The United Nations has declared that 2021 is the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.
To mark the occasion, our Food, Glorious Food curated collection looks at Australia's history of food production – from the paddock to the plate.
In the post-Second World War years, primary industry in Australia was flourishing – aiding a healthy economy and a booming population.
Australia's agricultural practices were a huge source of national pride for Australians, as our produce was exported to many other parts of the world.
Sunny Harvest (1959), made by the Commonwealth Film Unit, follows the journey of a seasonal worker as he experiences the processes of growing, canning and exporting some of Australia's finest produce:
Sunny Harvest (Director: John Gray), 1959. Commonwealth Film Unit. NFSA title: 25936
Australia's food production didn't stop at fruit and veg.
As you'll see in Food, Glorious Food, canecutters in North Queensland carried out their back-breaking work in blistering heat, busy beekeepers in New South Wales were constantly on the move and, in the Northern Territory, the cattle weren't about to muster themselves!
Meanwhile, in the factories, Australian manufacturers were making use of the most cutting-edge equipment of the time.
A tour of this biscuit factory in 1951 shows ingenious machines churning out millions of biscuits, ready for the skilled workers to package up for distribution:
'Ingenious Machines Produce Biscuits by the Million', Australian Diary 46, 1951. National Film Board. NFSA title: 67216
Every year since 1823, Australians have come together to celebrate all of these rural practices at The Greatest Show on Earth, as we can see from this short film about the Sydney Royal Easter Show, made by the National Film Board in 1947:
'The Greatest Show on Earth', Australian Diary 6 (Director: Jack S Allan), 1947. National Film Board. NFSA title: 1398
Australians still take pride in our agricultural sector, nowadays hopefully with a deeper and broadening respect and understanding of the land through education and shared knowledge with its traditional owners.
Explore more about Australia's food journey – and revisit some early advertisements for well-known food products – in our Food, Glorious Food curated collection.
From farm to factory to table, this collection of films spanning almost a century shows the changing face of Australia's rural and industrial landscapes.
The Aussie barbecue is a timeless ritual that is ingrained in our culture.
In the 1960s, the Australian government created Life in Australia as a marketing tool to sell potential 'New Australians' from Europe the idea of a prosperous, happy life down under.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.
