This clip shows the crowd at what is probably the Melbourne Cup during the Spring Carnival of 1896.

This actuality footage shows a steam ferry docking at the Milsons Point Ferry Wharf in 1899. Workers prepare to receive the ferry as passengers on board ready for disembarkation.

This actuality footage shot in 1899 shows electric trams in Queen Street, Brisbane, with the Treasury building and Victoria Bridge in the background.

This clip shows the end of the 1896 Melbourne Cup horse race through the onlooking crowd. Newhaven wins.

Summary by Elizabeth Taggart-Speers

This actuality footage from 1899 begins with a shot of commuters on a Sydney railway platform approaching an incoming train. A man holds a folded newspaper, while one woman carries a parasol.

This actuality footage shot in 1899 shows electric trams in Queen Street, Brisbane, with the Treasury building and Victoria Bridge in the background.

This actuality footage from 1899 begins with a shot of commuters on a Sydney railway platform approaching an incoming train. A man holds a folded newspaper, while one woman carries a parasol.

This clip shows a group of men posing for the camera at the 1896 Melbourne Cup. Unfamiliar with moving image, the men remain still as if posing for a photograph.

This clip shows the end of the 1896 Melbourne Cup horse race through the onlooking crowd. Newhaven wins.

Summary by Elizabeth Taggart-Speers

This actuality footage from 1899 shows a horse-drawn load of cane arriving at a conveyor belt at a sugar mill in Nambour, Queensland.