# Sounds of Australia

The Sounds of Australia, formerly the National Registry of Recorded Sound, is the National Film and Sound Archive's selection of sound recordings which are deemed to have cultural, historical and aesthetic significance and relevance for Australia. It was founded in 2007.

## History

The National Registry of Recorded Sound was established in 2007 by the National Film and Sound Archive, to encourage appreciation of the diversity of sounds recorded in Australia, ever since the first phonographs made by the US Edison Manufacturing Company were available in Australia in the mid-1890s.
The earliest recording in the archive is "The Hen Convention", a song recorded some time before 15 January 1897, by an amateur sound recordist called Thomas Rome, of Warrnambool, Victoria, who imported the most modern equipment available from the US. The song features the voice of John James Villiers, also of Warrnambool. It is a novelty song, featuring imitations of sounds made by chickens.
Other early sound recordings include Aboriginal Tasmanian women's songs (1899), Spencer and Gillen's 1901 recordings on wax cylinder of Arrernte, Anmatyerr, Kaytetye, Warumungu, Luritja and Arabana peoples of central Australia (added in 2019), and Ernest Shackleton talking about his polar expedition in 1910.

## Description

As part of the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), it is part of a "living archive", to share in many ways and to keep for future generations.
Each year, the Australian public nominates new sounds to be added with final selections determined by a panel of industry experts and NFSA curators. There are usually about ten recordings added each year. The recordings represent significant achievements in the way we have recorded the sounds of our history and memory.
The criteria for nomination are wide: "they can be popular songs, advertising jingles, famous speeches, radio broadcasts, or any other sound recordings" – but they must be Australian, and they must be more than 10 years old.

