Woy Woy - "The Venice of Australia"
From the National Film & Sound Archive, this movie is 7 minutes in length.
See it here.
In this 1936 film by Claude Flemming, a
young girl and her Uncle make a trip to Woy Woy by train and visit the various attractions on the Woy Woy peninsula, including - Woy Woy Bowling Club, a cruise on Woy Woy Bay, Ettalong Beach, Ocean Beach, Pearl Beach, a trip through The Rip, Patonga and Staples Lookout.
The wonderful scenery, beaches, mountains, horse riding and fishing are featured.
The narrator tells a little of the history of the area and recommends the location as an ideal holiday destination.
Graham Shirley posted this extra information on YouTube where the film was initially "discovered" -
"It is indeed a period gem of a film. According to articles accessed via Trove Digitised Newspapers, it was commissioned by Woy Woy Council in Dec 1935 and completed by Mar 1936. It is not known when its public premiere took place, but it was screened privately at Newcastle's Civic Theatre in May 1936. Director-narrator Claude Flemming appears periodically throughout the film - initially arriving at railway station, after which he plays lawn bowls and takes a boat trip. Flemming also directed Peter Finch's first but now-lost film, 'The Magic Shoes', at Pagewood Studios, Sydney, in the mid-1930s."
Subsequent information indicated it was screened in picture theatres around Australia.
See it here.
Peninsular Paradise
This 40 minute film from an Island resident - Vivian Sale - is a follow-up on the original 1936 "Woy Woy - The Venice of Australia" film. Again it follows the "same" Sally who travels with her Uncle to the Peninsula in 1936 then again in 2016. It’s been 80 years since the film was released and so much has changed.
We follow Sally, her Uncle and friends as she moves through the Peninsula again, 80 years later.
The original and new films are interleaved, covering the 1936 and 2016 venues with new and changed areas, added information, interviews and anecdotes.
More information, and the actual film are here.