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Come to the Beach by Train
Come to the Beach by Train

Come to the Beach by Train

Publisher
Printer
Date1930s - 1940s
Object number00037550
NamePoster
MediumPhotolithograph
DimensionsOverall: 1000 x 700 mm, 0.6 kg
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionPoster reading 'Come to THE BEACH by train' produced by Victorian Railways. This Victorian Railways poster (No 240) is part of a state government campaign to encourage coastal tourism along with train travel in the late 1930s and 1940s. At this time annual leave was becoming a reality for more Australians and seaside holidays were marketed as a desirable and affordable family holiday.HistoryA part from a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon cruise, only the railways offered travel that was within the budget of most Australians. 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. The Victorian Tourism Bureau remained an agency of Victorian Railways until 1959. Victorian railways produced travel posters aimed at tourists from overseas and interstate from the 1920s. Alluring beach imagery featured strongly in the graphic design of posters to promote coastal tourism. 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. By the 1930s ANTA had commissioned posters for every Australian State emphasising tourist sites and regions. ANTA also established 'Walkabout' magazine in 1934. SignificanceFrom the 1920s Victorian Railways produced travel posters aimed at the domestic and international tourists. Alluring beach imagery featured strongly in the graphic design of posters to promote coastal tourism.