Before social media, smartphones, GPS and online travel reviews, an Australian holiday was an adventure in itself.
New book Retro Holidays Australia, by acclaimed Australian author Ian Collis, takes readers on a nostalgic journey through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, rediscovering how Australians holidayed, travelled and made their own fun.
In bookstores now, this nostalgic pictorial captures the changing face of the Australian holiday, from family road trips and caravans to camping under the stars, seaside motels, country pubs, houseboats and classic tourist attractions.
Through photographs and personal memories, the book traces the rise of the family road trip as car ownership increased, wages rose, annual leave expanded and roads improved.
Families travelled further, stayed in new forms of accommodation and discovered a growing number of attractions along the way. And with those long road trips came one question familiar to generations of parents: “Are we there yet?”
Motels such as El Dorado, Ocean View and Siesta Resort offered families something different from the traditional pub or guesthouse, with brightly coloured roadside architecture, easy car access and, increasingly, the luxury of a swimming pool.
Then there were the roadside attractions that became landmarks in their own right, from the Big Pineapple and Big Banana to the Big Lobster, Big Trout and Big Potato.
Retro Holidays Australia by Ian Collis, New Holland Publishers, RRP $49.99, available from all good bookstores or online https://au.newhollandpublishers.com.
Parra News has three copies of Retro Holidays Australia to give away. For your chance to win one, send an email to competitions@parranews.com.au with ‘Retro’ in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your contact details. Entries close Tuesday, November 24 and the winners will be notified by email. Terms and conditions are here or Parra News reception.