In a simpler and more innocent age Brisbane had the Warana Festival, a great annual Spring extravaganza which began in 1962 and included a 2 hour parade through the city streets featuring decorated floats, marching girls, entertainers, and bands, under the blue Brisbane skies. Warana, which is an Aboriginal word for "blue skies", endured until the early 1990s and was eventually transformed into the more sophisticated Brisbane Festival of today.
In 2017, John Oxley Library received a donation of photographs, as part of the Clare Sheldon Photographs collection, which include some fabulous shots of Warana parades in Brisbane from the 1970s and 1980s.
Girls on a seahorse float participating in a Warana parade in Brisbane, Queensland, 1978. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0024-0001
ABC radio and television floats in a Warana parade in Brisbane, Queensland, 1979. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0037-0001
Channel 9 float participating in a Warana parade, Brisbane, Queensland, 1979. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0038-0001
Pelican float in a Warana parade, Brisbane, Queensland, 1979. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0041-0001
Swing dancers in performing during Warana celebrations, Brisbane, Queensland, 1978. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0041-0001
The Miss Warana Quest was launched in 1964, attracting entrants from most parts of the state, and was run as a charity event to raise money for worthy causes.
Miss Warana float in front of the Treasury Buildings, Brisbane, Queensland, 1977. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0014-0001
Warana also encompassed a wide variety of activities and events including a horticultural Spring Festival; open air art display; writers' convention; city illuminations; art exhibition; concerts; film screenings; water ski shows; and sporting events, to name but a few.
One event was the Warana canoe race on the Brisbane River.
Warana 4BK Bridge to Bridge Canoe Race on the Brisbane River, Brisbane, Queensland, 1979. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 30963-0035-0001
The Clare Sheldon Photographs, Accession 30963, include other wonderful images from around south east Queensland including Dreamworld, the Big Pineapple, Buderim Ginger Factory, the Redland Bay Strawberry Festival, and the Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Festival. A selection of images from this collection is available to view online via our One Search catalogue.
Lynn Meyers - Original Materials Librarian, State Library of Queensland
Further Warana related collections
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