Rare Historical Photos Reveal Australia Like You’ve Never Seen It

Jun 23, 2025

Kate Garibaldi

In an era dominated by fast-forwarded moments and filtered realities, the VX52 Movies channel has delivered something quietly profound: a contemplative visual time capsule titled “Oldest Photos of Australia (1845–1925).” The nearly 20-minute video features carefully retouched old photos, bringing the past into clearer focus.

PetaPixel last covered VX52 Movies series historical images of Japan, from disciplined samurai warriors and Edo-era streets to sacred temples, markets, and gardens.

A Window into Australia’s Founding Years

This latest stunning collection of photographs, many of which are colorized and painstakingly restored, opens a window onto a foundational period in Australia’s national story. From the ragged silhouettes of early settlers navigating harsh, untamed frontiers to solemn portraits of Aboriginal communities whose wisdom and connection to land predate colonization by millennia, the video becomes a narrative quilt of resilience, struggle, and quiet endurance.

VX52 Movies, under its growing “Humans Are Forever” series, presents these images with quiet reverence. The visuals are accompanied by a minimalist soundtrack and no intrusive narration, a decision that encourages viewers to form their own reflections. It is this absence of commentary that gives the work its emotional weight. Here, the faces and places speak for themselves.

A large group of people in vintage swimsuits pose on rocks outside the Coogee Life Saving Club building, perched above the ocean in Australia, circa 1925.

A woman in vintage cycling gear stands beside her bicycle, surrounded by a group of men in suits and hats. The photo appears to be from the early 20th century, and the crowd looks on with interest.

The photographs themselves span 80 years, from the mid-19th century, when photographic technology was in its infancy, through to the post-Federation era. Among the images are scenes of dusty townships, stoic pioneers, busy ports, and the undisturbed wilderness. Each frame is more than a preserved moment; it is an artifact of survival in a landscape that is both breathtaking and brutal.

Particularly affecting are the glimpses into Indigenous communities, often overlooked or misrepresented in historical records. These images serve not only as documentation but as a challenge to modern viewers to reckon with the complex fabric of Australian history, one that includes profound displacement and resilience alike.

A sepia-toned portrait of an Indigenous Australian person with traditional facial adornments, including a horizontal nose piercing and feathered decorations. The person wears a woven headpiece and multiple necklaces.

Four Indigenous Australian men sit on wooden canoes with outriggers in shallow water near a sandy bank. They are minimally clothed and looking toward the camera. The photo has a "Humans Are Forever" watermark.

Black and white photo of Uluru, a large rock formation in Australia, seen from a distance with vegetation in the foreground. Text on the image reads “HUMANS ARE FOREVER” and “AUSTRALIA 146-17525.”.

A sepia-toned historical photograph shows a group of Aboriginal people, including women and children, sitting on the ground wrapped in blankets, with a background of grass and trees. Text overlays read "Humans Are Forever," and "Australia 1848–1925.

A young Indigenous Australian boy poses with large taxidermied birds and holds a spear. The image is black and white, with text overlay reading, "HUMANS ARE FOREVER," and details about Australia, 1845-1925.

A historical photo of an Aboriginal Australian man with traditional body paint, wearing a decorated garment, standing outdoors. The image has a sepia tone and text overlay that reads “HUMANS ARE FOREVER” and “AUSTRALIA 1848–1925.”.

A black-and-white photo of an Indigenous Australian man holding a spear and a spear thrower, with body paint on his chest and arms. The background is blurred, and text reads “Humans Are Forever” and “Australia 1848–1925.”.

“Together, we’ll witness the oldest photographs ever taken of Australia—its vast outback, the great bushlands, and its Indigenous communities. These images, captured during the early stages of Australia’s history, showcase a country shaped by adventure, resilience, and the rugged spirit of survival. From early settlers establishing life against the harsh, untamed landscape to the cultural depth of the Aboriginal people, these photos reveal a story of a land teeming with natural beauty and untold challenges,” VX52 says.

“Through HD images—some colorized and restored—we are invited into the past where the human spirit and land stood together, shaping a legacy that continues to inspire today. This video is a tribute to Australia, a land of unbroken spirit, where the courage and perseverance of its people shaped a nation known for its resilience and beauty.
Join us on this journey through time, where each photograph tells a powerful story of courage, love, and the enduring connection between people and place.”

A Commitment to Authenticity

What sets this production apart is its integrity. The creators are clear: no AI-generated visuals here. The photographs originate from renowned institutions, including the National Library of Australia, the State Libraries of Victoria and Western Australia, and the University of Adelaide. This commitment to authenticity heightens the experience, placing the viewer in genuine contact with historical truth rather than speculative re-creation.

Technically, the video shines. Optimized for HD viewing and headphone listening, the presentation is deliberate and immersive. Every scratch, sepia tone, and sharpened facial feature has been curated with a documentarian’s care.

Black-and-white photo of a busy harbor filled with sailboats and a large ship. People watch the scene from a hillside in the foreground, with a cityscape visible across the water in the background.

A woman in a light, flowing dress sits on a rock in a natural, wooded setting. The image is in black and white and has a vintage, early 1900s appearance. Text reads "HUMANS ARE FOREVER" and "AUSTRALIA 1848–1925.

Two boys in old-fashioned clothing pose for a black-and-white photo; one sits on a bench in the foreground looking serious, while the other stands near a chair behind him. Text on the image says "HUMANS ARE FOREVER" and "7145J. Messenger15222.

A collage of three old photos labeled 1844 and 1847, showing an older man, a seated couple, and four Indigenous Australians, with the text "THREE OLDEST KNOWN PHOTOS" on the bottom right.

A Reflection of Past and Present

In a time when digital content often prizes speed and spectacle over substance, “Oldest Photos of Australia (1845–1925)” is a welcome outlier. It does not shout for attention. It earns it through emotional intelligence, historical respect, and quiet storytelling.

If history is a mirror, then this video invites Australians and the global audience it has reached to stop, look closely, and see not only the faces of their ancestors, but something of themselves reflected back. In the end, it is not just about the past. It is about the enduring threads that tie generations together: land, legacy, and the indelible human spirit.

Image credits: VX52 Movies

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