Ernest Singer: On Australia's Rooftops

On Australia's Rooftops is a home movie travelogue made in 1956 by amateur filmmaker Ernest Singer. It is a family travelogue to the snowfields of Charlotte Pass in Mount Kosciuszko National Park that compares favourably to similar professional productions of the day thanks to a thoughtful script (narrated by Ernest's wife Cora), tight editing and a strong visual aesthetic.

Ernest Singer (1905-1981) was born in Vienna but relocated to Melbourne in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution. He was a keen amateur filmmaker and an active member of the Victorian Amateur Cine Society throughout the late 1950s. Filming on his favoured 16mm colour film stock, Singer's films are a mixture of travelogue, social commentary and humour, revealing aspects of Australian life that have long since vanished.

This film is from a collection of approximately 20 of Ernest Singer's 16mm and Super 8mm home movies donated to the NFSA by Ernest's children Joan and Peter.