
Sounds of Australia
Nominations are now open for Sounds of Australia.
Please be advised that this page contains names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
What Australian audio recording echoes in your memory?
Is it an earworm ad jingle, your fave TV theme or that chart-topping single? Maybe it’s a tear-jerker podcast, soaring film score, or nail-biter sports commentary.
Sound recordings have a way of transporting us into the past: to moments of joy, heartbreak, celebration and connection. Every year, the National Film and Sound Archive adds iconic recordings to our Sounds of Australia capsule and we need your help to determine the next inductees – we want to know, what do you think is a Sound of Australia?
Nominate nowWant some inspiration?
Here’s some surprising recordings in Sounds of Australia
Sounds from 1896-2016
That’s a lot of years…
The 2026 capsule
'You', Marcia Hines - 1977
Because it carried soul, confidence and visibility into the heart of Australian pop.
Courtesy of Sony Music Australia. Read about the 
Released in 1977, ‘You’ became Marcia Hines’ biggest hit, spending 25 weeks on the Australian charts and peaking at No. 2.
Written by American songwriter Tom Snow, the track is built on a smooth pop framework, but it is Hines’ vocal performance on the recording that gives it shape and staying power.
Drawing on gospel and soul traditions, she uses control, tonal warmth and careful phrasing to let emotion build through the song.
At a time when Australian pop was still defining its mainstream identity, ‘You’ confirmed Hines as a major national artist and showed how vocal interpretation could shape the sound – and visibility – of Australian music.
Courtesy of Sony Music Australia. Read about the 
PB/5 pedestrian crossing button
Because it set the rhythm of Australian streets, one crossing at a time.
Introduced in 1984, the PB/5 pedestrian crossing button reshaped how Australians move through cities and suburbs. Designed by David Wood, Louis Challis and Frank Hulscher, it was created to support pedestrians who are blind or have low vision through sound and touch.
The locator ‘tick’, vibrating arrow and steady crossing tone are functional, but also instantly recognisable. Produced mechanically and in real time, the sound is direct, rhythmic and hard to ignore. Over decades, it has settled into daily life – a small but constant presence at intersections, train stations and busy streets.
Its reach extends beyond infrastructure. The crossing tick was later sampled in Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’, carrying a piece of Australian street sound into global pop.
The recording captures how thoughtful sound design can shape behaviour, attention and safety – and how an everyday utility can become a shared cultural reference point.
‘Democracy Manifest / Succulent Chinese Meal’, Jack Karlson – 1991
Because a routine arrest became one of the internet’s most quoted Australian moments.
Courtesy Seven Network.
In 1991, police arrested Jack Karlson at a Brisbane Chinese restaurant while television cameras were present. As officers escorted him outside, Karlson delivered an impromptu speech to reporters and bystanders. His protest – dramatic, indignant and unexpectedly articulate – included the now-famous line about a ‘succulent Chinese meal’.
The clip is remembered not for the incident itself, but for the performance. Karlson delivers with theatrical precision, shifting between mock outrage and formal oratory. With stage and television experience behind him, he controls pacing and emphasis, turning a brief confrontation into a memorable monologue.
Uploaded to YouTube in 2009, the footage found a new audience. Quoted, remixed and shared globally, Karlson’s words became shorthand for irreverent Australian humour. The recording demonstrates how voice and performance can transform an everyday news event into a lasting piece of cultural folklore.
Courtesy Seven Network.
Federal Court native title determination at Noonkanbah Station, ABC Kimberley broadcast – 2007
Because it let the nation hear justice unfold in real time.

Pictured: Mr. D Cox (centre), with Frank Davey and Wayne Bergman at unveiling of native title determination, April 2007. Photographer: Vanessa Mills. Courtesy of Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
On 27 April 2007, the Federal Court recognised the Yungngora people’s native title over Noonkanbah Station in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. The proceedings marked the first time a native title determination was broadcast live on radio, extending the moment beyond the courtroom and into public space.
Aired on ABC Kimberley’s Mornings with Vanessa Mills, the outside broadcast captured formal legal process alongside community response. The soundscape includes judicial statements, speeches, song and collective reaction, allowing listeners to hear both the procedural and emotional dimensions of the decision.
