Journey Of A Nation

Made By the National Film Board 1947. Directed by John Heyer. Although it was commissioned as government propaganda, master documentary filmmaker John Heyer has transformed this film about the standardisation of rail gauges into a heroic poem to the nation. When the film was made, there were no less than five changes in the size of rail track between the mainland states. This meant that at each break, all passengers and goods - even elephants - had to be offloaded and change trains. Journey of a Nation puts the case for a uniform gauge throughout the country, emphasising the economic cost in times of peace and the possible threat to security in times of war. The rail would help to connect Australia's far-flung settlements and break down the isolation of the outback.