West Wyalong Movies' slogan "Bringing local history to life" captures the essence of Principal and producer Ross Harmer's passion to capture and share local history from Australian country towns.
Through the sale of DVDs West Wyalong Movies has also proudly supported the Griffith Show Society, Ungarie Show Society, West Wyalong Historical Society, The West Wyalong Family History Group, Temora Education Fund and Central Hope Cutters Red Dirt Run.
“Mark this one in your calendar. The Urana vintage rally and truck show. A great opportunity to get off the farm and come together to chew the fat and to celebrate what is absolutely wonderful about living in our part of the world” - Hon Susan Ley MP.
Running time approx 44 minutes.
From the introduction of the Chapman wheat sack to the development of sealed bunker storages. This DVD tells the story of the change over from bagged wheat, to handling the nations wheat crops by bulk handling. As seen through the eyes of the farmers who lived through this transition.
Running time approx 1 Hour 40 minutes.
This 5 part DVD showcases various aspects of West Wyalong and district over the last 125 years.
The Irishman tells the story of Thomas O'Shaunassey's journey to the gold fields of Wyalong.
Healing Tribute to the Bush, shot in 1927 at the then eucalyptus oil factory, situated on the northern outskirts of West Wyalong.
Sandersons of Billabong. Scenes of Billabong Station and the Sanderson family circa 1931.
Draw a Circle. Draw a circle 100km in radius centred on present day West Wyalong and you have the story of the kelpie sheepdog. Features the 1951 film, "A man and his dog" shot on the property Cowal West, now the site of the Evolution Gold Mine.
West Wyalong Celebrates 75 years, as seen through the camera of Ken Gibson.
Running time approx 1 Hour 6 minutes.
From the films of George Robb, Jack Hoskinson and Eric Henderson comes Snapshots of Ungarie.
Scenes of times and people in Ungarie from the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Running time approx 1 Hour 16 minutes.
From the Corryong high country, to the western plains of Bogan Gate, comes the stories of the light horse, the rodeo men, the last of the wagonette drovers. The saddler, the barrel racer, polocross and polo. The equestrian, the kids of pony club. Australian stockmen, campdrafting and bronco branding, bush picnics to Melbourne Cup. And let’s not forget the dastardly deeds of bushrangers.
Rebecca Ashton AKA “The Saddle Angel” comes to Earth to show how the spirit and origins of Australian horsemanship is alive and well today as ever, as Aussies young and old take to the saddle.
Running time approx 2hrs 46 minutes
Stories Include:
That Care That Ate Wyalong
Wallace World
Bridgestone Precision Driving Team
Checkpoint Tallimba
1989 Kings of the Forest
Daredevil Danny
West Wyalong Movies was released in 2008 and was the first part of a series of documentaries exploring the past of West Wyalong and the South West of NSW. DVD chapters include: "West Wyalong Wheat", "Eucalyptus Oil", "That Crooked Street" and "Show of '73".
West Wyalong Movies 2 - the Saga of the South West Continues was released in 2010 and follows on from the first DVD West Wyalong Movies. West Wyalong Movies 2 features sections on “Women on the Bland” and “Quandialla Rodeo” and more.
The West Wyalong Movies and West Wyalong Movies 2 DVDs look at the region’s sometimes wild past - in beef, then gold, then wheat and sheep. It looks at the very fortunes of life on the land, and takes a peek at the future. Whilst the focus has primarily been on South West NSW, the stories being shared are easily related to anywhere across the Australian wheat belt.
Tractors, Trains, Headers & Hay is a brief account of the evolution of machinery in the Australian wheat belt. It is educational, entertaining and the first of its kind.
Over six chapters and a running time of approximately 100 minutes, Tractors, Trains, Headers & Hay recounts stories including: tractors from the post-war period; the experiences of men who worked the pioneer wheat rail line; the evolution of tillage from the hoe to broadacre machinery; the lost art of sheaf hay making; and the incredible story of how one lazy man took the drudgery out of harvest with the development of the first modern header.
The DVD chapters are:
Chapter 1 Talking tractors with Don and Bryan
Chapter 2 The steel highway
Chapter 3 Heading in the right direction
Chapter 4 Tilling the soil
Chapter 5 Making hay
Chapter 6 Keeping the dream alive
This informative DVD, released in September 2012, is a must-have for anyone who has had an interest in, or association with, machinery and farming in the Australian wheat belt.
These stories were shot by Ken Gibson from West Wyalong's Bland Studios. He was a professional cameraman who captured the history of this part of the world for many years. This DVD captures precious footage of every major happening in the Wyalong district between the years of 1975 and 1979, including significant developments, prominent locals as well as school and theatrical performances.
Released in April 2013, this is a must have for anyone who was a local or knew a local during the period of this film. Are you a movie star in this film??
