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Surf Beach Bush Lorne Victoria, Australia
Surf Beach Bush Lorne Victoria, Australia

Surf Beach Bush Lorne Victoria, Australia

Publisher
Date1930s
Object number00037549
NamePoster
MediumPhotolithograph
DimensionsOverall: 1000 x 700 mm, 0.6 kg
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis Victorian Railways poster No 144 encouraged visitors to travel to the fishing village of Lorne for surf, beach and bush holidays. The move towards paid annual leave in the 1930s allowed more people to travel for holidays. Railways were crucial to opening up coastal tourism and making it more affordable. The Victorian State Tourism Bureau remained an agency of Victorian Railways until 1959.HistoryThe move towards paid annual leave in the 1930s meant more people had time to travel. A part from a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon cruise, only the railways offered travel that was within the budget of most Australians. In 1929 the Australian National Tourism Authority, based in Melbourne, commissioned journalists and graphic artists who had worked for the Victorian National Railways Betterment Board to produce posters for every Australian state. As states invested heavily in rail transport there was pressure to provide tourist facilities to keep the travelling public using the railways. To overcome the limitations of fixed rail routes a marketing campaign was developed between state railways and tourist bureaus.SignificanceVictorian Railways produced travel posters aimed at overseas and interstate tourists from the 1920s. Alluring beach imagery featured strongly in the graphic design of posters promoting coastal tourism. By 1936 Victorian Railways ran an average of five tourism routes a week with cheap Sunday fares.