April 7, 2014
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app uncovers earliest aerial footage of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app
The University of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app Library has uncovered the earliest known aerial footage of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app, taken from a biplane in 1938.
“The footage was commissioned by C.F.T. Jackson – local representative for federal politician William Wentworth – to survey land available for development in the Port Kembla area,” ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app historian Dr Glenn Mitchell said.
The four minute black and white film opens with the biplane VH-UUI taxing at Mascot airport and cuts to the view as it flew south over ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s northern suburbs, past the township of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app, around Tom Thumb’s Lagoon and Port Kembla, then on to Shellharbour and Kiama.
“The footage is a significant historic record and we are pleased to be able to make it available to the wider community as part of our ongoing digitisation program,” Director of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s Library Services Ms Margie Jantti said.
“The extent of Tom Thumb’s Lagoon is quite amazing,” Ms Jantti added.
The original 16mm reel was digitised for the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app Library by DamSmart, Canberra, and can be viewed below via YouTube.
Media contact: Ms Karen Illesca, Communications and Promotions Coordinator at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app Library, +61 2 4221 3284 or kareni@uow.edu.au.