Mandatory History 2014

Explain how technology contributed to

change in the everyday life of Australians in
the 1950s

Thel1950slwaslaltimeloflgreatltechnologicallchangelinlmethodslofltransport.lThisl
hadlaldramatic
impactlonltheldailyllivesloflAustralians,lbothlsociallylandleconomically.lAustralianle
xpansionlfacilitated
byltransportation,lcombinedlwithlnewladvancementslinltheltechnologyloflcars,ltrai
nslandlairplaneslall changedlthelwaylthatlAustralianslwentlaboutltheirldailyllives
Innovationslinltransportationltechnologyloflthel1950slfacilitatedlAustralianlexpans
ion,lchanginglthe
waylinlwhichlAustraliansllived.lTransportationlplayedlalvitallrolelinlthelreconstructi
onloflpost-war
Australialduringlthel1950s.lThroughltransport,limmigrantslcameltolAustralialandlb
uildinglmaterials
werelobtained.lAtlthelstartlofltheldecade,lAustraliallackedllabourersltolfacilitatelthe
irlreconstruction
effortsladequately.lInlorderltoladdresslthislissue,lAustralialencouragedlimmigration
lfromlEuropean
countries.lBoatlandlairplanelwerelthelmeanslbylwhichlthelimmigrantslcameltolAust
ralia.lManyloflthe
newlmigrantslworkedlonlconstructioniprojects,landlbylthelendlofltheldecadelhadlb
oostedlAustralias
populationlbylonelmillion.lThelimmigrantslalsolintroducedlnewlculturesltoiAustralia
.lTransportation
technologylsuchlasltruckslandltrainslwerelpivotalltolsupplyinglmaterialsltolenablelt
helconstructionlof
newlsuburbs,lwhichlalteredlthelgeographyloflAustralia.lTransportationlplayedlalpiv
otallrolelin
Australianlexpansion,lfacilitatinglthelarrivalloflimmigrantsitolAustralialandltheltran
sferloflbuilding

Victoria Gupta

Mandatory History 2014

materials.lThroughlAustralianlexpansion,ltransportationltechnologylhadlalmajorlim
pactlonlthe lifestyleloflAustralians.
Thelmotorlcarlbecamelincreasinglylpopularlaslalformlofltransportlduringlthel1950
Source A: Traffic in Kings Cross during the 1950s

slera.

Thislradically

changedlthelwaylinlwhichlAustraliansllivedlaslitlimpactedlonlhowltheylspentltheirlt
imelandlsocial norms.lHoldenlmanufacturedlcarslinlAustralia,lthe first being the FX
Holden (1949). The second was the FJ Holden, released in 1953 and costing an
average of 1,074. By the time of its release, Australia was manufacturing Holden
vehicles at a rate of 100 per day. Motor cars became a popular mode of transport,
and a symbol of prosperity and affluence in Australia. The Australian dream during
this time became owning a house with a motor car in the garage. Houses in new
suburbs were built with carports and garages, and supermarkets were built with
car parks. The motor car also increased the leisure time of Australians, as
transportation was faster and more convenient. It also led to the rise in fast food
restaurants and open air cinemas, altering the way Australians spent their leisure
time. The car also led to the construction of many new roads. Motor cars had an
enormous social impact on Australia by facilitating mobility. Australians could now
travel when and wherever they desired, to sporting events, shops and holidays.
The motor car also contributed to urban sprawl, as people did not need to live
near public transport to get to work, as they could drive there. In 1955, there were
1 850 000 cars in Australia, and Australia had one of the largest percentages of
car ownership in the world. The motor car also had negative implications on
Australia. Although the horse faeces on roads reduced, the nature of pollution
changed. Exhaust emissions from cars caused air pollution, also posing a major
risk to public health: it increased the likelihood of respiratory diseases such as
asthma. The negative effects of the innovation of the motor car are evident in
source A, which depicts traffic congestion in Sydney during the 1950s. In cities,
traffic due to the proliferation of motor cars led to hours spent on overcrowded
roads, impacting the quality of life of Australians. The technology of the motor car
revolutionized the lifestyle of Australians.
Rail operated transport such as trams and trains also changed during the 1950s,
impacting Australian lives. The 1950s saw the demise of the once popular means
of transport, the tram, as more and more people were opting for the motor car or
train. This can also be seen in Source A, which depicts the shrinking popularity of
the tram in comparison to the motor car, which had begun to dominate roads. The

Victoria Gupta

Mandatory History 2014

development of train technology dramatically changed how Australians travelled.
Before the 1950s, most of Australias trains were steam trains. During the 1950s,
diesel locomotive trains were introduced. This was faster and cleaner than the
traditional steam train, and without rocking of the carriages. This made train rides
more pleasant for passengers. Innovations in technology in the 1950s were
leading to the demise of trams, while trains became an enjoyable and convenient
method of travelling long distances. These innovations improved the life of
everyday Australians.
There were changes in airplane design during the 1950s, which changed the
everyday lives of Australians in terms of how they travelled both domestically and
overseas. 1952 saw the global beginning of the commercial Jet Age, which was
characterised by innovations in airplane technology. Traditionally, travelling
overseas would have been by ship, and would have taken a two-months return
journey. Commercial airline services had been around in the 1930s, but flights
were expensive and the planes flew at low altitudes and were unstable. A new
airplane innovation, the Boeing 707, made flights less bumpy and much faster
than before. When paired with cheaper commercial tickets, airplanes became a
more popular means of overseas transport. Australia had two commercial
domestic aviation companies: Australian National Airways (ANA) and TransAustralia Airlines (TAA) which was managed by the government. At the end of the
1950s, Qantas, Australias overseas airline, introduced the first round-the-world
service, and regular flights to America and London. Source B is an advertisement
on the services of Qantas. It encourages people to travel using the new
technological innovation, advertising planes as a luxurious form of transport. It
demonstrates the boom in the use of commercial airplanes due to updated
technology. By the end of the decade most migrants were travelling by plane as
they were faster and more convenient. More Australians began taking overseas
holidays by plane. Despite this, noise pollution due to airplane noise reduced the
quality of life for Australians. Planes were a technology that made that improved
the way Australians lived during the 1950s, as journeys became faster and more
enjoyable.
In conclusion, technology was a major factor that caused changes to the lives of
Australians in the 1950s. Transportation facilitated the Australian reconstruction,
and although innovations in methods of transport had disadvantages, motor cars,

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Mandatory History 2014

trains and airplanes, made travelling faster and more convenient, leading to more
leisure time and on the whole, a more mobile country.

Sources

Source A: Unknown (1952). Kings Cross

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ArchivesWeb/scri
pts/ExtSearch.asp?SearchTerm=000268

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Mandatory History 2014

Source A: Sydney Archives (1950s)

Source B: Author: Qantas (1954). An advertisement for the

Qantas Super Constellation during the 1950s
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/historic-imagegallery-advertising/global/en
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Mandatory History 2014

Bibliography

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"History of the 1953-56 FJ Holden." Holden Heaven. Holden, n.d. Web. 27 Feb.
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"Historic Image Gallery." Historic Advertising Image Gallery. Qantas, n.d. Web.
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Victoria Gupta