This project analyses the emergence of Australia as an 'auto-mobilised' nation. It aims to explore how cars became enmeshed in all aspects of national life and how a specifically Australian automobile culture emerged, different from other nations. It is significant because it is the first project to study how early automobile culture and the new Australian nation emerged in relation to each other, and the first to locate that history within a global perspective. It will result in academic publications as well as a popular book and museum exhibitions that will increase our understanding of the development of our car culture and contribute to national debates about how to move toward more sustainable practices in the future.
This project analyses the emergence of Australia as an 'auto-mobilised' nation. It aims to explore how cars became enmeshed in all aspects of national life and how a specifically Australian automobile culture emerged, different from other nations. It is significant because it is the first project to study how early automobile culture and the new Australian nation emerged in relation to each other, and the first to locate that history within a global perspective. It will result in academic publications as well as a popular book and museum exhibitions that will increase our understanding of the development of our car culture and contribute to national debates about how to move toward more sustainable practices in the future.