## Recordings

In this table, "2007a" refers to the 2007 Foundation List (entries chosen before official voting began), while "2007b" refers to the first of the annual registry additions, also in 2007.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Release year | Addition year | NFSA Title No. |
| "The Hen Convention" Earliest extant Australian sound recording | John James Villiers | c. 1896 | 2007a | 452097 |
| "Chant Vénitien" | Dame Nellie Melba | 1904 | 2007a | 301462 |
| ”The Landing of the Australian Troops in Egypt” | | 1915 | 2007a | 229758 |
| "Along the Road to Gundagai" | Peter Dawson | 1931 | 2007a | 332353 |
| "Give a Little Credit To Your Dad"/"Lonesome For You Mother Dear" | Buddy Williams | 1939 | 2007a | 190438 |
| "Swanston St Shamble"/"Two Day Jag" | Graeme Bell's Dixieland Band | 1944 | 2007a | 232811 |
| Tribal Music of Australia | Indigenous Australians from the Yirrkala district in Arnhem Land; recorded by A. P. Elkin | 1953 | 2007a | 242999 |
| "She's My Baby" | Johnny O'Keefe | 1960 | 2007a | 291386 |
| 'Kerr's cur' speech | Gough Whitlam | 1975, Nov. 11 | 2007a | 156392 |
| "Down Under" | Men At Work | 1981 | 2007a | 337398 |
| Fanny Cochrane Smith's Tasmanian Aboriginal Songs | Fanny Cochrane Smith, recorded by Horace Watson | 1899, 1903 | 2007b | 500445 |
| "My South Polar Expedition" | Sir Ernest Shackleton | 1910 | 2007b | 562537 |
| Dad and Dave from Snake Gully First episode | George Edwards, and others | 1937, May 31 | 2007b | 737158 |
| "The Majestic Fanfare" ABC radio news theme | Queen's Hall Light Orchestra; Charles Williams, conductor | 1943 | 2007b | 737182 |
| "Maranoa Lullaby" | Harold Blair | 1950 | 2007b | 245797 |
| Corroboree | Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Sir Eugene Goossens, conductor; John Antill, composer | 1950 | 2007b | 297286 |
| Jack Luscombe oral history | Jack Luscombe; recorded by John Meredith | 1953 | 2007b | 737269 |
| "Friday on My Mind" | The Easybeats | 1966 | 2007b | 258900 |
| "(I'm) Stranded" | The Saints | 1976 | 2007b | 322350 |
| "Jailanguru Pakarnu" | Warumpi Band | 1983 | 2007b | 244115 |
| "Country Gardens" | Percy Grainger | 1919 | 2008 | 510950 |
| "Waltzing Matilda" | John Collinson, tenor; Russell Callow, piano | 1926 | 2008 | 283469 |
| The 1930 Australian XI: Winners of the Ashes | Don Bradman, Bill Woodfull, Clarrie Grimmett, Alan Kippax, Stan McCabe, Tim Wall | 1930 | 2008 | 266765 |
| "The Aeroplane Jelly Song" | Joy King | 1938 | 2008 | 402848, 281850 |
| Theme from Blue Hills ("Pastorale") | New Century Orchestra; Sidney Torch, conductor; Ronald Hanmer, composer | 1949 | 2008 | 503205 |
| "A Pub with No Beer" | Slim Dusty | 1957 | 2008 | 190647 |
| Irkanda IV | Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; John Hopkins, conductor; Peter Sculthorpe, composer | 1967 | 2008 | 332275 |
| Bird and Animal Calls of Australia | Recorded by Harold J Pollock | 1968 | 2008 | 255276 |
| "Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)" | Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs | 1972 | 2008 | 291714 |
| "We Have Survived" | No Fixed Address | 1981 | 2008 | 210397 |
| London recordings | Newcastle Steelworks Band; Albert Baile, conductor | 1924 | 2009 | 560469 |
| "Happy Little Vegemites" | Betty Parker, Stephen Parker, Julia Parker and Linda Marcy | 1959 | 2009 | 537271 |
| Smoky Dawson and the Adventure of The Singing Bullet | Smoky Dawson | 1955 | 2009 | 281755 |
| "My Country" | Read by Dorothea Mackellar | 1958 | 2009 | 328116 |
| Georgia Lee Sings the Blues Down Under | Georgia Lee | 1962 | 2009 | 511557 |
| In the Head the Fire | South Australian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Singers, and other soloists and vocalists; John Hopkins, conductor; Nigel Butterley, composer | 1966 | 2009 | 323123 |
| Lionel Rose wins the World Title | Ron Casey | 1968 | 2009 | 283495 |
| "I Am Woman" | Helen Reddy | 1972 | 2009 | 619633 |
| The Loner | Vic Simms | 1973 | 2009 | 757646 |
| "Treaty" | Yothu Yindi | 1991 | 2009 | 226648 |
| "Hinkler's Message to Australia"/"Incidents of My Flight" | Bert Hinkler | 1928 | 2010 | 267488 |
| "Wrap Me Up In My Stockwhip and Blanket" | Tex Morton | 1936 | 2010 | 365991 |
| Announcement of the declaration of World War II | Robert Menzies | 1939, Sep. 3 | 2010 | 188388 |
| Announcement of war with Japan | John Curtin | 1941, Dec. 8 | 2010 | 677049 |
