Simon Townsend's Wonder World

Forty years after Simon Townsend's Wonder World! first went to air on 3 September 1979, we celebrate this landmark children's TV program.

Simon Townsend's Wonder World! (1979–87) was Australia's first current affairs-style TV program for kids on a commercial network. It dominated the after-school timeslot for Network Ten, built a loyal following of viewers and made household names of Simon Townsend and Woodrow the Bloodhound.

After eight years, almost 2,000 episodes, 8,000 stories, 17 intrepid reporters, five Logie Awards, a special award from the prime minister, and many more accolades, Wonder World! leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

We hope you enjoy this online-exclusive collection, which features rare and memorable moments from the show, documents, artefacts, scrapbooks, images and letters.

The NFSA would like to thank Simon Townsend for making this online collection possible. With thanks also to Jonathan Coleman and Harvey Shore.