Ross Smith’s Flight from London to Australia
Clip 2: Approaching Sydney
2 min 24 sec
Taken from the documentary Ross Smith’s Flight from London to Australia (1919)
Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be G
Availability of the complete title
Please note: this clip is silent
Curator’s clip description
From onboard the biplane, Frank Hurley films two of the crew looking down over Sydney’s harbour. He captures aerial views of Sydney’s inner harbour suburbs including Watsons Bay, Vaucluse, Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay and Rose Bay. A large crowd gathers to welcome the crew on its arrival in Sydney, with many raising their hats to the camera.
Curator’s notes
The shot of the waves lapping up against the rocks in this clip is one of the many shots inserted by Hurley to enhance his footage. It is clearly not filmed from the air and seems oddly placed, although he probably wanted to show the harbour in detail.
Lauren Williams, curator
