Melbourne Olympics
-
Autograph hunters at the athletes' village, Heidelberg, 1956
Credit: © Herald & Weekly Times -
Heidelberg Olympic Village, home of athletes visiting for the 1956 Olympics -
1956 Olympic torch -
Giant illuminated Olympic torch outside Flinders Street Station, Melbourne -
Olympic Games opening ceremony, Melbourne, 1956 -
Shirley Strickland, photographed by visiting American airman while training
Credit: © Herald & Weekly Times -
Trinidad athletes, from left: Joe Goddard, Hilton Mitchell, Alex Chapman, Edmund Turton
Credit: © Herald & Weekly Times
The Library contains a wealth of material about the 1956 Olympics, which were a time of great celebration and marked Melbourne’s coming-of-age on an international stage. The event left an enduring legacy not only for Australia but for the Olympic movement.
Highlights of the Library's resources on the 'Friendly Games' include:
- books reflecting on the significance of the Games, like 15 days in '56: the first Australian Olympics
- reports in local, national and international newspapers and magazines
- the EA Doyle collection, which includes tape recordings of the opening and closing ceremonies, and an Olympic torch
- bid documents such as Melbourne's plan: XVI Olympiad, 1956
- the complete set of official programs issued
- visitors' guides such as Melbourne, the Olympic city
- post-Games publications such as the official report of the Organizing Committee
- athlete biographies
- photographs documenting events, competitors and venues
A detailed list of collection items can be found on the Library's 1956 Melbourne Olympics website. This includes information about sportspeople, events, results and the development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Heidelberg Olympic Village. We also look at some of the controversies surrounding the event, and place the Games in a global context.
