Route One: Highway to the Sun (1960s) - Queensland Department of Main Roads. Copy created by Queensland State Archives: www.archivessearch.qld.gov.au/...
Thats queenslinder in the state of queenslind. I shall laugh in a gay manner to your jesting ahahahaha oh my how you jest in a very modern way Sir. Do you still pay threepence for your fuel ?
Aaah the good old days when you could truly take an innocent care free relaxing holiday without the high pressure Hype of everyone trying to rip you off ! Everything is so sanitised, regimented and regulated these days it takes away the fun, spontaneity and adventure out of your holiday.
A lot of great camping and fishing spots are being bulldozed and turned into paid parking lots with firepits for RV's to pull up 6 in a row to "camp", ridiculous.
Yeah but the roads were pretty bad back then. You'd spend a lot more time sitting in bottle necked traffic, all it'd take is one crash and you would be stuck for hours. The good old days weren't always better.
@@shirelsnr Thanks for reading. No ! I can still remember what one said: "we can give you a lift, if you don't mind riding with the police". Which I accepted, as I seem to remember it was rather a hot day.
I was a kid in Brisbane Queensland during this era. It was a bloody fantastic era. We actually used to be fairly self-sufficient and manufacture white goods, cars, furniture, clothing .. you name it. In fact, just about everything that has now been offshored to slave factories in Asia, we used to make or grow ourselves. Plenty of work and a growing middle class. Now we have very little, or gig economy only work, and a shrinking middle class, many of whom are so indebted that they will be paying for their overpriced homes until death. The highway to Gold Coast upgrades never helped. It's still a congested mess that could cost you a fortune in private toll fees. In the 60's congestion was normally caused by over-heating car radiators in the hot Queensland sun, as everyone made a dash to the beach on the weekend. Yes, it gets bloody hot and humid here! Now days, congestion is caused by over population. We have very few industries remaining. Mostly everything is imported and the best of anything that is grown or produced here is exported overseas while the public are sold inferior imports or the left overs. Oh.. and the Great Barrier Reef is dying!
What toll road are you talking about,i can still drive there without paying any tolls and it's 2021 now,and i live in brisbane. There is only the bridge toll if you live on the northside,don't frorget he is talking about highway1 not the logan motorway which goes west from it. And if you don't like the toll you can always drive through the city.
@@yuk-erkmckirk9277 I did say "could" cost you a fortune in toll fees! I live at Woody Point. 2 toll points for me to get to highway1. You've got to be kidding about driving through the city along Kingsford Smith Drive! That's even more congested than the coast highway! Although I hear that the road upgrades have finally been completed, so it may have improved? Still a convoluted and out of the way route to take, especially on weekdays. Much easier for me to jump on the Gateway and pay the tolls than to be banked up in traffic in the CBD.
@@GazGuitarz you obviously don't get around Brisbane very much at all by the sound of it, i'm in the bayside south and i can get to friends at bardon in 20 mins across the gateway and Kingsford-Smith drive to the inner city bypass no problem at all during weekdays. Takes a bit longer during peak hour,but no doubt quicker than it was during roadworks. It's quicker to get to Ipswich than Ipswich rd is,try it on a gps and you'll be surprised,it is quicker than it was 20yrs ago as far as i'mconcerned. You need to get out a bit more than it sounds you do.
The best days and we had them, now its just stress and go faster,what's on the mobile ,FOMO.Im glad to have grown up then.We had loads more fun and didn't cost much to boot.
Just how l remember it as a young child. The expanse of land between the Gold Coast to Brisbane was an enormous country drive with farms. We loved it. Thank you so much for this.
My wife and I drove on our honeymoon from Melbourne to Mackay in December 1960. The unmade "road" from Brisbane on went through fields and was known as the Crystal Highway...we were lucky and only broke 2 windscreens in our VW !
@@kingdomfor1 Yep,we me a ford customline driver north of Brisbane who had broken a windscreen...they were great wraparound affairs,our VW screen was one flat sheet!
one more quick story if i may? in the early sixties, we sometimes left Brisbane for Caloundra late on Friday evening, no traffic in those days and when we got to the top of hill near the old Caloundra lighthouse, about near Arthur St. intersection, Dad would put the Chev into neutral and coast from there down towards Moffat Beach/ Tooway Lake. Our record for this is over the old Tooway Lake bridge and about 20ft up the other side, when he would put Chev back in gear and we would keep going to house on Currimundi Lake! Never any other cars around! What great days!
