New exhibition opening soon - 1975: Living in the Seventies
(L-R): Bruce Howard, Maria’s Café, Geraldton, Western Australia, ca. 1975, nla.obj-147718610; John McKinnon and Australian Information Service, Women on the march wave their placards at the International Women’s Day march, Melbourne, 1975, nla.obj-137045864; Wolfgang Sievers, Children on a swing at Tom Price, Western Australia, 1975, nla.obj-160837526; Australian Information Service, Gough Whitlam speaking on the steps of Parliament House, Canberra, 11 November 1975, nla.obj-147274349.
(L-R): Bruce Howard, Maria’s Café, Geraldton, Western Australia, ca. 1975, nla.obj-147718610; John McKinnon and Australian Information Service, Women on the march wave their placards at the International Women’s Day march, Melbourne, 1975, nla.obj-137045864; Wolfgang Sievers, Children on a swing at Tom Price, Western Australia, 1975, nla.obj-160837526; Australian Information Service, Gough Whitlam speaking on the steps of Parliament House, Canberra, 11 November 1975, nla.obj-147274349.
1975 was a year to remember.
50 years on, the National Library of Australia looks back on this amazing year and reflects on what it was like to live in the seventies.
Jaws and The Rocky Horror Picture Show filled cinemas and Picnic at Hanging Rock and Sunday Too Far Away proved that Australians wanted to see their own stories on the big screen. Australia’s favourite television show Countdown provided a soundtrack for suburban life with glam rockers Skyhooks and the infectious pop of Swedish Eurovision champions ABBA.
Flared jeans, platform shoes and burnt orange dominated fashion, all gloriously rendered on brand-new colour television sets.
Overseas, the war in Vietnam finally ended, Papua New Guinea became independent, and conflict erupted in East Timor. At home, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam struggled with rising energy prices, unemployment, and economic stagnation while also introducing major social reforms including universal health care and no-fault divorce.
The year ended dramatically when Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed Whitlam’s government on 11 November, quickly followed by an election in December ushering in Malcom Fraser as Australia’s new prime minister.
The exhibition brings together a range of objects exploring politics, conflicts and disasters, as well as popular culture, food, fashion and sport, in a colourful celebration of iconic seventies design.
The exhibition explores whether there is more to 1975 than a dose of Baby Boomer nostalgia. Looking at the collections held by the National Library of Australia reveals a much more complex story about a fascinating time in Australian history.
The 1975: Living in the Seventies exhibition is open at the National Library of Australia from 14 August 2025 to 1 February 2026. Entry is free, no booking is required.
Images for media use are available for download via Dropbox
Contact
Phone: 0401 226 697
Email: media@nla.gov.au