Swinging Sixties

The 1960s is remembered as a turbulent decade. In contrast to the ‘conservative’ 1950s, the sixties are associated with changing ideas, youthful rebellion and experimentation. New music, new fashions and new attitudes to authority defined ‘the generation gap’.

Young people were much more visible in society, as the baby boom of the 1950s grew into the youth boom of the 1960s. By 1971 almost 40 per cent of Melbourne’s population was aged under 21. Young people were also more prosperous than ever before. Full employment and rising wages meant that many young people had money to spend, and marketers took full advantage. Teenagers and twenty-somethings were clear market segments, with their own magazines, fashions and music.

In this exhibition we look at what it was like to live in Victoria during the 1960s. How different were the 1960s from the decades before or after? Was it really all about sex, drugs and rock and roll? Did the sixties really swing in Victoria?

On display you'll find original protest records and ephemera, costumes including one worn by Seeker, Judith Durham and some designed by Prue Acton. Instruments relating to contraception (the Pill was introduced in the 60s), and a special section for Barbie and her enduring legacy – including a 1960s Barbie and accessories.

Until 2027.