I love reading these stories mate. Thanks for sharing William. My mum is 65 and grew up on the Sunshine Coast. I can't wait to show her some of these vintage videos tomorrow! How times (and the scenery) have changed
@@helencarandreou7368 Hi, we used to holiday in my mother's aunt's holiday fibro house in Cooper St, right on the lake edge. dirt road then. 1st holiday was in 1958.
@@williamh2294 Yes, no flash condos those days. I remember there was nothing from Mooloolaba to Caloundra but bush. You didn't need lots of money to enjoy the beach. Just a tent or a caravan somewhere and it was paradise.
7:05 early aboriginal feeding ground. Our mob settled in beachmere to Bribie from Stradbroke island. There was still a fair of our ancestors markings all the way through the scrub. Fun fact my old man's first job was planting the pine trees all through from beachmere to glasshouse mountains. 🍻
@@QueenslandStateArchives no worries. I did the Brisbane/ Mackay overnight run for ages. My personal story was taking my old man for a run and getting stung up the footy shoots by a massive wasp in a double cresting the top of the OLD gunalda range. Holey hell what a trip to the bottom that was. 😂😂 I laugh now...
In the 90's we learnt that Aboriginals boys would travel to the Gold Coast to a sacred spot to be circumcised and leave as men, only 1000 years ago the Gold Coast was swamp jungle and may have contained crocodiles
in the mid 1960,'s, the traffic going home to Brisbane from Caloundra, was so bumper to bumper on the old single lane, each way, old Bruce Highway, we were sometimes able to get out and have a Thermos of tea and biscuits, before traffic moved again. Heading up to Caloundra from Brisbane, we would always stop for cuppa at Jowarra Park, near the old Caloundra turnoff, before heading into Caloundra and up the very steep hill, where we caught the first glimpse of the ocean. It seemed such a long way in those days, in the old '37 Chev and the old Hillman Minx! Best days ever!
William h Thank you for reminding me of how far everywhere seemed from Brisbane. My brother had a Hillman minx. Such good times. We would also stop for a cupola at Jowarra Park 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
@@kathleenrayner1234 I'm glad you remember those days as well as I do. They were a wonderful time up the North Coast then, not the "sunshine coast" in those days.
Yes I remember trips from Brisbane to Caloundra were an adventure in the old fj holden as you wound your way past the Glasshouse mountains .Great times
Our parents drove from Melbourne to Surfers Paradise in December 1969. It was like travelling to another country, it was so far. It was great for families.
My uncle and aunt did this trip from Ingham in the north to Currumbin creek each Christmas in an Austin A40. How laid back and beautiful that area was in the late 50s and early 60s. I'll never forget it.
I well remember so much of this road from my boyhood and it was an absolute delight to see it again. Especially as it was presented so nicely. A true snapshot of our wonderful and prosperous state built on the back of hard and honest workers. They were great times.
Good old days when the books were able to be balanced and the credit genie hadn’t yet escaped! Life seemed simple with less bells and whistles but more enjoyable. Like to have travelled the country back in those days. Less dickheads on the roads then!
The first three minutes are scenes that just pre-date my childhood in Broadbeach, and many trips taken south from there to Coolangatta every weekend. Lovely to see the old Lennons hotel a couple of decades after it was demolished, with all of the memories flooding back. My grandparents used to tell me of the old road from Brisbane before the highway was constructed and what a difference the new road made. I'm suddenly reminded that I'm as near to 85 as I am as far from 21 now. A lot of locals would have instantly recognised the "Koalas Cross Here at Night" roadsign at Burleigh, as well.
We did this route twice up from Sydney. once in the 60s wen I was a kid then again for good in the 70s wen I was a teen the big pineapple landing in surfers breakfast of real ozzie burgers and milkshake +chiko roll on the beach. Settled in caloundra. Stunning scenery beautiful people. Up the coast to cairns ect ect as far up and in to blackwater.those were the days. Iam a tourist in my own childhood now 😂 . this vid gave me goose bumps.