| "Bye Bye Baby" | Col Joye | 1959 | 2010 | 271642 |
| Pick a Box | Bob and Dolly Dyer | 1963, Aug. 20 | 2010 | 569 |
| Just the Beginning | Don Burrows Quartet | 1971 | 2010 | 263853 |
| "Eagle Rock" | Daddy Cool | 1971 | 2010 | 300956 |
| Opening concert of the Sydney Opera House | Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor; Birgit Nilsson, soprano | 1973, Sep. 29 | 2010 | 766280 |
| Commentary of the 4 x 100 men's medley relay final at the Moscow Olympics | Norman May | 1980, Jul. 24 | 2010 | 750967 |
| "We Are Going" | Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) | 1986 | 2010 | 699094 |
| Rebetika Songs | Apodimi Compania | 1987 | 2010 | 138939 |
| "From Little Things Big Things Grow" | Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody | 1993 | 2010 | 244410 |
| Redfern Park speech | Paul Keating | 1992, Dec. 10 | 2010 | |
| Recordings of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Straits | Alfred Cort Haddon and others | 1898 | 2011 | 8879 |
| "The Sailors" | Stiffy and Mo | 1927 | 2011 | 253375 |
| Ken Howard calls the Melbourne Cup | Ken Howard | 1941, 1952 | 2011 | 338699 |
| The maiden parliamentary speeches of Dame Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney | Dame Enid Lyons, Dame Dorothy Tangney | 1943–1944 | 2011 | 483285, 483102 |
| The Art of the Prima Donna | Dame Joan Sutherland | 1960 | 2011 | 321750 |
| "I'll Never Find Another You" | The Seekers | 1964 | 2011 | 82220 |
| Living in the 70's | Skyhooks | 1974 | 2011 | 263933 |
| Report on Cyclone Tracy, Darwin | Mike Hayes and Bruce Grundy | 1974 | 2011 | |
| "I Should Be So Lucky" | Kylie Minogue | 1987 | 2011 | 376096 |
| Voss | Australian Opera Chorus, Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Stuart Challender, conductor; Geoffrey Chard, Marilyn Richardson and other soloists; Richard Meale, composer; David Malouf, libretto | 1987 | 2011 | 230032 |
| "The Black Watch" | Percy Herford | c. 1907 | 2012 | 778653 |
| Sydney recordings | Queenie and David Kaili | 1927–1932 | 2012 | |
| Grace Gibson Productions radio serials | Various artists, produced by Grace Gibson | 1944–c.1982 | 2012 | |
| The Luise Hercus Collection, AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive | Dr Luise A Hercus | 1962–1997 | 2012 | |
| "Royal Telephone" | Jimmy Little | 1963 | 2012 | 319442 |
| Patrol from Da Nang | Tim Bowden | 1966 | 2012 | |
| A Track Winding Back | Barry Humphries and Dick Bentley | 1972 | 2012 | 1063868 |
| "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" | AC/DC | 1975 | 2012 | 291607 |
| Tender Prey | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | 1988 | 2012 | 425260 |
| Aether | The Necks | 2001 | 2012 | 567489 |
| "Hold Your Hand Out Naughty Boy" | Florrie Forde | 1913 | 2013 | 189112 |
| Yes, What? | Rex Dawe and others | 1936–1940 | 2013 | 143364 |
| "Bombora" | The Atlantics | 1963 | 2013 | 291724 |
| The Land Where the Crow Flies Backwards | Dougie Young | 1964 | 2013 | 244102 |
| "The Real Thing" | Russell Morris | 1969 | 2013 | 338066 |
| "I Still Call Australia Home" | Peter Allen | 1980 | 2013 | 291702 |
| Improvisations in Acoustic Chambers | Ros Bandt | 1981 | 2013 | 230121 |
| This Sporting Life | Roy and HG | 1986–2008 | 2013 | |
| Recording of a superb lyrebird at Healesville, Victoria | Greg Wignell | 1987 | 2013 | |
| "Took the Children Away" | Archie Roach | 1990 | 2013 | 376653 |
| "They Always Follow Me" | Syria Lamonte | 1898 | 2014 | 1251712 |
| Speech at the opening of the Columbia Graphophone Company Australian factory | Sir Dudley de Chair | 1926 | 2014 | 774314 |
| Concert in a cave at Tobruk | Recorded by Chester Wilmot, ABC Field Unit | 1941, Oct. | 2014 | 1341683 |
| "Fireworks" and "The Orgasmic Opus" | Dr Val Stephen | 1967 | 2014 | 1131993 |
| "Khe Sanh" | Cold Chisel | 1978 | 2014 | 260154 |
| "Boys in Town" | Divinyls | 1981 | 2014 | 296374 |
| "Great Southern Land" | Icehouse | 1982 | 2014 | 428036 |
| "Cattle and Cane" | The Go-Betweens | 1983 | 2014 | 736789 |
| Recording of lone dingo | Vicki Powys | 1990 | 2014 | 1221379 |
| Deadly Sounds | Vibe Australia; hosted by Rhoda Roberts | 1993–2014 | 2014 | 696283 |
| Message recorded at Mena Camp, Cairo | Second Lieutenant Henry Miller Lanser | 1914 | 2015 | 1488057 |
| "Love Will Find a Way" | Gladys Moncrieff | 1926 | 2015 | 273694 |
| "Argonauts Row" | Harold Williams | 1941 | 2015 | 569911 |
