NFSA Film Australia

Inside Australia’s Early Road Trains | Moving Cattle Across the Northern Territory | 1959

In the vast cattle country of Australia’s Northern Territory, moving livestock across enormous distances was one of the great challenges of outback life. Before modern transport networks, drovers guided cattle across stock routes stretching hundreds of miles through remote terrain. This Australian Colour Diary explores the arrival of the road train - a revolutionary new method of transporting cattle across the outback. Featuring a massive Rolls-Royce-built road train hauling three trailers and carrying more than 80 cattle, the film captures a turning point in Australian rural industry and transport history. Filmed against the dramatic landscapes of the Northern Territory, this short documentary offers a fascinating glimpse into Australia’s cattle trade, remote station life, and the engineering innovations that reshaped the outback. The Australian Diary Series (1947–1970) records aspects of everyday life, industry and production in mid‑20th‑century Australia. To watch more Australian Diary films visit: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297 👉 Subscribe for more restored Australian documentaries, rare archive films and untold screen history: https://www.youtube.com/@NFSAFilmAustralia?sub_confirmation=1 00:00 Opening - Cattle on the stock route 00:38 Life in the Northern Territory outback 01:04 The search for better cattle transport 01:13 The Rolls-Royce road train arrives 01:32 Australia’s meat industry and exports 01:45 Loading the giant road train 02:17 Crossing the open road 02:24 Travelling “the easy way” From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Title: Australian Diary No. 009 NFSA ID: J2ARPVSF Catalogue ID: 1400 Year: 1959 Credits: Production Company: Australian News And Information Bureau. Film Division Producer: Australia. Dept of the Interior Director: Jack S. Allan #RoadTrain #AustralianOutback #NorthernTerritory #AustralianHistory #NFSA #FilmAustralia