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Australian Outdoors magazine

Date1960

Object number00040715

NameMagazine

MediumInk on paper

Dimensions272 x 197 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis January 1960 edition of the 'Australian Outdoors' magazine features two women in bikinis with longboards on the cover. Together with an article on the 'Man behind the surfing revolution', the magazine includes information on 'Fishing, Hunting and all the high adventure sports'.HistoryThe 'Australian Outdoor' magazine, which covered surfing, boating, hunting and other outdoor sports, was the closest thing to a surfing magazine in the late 1950s. The first known surf oriented Australian publication was called 'The Surf', and came out In December 1917. In all there were 20 weekly issues published until April 1918. From 1918 until the 1960s there was no specific magazine that concentrated solely on surfing, though more broadly focused magazines such as 'Australian Outdoors' ran articles on the growing sport. In August 1960 a colour covered magazine was published in America, though it only lasted three editions. In the same year the annual 'Surfer' was first released in America, while 1961 saw the launch of 'The Australian Surfer', which only lasted two issues. In early 1962 came Australia’s first major long term magazine titled 'Australia’s Surfing World', and in August of 1962 'Surfabout Australasian Surfer' was produced and this lasted until the spring of 1968.SignificanceAs well as documenting beach fashions from the early 1960s, the magazine is an important record of the developing image of Australian identity featuring an outdoor sporting lifestyle of swimming, surfing, sailing and boating under sunny tropical skies.