| Aboriginal recordings on the north-west coast | John Hutchinson | 1959 | 2015 | 1275952 |
| Sampling sounds | Fairlight CMI | 1979–1989 | 2015 | |
| "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)" | Redgum | 1983 | 2015 | 376284 |
| "Like Wow – Wipeout" | Hoodoo Gurus | 1985 | 2015 | 305311 |
| "Alive and Brilliant" | Deborah Conway | 1993 | 2015 | 803963 |
| "LSD" | DJ HMC | 1995 | 2015 | 1458675 |
| "The Nosebleed Section" | Hilltop Hoods | 2003 | 2015 | 661178 |
| "When Father Papered the Parlour" | Billy Williams | 1912 | 2016 | 189178 |
| "Life Without Love" | Frank Coughlan's Trocadero Orchestra | 1937 | 2016 | 268433 |
| "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" | Eric Jupp | 1968 | 2016 | 495512 |
| "C'mon Aussie C'mon" | The Mojo Singers | 1978 | 2016 | 409679 |
| "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" | Eric Bogle | 1980 | 2016 | 82399 |
| "Power and the Passion" | Midnight Oil | 1982 | 2016 | 217837 |
| "Sounds of Then (This is Australia)" | GANGgajang | 1985 | 2016 | 220914 |
| Antarctica: Suite for Guitar and Orchestra | Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Nigel Westlake, composer | 1997 | 2016 | 1461560 |
| "My Island Home" | Christine Anu | 1995 | 2016 | 263311 |
| "Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car" | The Wiggles | 1998 | 2016 | 370632 |
| "Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer" | Marie Narelle | 1910 | 2017 | 189109 |
| "Our Don Bradman" | Len Maurice | 1930 | 2017 | 190535 |
| Australia's Amateur Hour | AWA | 1940–1958 | 2017 | |
| "Louie the Fly" | Ross Higgins | 1962 | 2017 | 281802 |
| "I Remember You" | Frank Ifield | 1962 | 2017 | 303276 |
| "Play School Theme (There's a Bear in There)" | Various performers | 1966, 1976, 1987, 2000, 2011 | 2017 | |
| "Love Is in the Air" | John Paul Young | 1977 | 2017 | 310545 |
| Brand New Day (Milliya Rumarra) | Kuckles | 1981 | 2017 | |
| "Don't Change" | INXS | 1982 | 2017 | 315857 |
| "Not Pretty Enough" | Kasey Chambers | 2001 | 2017 | 529136 |
| "Caro Mio Ben" | Ada Crossley | 1903 | 2018 | 757100 |
| "Freshie"/"After the Dawn" | Sydney Simpson and his Wentworth Café Orchestra | 1926 | 2018 | 196416 |
| Binny Lum Collection | Binny Lum and interviewees | 1955–1967 | 2018 | |
| "Come Closer to Me" | Pilita Corrales | 1959 | 2018 | 322824 |
| "I've Been Everywhere" | Lucky Starr | 1962 | 2018 | 306316 |
| "Girls in our Town" | Margret RoadKnight | 1976 | 2018 | 287049 |
| "Solid Rock" | Goanna | 1982 | 2018 | 303972 |
| Songlines: Songs of the East Australian Humpback Whales | Mark Franklin (The Oceania Project) | 1992–2008 | 2018 | 1543251 |
| "These Days" | Powderfinger | 1999 | 2018 | 463749 |
| Gurrumul | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | 2008 | 2018 | 758793 |
| Cylinder recordings from Central Australia | Baldwin Spencer, Francis James Gillen and Aboriginal communities | 1901–1902 | 2019 | |
| Twilight of the Gods (Die Götterdämmerung) | Florence Austral | 1928 | 2019 | 273004 |
| "I'm the Sheik of Scrubby Creek" | Chad Morgan | 1952 | 2019 | 275674 |
| Prestophone master tape ("Old Rugged Hills"/"Rhythm of Corroboree", "When My Homeland is Calling"/"Maranoa Moon") | Olive and Eva | 1955–1956 | 2019 | 249178 |
| "The Man from Snowy River" | Leonard Teale | 1956 | 2019 | 193755 |
| "You're the One That I Want" | Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta | 1978 | 2019 | 222298 |
| "Up There Cazaly" | The Two-Man Band | 1979 | 2019 | 290258 |
| "You're the Voice" | John Farnham | 1986 | 2019 | 296286 |
| "Truly Madly Deeply" | Savage Garden | 1997 | 2019 | 499765 |
| Wild Swans | Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; Elena Kats-Chernin, composer | 2005 | 2019 | 721303 |
| "Starlight" | Hamilton Hill | 1907 | 2020 | 1543945 |
| "Étude de concert in F minor"/"Étude de concert in A flat major" | Eileen Joyce | 1933 | 2020 | 401155 |
| Olympic Games, Melbourne 1956: Opening and closing ceremonies Official souvenir recordings | | 1956 | 2020 | 312957, 312955 |
| Nausicaa: Opera in Three Acts | Athens Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carlos Surinach; Peggy Glanville-Hicks, composer | 1961 | 2020 | 701032 |
| Arnhem Land Popular Classics | David Blanasi (didgeridu), Djoli Laiwanga (vocals), and other performers; recorded by La Mont West Jr. | 1963 | 2020 | 210787 |