Originally made for the Henty Header Museum and the Millthorpe Golden Memories Museum as a display aid, the story on this DVD was expanded with the inclusion of footage shot by Headlie Taylor before and during his trip to Canada in 1931 to open a factory to produce his Sun Auto Header Harvester for the North American Market under the Massey Harris brand.
Whilst there he took the opportunity to visit the Massey Harris development farm to witness and film the Massey Harris engineers both test and evaluate their own experimental designs but those of their competitors.
This DVD gives you the chance to view never before seen footage outside the Taylor Family of harvest machinery shot from the perspective of a man who was arguably Australia's greatest ever inventor, Headlie Taylor, farther of the HST.
Running time approx 50mins.
Local history brought to life!
West Wyalong Movies has launched its latest DVD, Kikiora Farming.
Hear the stories of the shearers, stock and station agents and relatives of those living on the western edge of the wheat belt in the 1950's and 60's.
"Tried and Tested" will take you back to a time when Chamberlain machinery and tractors were put to work at a field day near Robinvale, Victoria.
"Rankin Springs is West" offers another look at a bygone era in Australian life in the 1950's. Funded by Shell, this original film shows the lifestyle of country families before electricity reached the bush.
The DVD runs 1 hour 27 minutes.
Looking for a sneak peek? Watch it now!
Sit back with a few mates and some lite refreshments for we have for you 2 hours of farming action with no commentary to interrupt the conversation. Machines of all makes and models from tractors to headers , tillage to hay making and all hard at work because it’s a bumper year.
Millthorpe on the central table lands of NSW was a centre for vegetable growing as well as cereals and livestock. A true mixed farming area this film from the 1950s shows life on the land and the way it was done backin the day.
Also includes vintage tractor man Newton Williams from the swan Hill Pioneer Park reviewing the 2013 NHMA rally at Mudgee and some of the tractors on display.
Tree huggers BEWARE! This DVD contains images of the men and women of Australia building a nation.
Approximate running time: 2 hours
One hour of trucking action across the Riverina from the 1930’s to today.
Approximate running time: 1 hour
Scenes of Ariah Park. Taken from the films of Dot Harris, Jim Davey and Ian Sherwood
Scenes of Condoblin from the 1960's and 1970's. Taken from the films of Allan Dawson
The story of the Australian working heavy horse told by those lives depended on them and their ability to pull the heavy loads.
Barmedman Cetenary
Mineral Pool
Checkpoint Tallimba
The Great Escape
Gibsonvale Tin
Ungarie Storm
Billy's Gold
Drysdale's Wyalong
Travel the railway the safe way. In the late 19th and early 20th century it was the train that transformed the vast pastural runs into wheat farms and established many towns and villages. For town and city dwellers it was light rail or trams that took you from one end of the city to the other before the rise of the car.
Stories include:
The Steel Highway
Burcher Derailment
The Melbourne Cable Tramway System
Plus News Stories and Footage of all things “Train”
Reminiscence of Ariah Park. Produced by West Wyalong Movies for The Ariah Park Commitee.
It features news stories of Temora from the mid 1970s to early 1980s with interviews and a special voxpop of the people of Temora about their local newspaper draw form the RVN2 , the riverinas fist tv station, held by the CSU riverina Archives.
West Wyalong Movies 4 – Wambyone, even today its name still stirs emotions in the minds of those who followed the picnic race circuit.
For a hundered and fihty years and three rushes some one has allways been looking for gold in the gullies beneath Billyslookout.
A wedding in Quandialla during the wettest year on record becomes the greatest story of love.
Iconic photos and the stories behind them.
It was so good they wrote a song about it. The Maher Cup song with an interview with John Kelly, Player and Official. Plus a special tribute to the late Ron Crowe.
There is more to minning in West Wyalong than Gold . Millers Metals, the small family company that is West Wyalongs biggest success story.
Where a railway line crossed a bush highway a town was built that became a community. Made for the centenary of Quandialla and includes some stories from West Wyalong Movies 2 plus two new stories of how the town began and its institutions that made it a community.
This is the story of how a meandering cattle pad became a state highway and the main street of West Wyalong.
For 30 years, West Wyalong was denied the status of the township by officialdom and the struggles to become recognised as such are the basis of the film.
Produced by West Wyalong Movies in co-operation with Bland Shire Council for the 125th celebration of the discovery of the Wyalong goldfields.
A look at the development of the Australian Harvest decade by decade. Includes Rice Harvest.
Approximate running time: 1 Hour 45 Mins
The Difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.
Contains rare footage of such tractors in their working days.
Approximate Running Time - 1 hr 11 mins
Every year the teamsters gather at a place called Barellan. With them comes the blacksmiths and the farriers, the rabbiters, the whipmakers, the shearers and the camp oven cooks to celebrate how Australia was made.
Running time 1hr 5 minutes