian Lesbian and Gay Pride Group at Mardi Gras, 1993, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-146597233

William Yang: Documenting Mardi Gras

Learn about one of Australia's great storytellers and his photography documenting Australia’s most fabulous parade.

Blog
Magazines and books from the 00s and 90s spread out, including the 'Australian Women's Weekly: Children's birthday cake book' and a document titled 'Y2K: State disaster contingency plan'
Discovery video: 90s and 00s Nostalgia

Join Madeline and Allister as they dive into our collection and discover items from the '90s and '00s.

Video
A group of four people who are very colourfully dressed, holding signs in a park. There are more groups of colourful people in the background.

Jiayuan (Tyr) Liang, The LGBTIQA+ Communities Assemble at Light Square Before at the Pride March, Adelaide, 5 November, 2022, nla.obj-3144558245

Celebrating Pride Month with new collection items

See some new photographs in our collection, taken at 2022 Pride events held in Adelaide and Perth.

News article
Reckoning by Magda Szubanski.png

Reckoning: A Memoir by Magda Szubanski

Australian pride histories and biographies: Recommendations from the National Library

To mark WorldPride 2023 and the 45th Anniversary of the Sydney Mardi Gras, the National Library has curated a selection of books on the LGBTQIA+ experience and culture.

Blog
A black and white image of a group of mean demonstrating. The man front and centre is holding a microphone to his mouth, while the man to the right is holding a megaphone speaker up in the air. There are placards and flags in the air in the background.

William Yang, Dennis Altman and Craig Johnston, Gay Demonstration, Macquarie Street, Sydney, 1981, nla.obj-136863821

A new oral history interview with Dennis Altman

In 2022, Australian writer, academic and gay rights campaigner Dennis Altman was interviewed by Robert Reynolds for the National Library's Oral History collection.

News article
A black-and-white postcard depicting a forest scene with a large wooden structure resembling a natural shelter or barricade. The structure is made from wooden logs and branches, arranged in a semi-circle or arch. The dense forest in the background features tall trees, ferns, and thick underbrush, creating a secluded and mysterious atmosphere. The ground appears rough, with scattered debris and fallen logs. The image is reminiscent of a hidden or protected space within the wilderness.

Postcard of a sketch by William Knight of a native camp, Midlands, Tasmania, sketch made on the spot, 1924, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3265441693

Bates Collection

Papers, maps, photographs and other publications largely relating to Daisy Bates' research on Indigenous Australians.

Collection guide

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