Sometimes being easily distracted can be a good thing. Sometimes.
A few months back I was on the State Library’s website, hunting for images to use in my book (check here if you don’t know what book I’m on about), when I found myself in one of those procrastination vortexes. You know, like when you get so fascinated by something online that you just keep clicking and clicking until you realise it’s been hours and you’ve forgotten what you were even doing? Yep, one of those. Anyway, on this occasion, it was old hiking photos that sucked me in. The State Library has a lot of them.
I’m not sure exactly what it is about them. Everything, I suppose. The different clothes. The different cameras. The flaws in the photos. The hilarious fact that some of us are now so obsessed with using Instagram to emulate such flaws. I love imagining who the people were, how they lived, and how they ended up in the photos. I can stare at them for hours.
So in order to justify my hours of procrastination, I’ve thrown together a blog post featuring the best 25. They’re all shot in Australia (and mostly in Victoria) except for one from the Milford Track, which was just too good to leave out. The most recent is from 1970, but a couple of them are thought to be dated around 1890. Wow.
Hover over them to see the titles and dates. Click to zoom in and see them properly. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
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![Mt. Buffalo from Mt. Howitt [Vic.] (1935)](https://www.bushwalkingblog.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/pi004728.jpg "Hiking through history: 25 hiking photos from the State Library of Victoria's archives")
- Mt. Buffalo from Mt. Howitt [Vic.] (1935)
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- The Crosscut [Vic.] (1935)
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- From Mount Howitt [Vic.] (1935)
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- Man standing on log in front of waterfall (ca. 1890-ca. 1910)
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- Jamieson River, Vic (1937)
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- Group hiking beside a creek and waterfalls (1970)
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- The beauties of Wonderland, Grampians, Vic. (ca. 1890-ca. 1900)
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- Big Stoney Lower Falls (between 1890 and 1910)
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- Big Stoney Upper (between 1890 and 1910)
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- Big Stoney Camp, Lorne (between 1890 and 1910)
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- Two men resting by unidentified forest stream, country Victoria (1909)
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- Hiking to falls in Victoria (ca. 1915-ca. 1930)
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- Towards Mt. Feathertop, half-way from Mt. Hotham (between 1928 and 1935)
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- The Overland track to Milford Sound, New Zealand (1915)
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- Three men climbing a rocky cliff face (ca. 1910-ca. 1920)
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- Hiker starting trek to lighthouse, Wilsons Promontory (1954)
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- Spur from west peak of Mt Howitt down to Howqua River (1940)
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- Cliff face with two men sitting on boulder on lower right, Mt. Buffalo, Vic (ca. 1890 – ca. 1930)
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- Man and woman hiking through snow, Mount Buffalo (ca. 1900 – ca. 1930)
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- View looking over The Grose Valley, Blackheath, Blue Mountains (ca. 1930-ca. 1950)
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- Winter, Mt. Buffalo (ca. 1910 – ca. 1930)
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- The Hump, Mt. Buffalo (ca. 1910 – ca. 1930)
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- Walking group resting by the side of the track, Tasmania (ca. 1880 – ca. 1910)
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- The Blue Mountains, near Wentworth Falls (ca. 1910 – ca. 1915)
Which is your favourite photo (I couldn’t pick one myself)? Got some old photos of your own? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
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Hi Ken,
Thanks for checking them out. That is an awesome one indeed. I hadn’t even thought about the whole carrying of camera equipment thing. I struggle enough to get my DSLR around. Imagine how heavy they were back then!
It would be interesting to see what the other libraries have in their archives. I might even have a look myself if I have a spare few hours haha.
Cheers
Neil
Thanks for finding these. From Mount Howitt [Vic.] (1935) is a fantastic photo.
The number of 3D is surprising. Spur from west peak of Mt Howitt down to Howqua River (1940) looks like an amateur effort, so impressive to take the necessary equipment up there. In colour as well, and survived, so probably early Kodachrome. Note how the guys shirt is ripped.
When I get the time I’ll have a look at what NSW has.