Australia Is Like This

Australia is Like This is a 1945 documentary about the experiences of two American soldiers in Australia during World War II until they leave for battle. It takes the form of a letter written by one of the soldiers to his family in America describing Australia.^[2]

Australia is Like This
Written by	Jack S Allan Jesse Lasky Jnr
Produced by	Jack S Allan
Starring	Grant Taylor
Production companies	Commonwealth Department of Information US Signal Corps Motion Picture Unit[1]
Release date	1945 (1945)
Running time	18 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English

It was also known as A Letter from Australia.^[3]

The film was made for Australia and the United States, but was not released in Australia.^[4]

Plot

The film is told in the form of a letter written by an American soldier and his friend on leave in Sydney. They leave a troopship and see the sights, encounter 'wrong side' traffic, and meet two Australian soldiers on leave who abandon their girlfriends to buy the Americans a beer. The Americans go to a Red Cross canteen and meet a waitress whose brother is in New Guinea. They take her to the zoo and accept a dinner invitation to her house. The troops then head north.

Cast

• John McCallum as Australian soldier
• Muriel Steinbeck
• Grant Taylor as Australian soldier
• Patricia Firman as waitress
• John Nugent Hayward

Production

The film was one of a series of shorts made by Australia's Department of the Interior, others including Island Target.

Filming began late September 1944, using a predominantly American crew.^[5]

Release

The film was completed by January 1945.^[6]