I was 5yo in 1960. We lived in Adelaide. On 2 occasions we motored from Adelaide to Mackay along Route 1. In Mackay we took a cruise on Roylan Cruises. Many scenes in this film I would have seen although to be honest because of my age I cannot claim to recall them exactly. But I am left with the impressions. Today I live in Rockhampton and travel to Gladstone and Mackay occasionally. But the road landscape has changed enormously. I occasionally catch sight of the old highway and recall that as a 5 yo I was driven along that now discarded, disused road.
That dredge they mention was the Echenias built by Walker Brothers Ship Yards Marybprpugh she built 1953 I worked on it as a deck Boykin the late 70s before she sunk off tangalooma as artifical reef
People did not drive such large distances in times past. We went to Townsville from Melbourne in 1956 to spend 6 months on Magnetic Island. It took 4 nights by train to get there. The only time people there had seen a Victorian was during troop movements to New Guinea for the war. Cars were far from common. Even in Victoria most roads were narrow. Relying on the relative low traffic volumes. How times had changed even by the time of this film.
Come on mate, this is QLD! Became stranded here in '73 & I'm still here. I still can't go backwards fast enough to keep up with the locals. I think it's the heat. QLD has provided me with a life, so I should be grateful. It would have taken QLD GOV employees at least 10 years to shoot all that footage back in the '60s. And, whoever did most of the "shooting" was pretty keen to promote 2 tone FC & FB Special sedans & wagons. The whole show reeks of shonky car dealer trying to shift trade ins. It's not as though QLD's Gov back then was rotten to the core with corruption? I notice they've edited out every skerrick of police vehicles & stations. The idea back then was to attract southern tourists, lure them up here, then relieve them of the burden of their money by any means. What's changed? I'll now review the 1st 5 mins to the heavy Gold Coast promotional section. I think I saw the odd HR in some of that. But, the whole show looks to be paid for by a Holden dealer to me & a promotion for QLD's money grubbing Dept of Main Roads. Whoever made this program would be horrified if they visited the GC now. I travelled from Nanango into Surfers last week. Cavill & Orchid Aves look like a Turkish bazzaar or a street in Beirut, complete with matching "wildlife". It's hideous, & the entire GC is a bewildering concrete jungle maze of man made junk clogged with crawling traffic & stuck up elitist freaks in flashy expensive throwaway cars made in hellhole countries by slave labour with European badges stuck to them like Mercedes, Porshe, VW, Citroen & Renault. None of them would know what an EJ was, where it came from & wouldn't care. I spotted a dusty EJ wagon under a house in Dalby last year. Think I might go chase it.
My Aunty bought a brand new EJ van in '62, the year I was born. She kept it until the day she died. I never met her son. I understand he has it now, tucked away in the dandenongs. The sedans never caught my attention, but I love the wagons, utes & vans. I'm also a lifetime fan of Grey engines & the EJ Grey was the best of 'em. I'd love to drop a stove hot Grey into an EH ute. That'd upset the Red motor lovers! A good Grey can make a reliable 160BHP, just enough to scare a healthy XU1.
Great film! I love these historical documents. Uploading them to RU-vid ensures that so many more people get to see them, and they are now just a click away for another sixty years or more. 2:33 -It appears that koalas were better protected 60 years ago than they are today, at least in some parts of Australia!
Well i am astonished. I wrote my previous comment early in the video. Gradually the story makes it's way up to Mackay where the Roylen Cruises are highlighted. The cruiser Petaj is one of the cruisers my family holidayed on. These cruisers were built in WW2 as small patrol boats, after the war they were converted to holiday cruisers.