| "Because I Love You" | The Masters Apprentices | 1971 | 2020 | 320598 |
| "It's Time" | Alison MacCallum and others | 1972 | 2020 | 253356 |
| "True Blue" | John Williamson | 1986 | 2020 | 224765 |
| "Tomorrow" | Silverchair | 1994 | 2020 | 295091 |
| Martin/Molloy | Tony Martin and Mick Molloy | 1995–1998 | 2020 | |
| "The Absent-Minded Beggar" | John J Virgo | 1900 | 2021 | 1621951 |
| "Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox" | Jim Davidson's Dandies and Dick Cranbourne | 1938 | 2021 | 190972 |
| First parliamentary sitting broadcast: Announcement of Victory in Europe | Ben Chifley and Robert Menzies | 1945, May 8 | 2021 | 81384 |
| "He's My Blonde Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy" | Little Pattie and The Statesmen | 1963 | 2021 | 315308 |
| "Heading in the Right Direction" | The Renée Geyer Band | 1975 | 2021 | 259069 |
| Gaywaves | Gaywaves Collective, 2SER | 1979–2005 | 2021 | |
| The Man from Snowy River soundtrack | Bruce Rowland | 1982 | 2021 | 286452 |
| "Wide Open Road" | The Triffids | 1986 | 2021 | 420900 |
| Apology to The Stolen Generations | Kevin Rudd | 2008, Feb. 13 | 2021 | 759728 |
| "Somebody That I Used to Know" | Gotye, featuring Kimbra | 2011 | 2021 | 1064570 |
| Farewell address to Australia | Hallam Lord Tennyson | 1904, Jan. 20 | 2022 | |
| "Digger" | Jack Lumsdaine | 1942 | 2022 | 190905 |
| Horrie Dargie Concert | The Horrie Dargie Harlequintet | 1952 | 2022 | 281525 |
| "The Drover’s Dream" | Alan Scott and The Bushwhackers | 1955 | 2022 | 301526 |
| Decimal currency jingle | Ted Roberts | 1965 | 2022 | 205358 |
| "The Lord’s Prayer" | Sister Janet Mead | 1973 | 2022 | 335577 |
| "Stayin' Alive" | Bee Gees | 1977 | 2022 | 322493 |
| Neighbours theme song | Barry Crocker | 1987 | 2022 | 301375 |
| Bicentenary protest coverage | Radio Redfern | 1988, Jan. 26 | 2022 | |
| Misogyny speech | Julia Gillard | 2012, Oct. 9 | 2022 | |
| "Anvil Chorus" | P.C. Spouse | 1927 | 2023 | 190551 |
| Sweet Nell of Old Drury | Nellie Stewart and others | 1931 | 2023 | 307950 |
| Death of a Wombat | Ivan Smith, author; George S. English, composer; Alastair Duncan, narrator; Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nicolai Malko | 1961 | 2023 | 366622 |
| "I Only Came to Say Goodbye" | Wilma Reading | 1961 | 2023 | 315918 |
| "The Loved One" | The Loved Ones | 1966 | 2023 | 798901 |
| "Howzat" | Sherbet | 1976 | 2023 | 314105 |
| "Menstruation Blues" | Robyn Archer | 1977 | 2023 | 139169 |
| Harry Williams and the Country Outcasts | Harry and Wilga Williams and the Country Outcasts | 1979 | 2023 | 235611 |
| "Slip! Slop! Slap!" jingle | Peter Best and Phillip Adams; Cancer Council Victoria | 1981 | 2023 | |
| "I Am Australian" | Judith Durham, Russell Hitchcock, and Mandawuy Yunupingu | 1997 | 2023 | 321473 |
| Concerto of the Greater Sea | Joseph Tawadros; Australian Chamber Orchestra | 2012 | 2023 | 1053312 |
| Address to the Women's International Radio League | Jessie Street | 1945, May 28 | 2024 | |
| Speaking Clock | Gordon Gow and the Postmaster-General's Department | 1954 | 2024 | |
| Doctor Who theme | Ron Grainer, composer; Delia Derbyshire, musician and arranger | 1963 | 2024 | |
| Victoria Bitter advertisements | John Meillon, George Patterson Agency | 1968 | 2024 | |
| Jimmie Barker collections | Jimmie Barker | 1968–1972 | 2024 | |
| Earliest 2EA broadcasts in language | SBS Radio | 1975, Jun.–Aug. | 2024 | |
| "Kickin' to the Undersound" | Sound Unlimited | 1992 | 2024 | |
| "Chains" | Tina Arena | 1994 | 2024 | |
| Last call of the Christmas Island pipistrelle | Zoos Victoria | 2009, Aug. 26 | 2024 | |
| Inaugural speech to Australian Parliament | Nova Peris | 2013, Nov. 12 | 2024 | |
* ↑ A simulated recording of Australian troops. They are greeted by a brass band playing, "Advance Australia Fair".
* ↑ Contemporary articles and archived NFSA webpages suggest either the 1952 race or both races were the original selections; the site now only lists the 1941 race.
* ↑ The NFSA uses the 1980 recording, but lists it by the year of its composition, 1971.
* ↑ The media release also includes the B-side of the record: "The Drover's Dream"/"The Bullockies' Ball".

## Statistics

The most recent recording on the list is Aboriginal former senator Nova Peris' inaugural speech to Parliament, while the oldest is Percy Herford's 1896 recording "The Hen Convention".