Talking Machines is an interactive website that showcases 43 short films that combine footage of old agricultural, commercial and domestic machines, and interviews with people whose lives were transformed by them.

The project showcases significant machines cared for by twelve museums across the Riverina area. These include the equipment in Tumut’s famous millet broom factory, the mind-boggling “cash railway” in Coolamon’s Up-to-date store, and oddities such as horse treadmills and sheepskin rollers.

But it is more than a showcase of technological change. Local interviewees recount how the introduction of machinery changed the way produce was grown and processed, businesses were operated, and homes were run.

This period of transformation encapsulated sweeping social and historical changes in Australia, and these stories are captured within the films as well. One film describes the role of the Womens’ Land Army in harvesting Batlow apples during World War II.

Nearby in Tumbarumba, Italian Prisoners of War provided labour to farmers stretched by the war effort. Another film reveals the unpaid domestic duties in farms across the region that young Aboriginal women at the Cootamundra Girls Home undertook.

Anyone can browse the films by theme and location to see these remarkable machines in action.

The films are accompanied by ground breaking education resources targeted at Year 9/10 (Stage 5) history students. The resources tie in with the National Curriculum, and are a unique look at how the Industrial Revolution played out in Australia.

The films and educational resources were supported with funding from Create NSW and can be viewed at talkingmachines.org.au.

Historic Chambers

Botanic Gardens