Pity there is no mention of how the Committee pushed to have the road built - my grandfather, H J Layt, was secretary of the Committee and put in many long hours on the project, ultimately it was named Bruce Highway after the Minister for Main Roads Mr. Bruce. That was back in 1930s
Hilarious!! Queensland roads were horrendous back when this was filmed … There were punts still over some rivers going to Cairns Every bridge was single lane ! From memory, north bound had right of way , southbound had to give way? How things have changed
Gosh how things have changed so significantly in such a short time - haha Cyclone Ellie in Townsville they say, I live in Townsville, I didn’t know I named my daughter after a Cyclone 🌬🌪
@@benz1209 well the fact it’s been gmo'd to death and most fruit and vegetables now have about 30% to 40% of the nutrients they did in the 60s and 70s might give you an idea
@@benz1209 See the tomatoes packed separately and wrapped like apples? that was because they had soft skins which broke easily but when the tomatoes arrived in the local fruit shop,you could taste the aromas out in the street. Same when peaches were n season etc. All gone now ,And changed so they can be shipped by truck and stay on a supermarket shelf for a few days.
What a blast from the past! Lived at Gold Coast in early 70’s. Went to Uni in Brisbane from Bundy where I was born. Just completed a motorhome trip to Cairns. Love that part of the country!❤️👍🏼
Great find and thank you for sharing this. Hoping to find similar footage from that era around the Mid North Coast area of NSW too (unlikely in the Qld State Archives though). 🙂
Watched wonderful footage on RU-vid, maybe not exactly the area you are interested in, but thereabouts. When my brain reboots, I will try to track it down and give you the link.
@@hamlltonhope8123 That's very kind of you and thank you. I've seen a lot of NSW, east to west, north to south etc. and was brought up on the Mid North Coast, near Port Macquarie. If you do find it, that will be much appreciated. In the meantime I'll continue my searching and will pass on anything interesting as well. Warm regards - Dave
Man I feel like I was born in the wrong era at times, the 60's looked fun Now I'm working 40 hours a week just to make my half of the rent share and food to eat in the town I was born in while watching the place shed its local population from around me as they're pushed out by multimillion dollar holiday homes
I remember going to Jack Evans' pet porpoise pool on the Gold Coast when I was in my early teens. Jack would always select the best looking women in a bikini to feed the porpoises - ensuring of course that his arm was tightly around their waist to stop them falling in. I still have a photo of me feeding a seal with fish which would clap when fed.
Hi Rod, thank you for sharing that story. We found a picture of Jack Evans in our online album for you: www.flickr.com/photos/queenslandstatearchives/36761854972/in/photolist-YgBokD-Y1w7HJ-YgBnAH Grabbed from our 1960's album: www.flickr.com/photos/queenslandstatearchives/albums/72157680793930036 We hope you enjoy!
I read the old photo book with Jack Evans, the guy was a machine he started off by hooking large sharks in the surf on a paddle board, he hauled them in by hand and charged bypassers on the beach to pat and take a picture with the sharks he caught. We all start out small
John Nash , I have not seen John for 25 years. Are used to do the Royal Easter show in Sydney as ring commentator he scored many generations. Another great Australian
Didn't a comment on the couple of hundred klm of dirt road north of Rocky and dangerous low level bridges that were still there when I first went north in 75
This was produced 1966-1970 I think, the narrator mentions dollars and miles, and that makes it after February 1966, but before 1973 when metric was introduced. He briefly mentions a cyclone near Townsville; can’t be sure 100% sure but the best fit would be 1967 or 1968.
My parents drove from Sydney to Brisbane in the early 50's, sand blowing over the road. They think that the GC is a pretty awful place, but there was nothing much there beforehand anyway.
I did this drive alone with my little dog from the Gold Coast were I grew up all the way to Cairns to live in December 2022 they were still doing roadwork 🚧 😂
Truly amazing, road conditions must have preservatives added. They are exactly the same 63 years latter with only 35x the traffic flow, toll fares, and a big brother to see where the traffic jams stretch out to.
There would not have been 2 million people in Queensland in those days. Dad was a truck driver one of the drivers told me there was about 35 miles of bitumen between Dalby and Mount Isa . Even in the 70s there was plenty of dirt roads now there plenty of bumpy bitumen roads.
Back when Australians were from Australia and the Italians taught us about food and farming. Back when Brisbane to Gold Coast meant you drove past bush and trees along the way.😅
so good in so many ways. I guess the big pineapple wasn't here for this recording. so good (as tis is about our roads) in fact, as you see @11:40 .our roads were so good. our trailers didn't even need movers (steering)