The recording includes speeches by Mr D Cox, chair of Yungngora and Fred Chaney OA, and a performance by MP and country music singer Ernie Bridge OAM.
Presided over by Justice Robert French, the determination was the culmination of a struggle that spanned decades, spearheaded by Yungngora Elder Mr D Cox, including the widely reported 1980 Noonkanbah dispute.
The recording demonstrates the capacity of broadcast audio to document legal recognition as lived experience. Through sound, the event is preserved as a moment of shared witness, community presence and historical continuity.
Pictured: Mr. D Cox (centre), with Frank Davey and Wayne Bergman at unveiling of native title determination, April 2007. Photographer: Vanessa Mills. Courtesy of Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Reading Writing Hotline jingle – 2001
Because a catchy hook lodged a phone number in the national memory.
Courtesy of Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Life. Be in it. Read about the 
First launched in the 1990s to support the ABC’s Reading Writing Roadshow, the Reading Writing Hotline paired a practical service with a tune you couldn’t shake.
The 2001 version became the one most Australians know, running for years as a community service ad.
The melody does the heavy lifting. Digits are stretched and repeated until the number sticks. But the sound is almost inseparable from the visuals.
Together, the jingle and animation turn information into something easy to remember and easy to approach.
Decades on, many Australians can still sing the number from memory – a small example of how sound and design can quietly support dignity and access in everyday life.
Courtesy of Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Life. Be in it. Read about the 
‘Shaddap You Face’, Joe Dolce – 1980
Because a joke sung with conviction became an international pop calling card.
Courtesy of Mike Walsh AM, OBE and Hayden Productions. Read about 
Released in 1980, ‘Shaddap You Face’ became the best-selling single ever produced in Australia, spending eight weeks at No. 1 and topping charts in 11 countries, including the UK and Germany.
Written by Joe Dolce and first performed at a Fitzroy talent night in Melbourne, the song is driven by comic timing and character. A live 1980 appearance on The Mike Walsh Show captures it during its breakout.
Dolce performs in character, using exaggerated accent and stereotype. While that approach reads differently today, it was widely received at the time as self-aware and affectionate, reflecting multicultural suburban life and working-class humour.
The song’s long afterlife includes hundreds of cover versions in multiple languages. More than four decades on, it remains a clear example of how performance-led comedy can travel far beyond its origins.
Courtesy of Mike Walsh AM, OBE and Hayden Productions. Read about 
‘Scar’, Missy Higgins – 2004
Because it made intimacy a defining note of Australian pop in the 2000s.
Publishers: Mushroom Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing. Record Company: Eleven: A Music Company, distributed in Australia by Universal Music Australia under exclusive license. Music video: Eleven: A Music Company. Read about the 
Released in 2004, ‘Scar’ debuted at No. 1 and quickly became a radio staple.
Built around an instantly recognisable piano riff, the song pairs a catchy melody with lyrics about resisting pressure to change – written in response to early industry experiences and attempts to reshape Higgins’ songwriting.
Critics and audiences responded to the song’s emotional clarity and refusal to soften its edges.
Over time, it has come to represent a broader early-2000s shift toward piano-led, confessional pop in Australia.
Publishers: Mushroom Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing. Record Company: Eleven: A Music Company, distributed in Australia by Universal Music Australia under exclusive license. Music video: Eleven: A Music Company. Read about the 
Australian of the Year acceptance speech, Rosie Batty – 2015
Because it brought domestic and family violence into focus through nationally broadcast testimony.
Courtesy of National Australia Day Council.
In 2015, Rosie Batty was named Australian of the Year following her advocacy after the murder of her son, Luke. Her acceptance speech addresses the nation directly, combining personal experience with a clear call for accountability and change. The speech moves between reflection, public address and evidence, placing lived experience alongside statistics and systemic critique. It names domestic and family violence plainly and frames it as the country’s responsibility rather than a private tragedy.
Broadcast nationally and shared widely online, the speech became a reference point for public discussion. It amplified survivor voices and contributed to a broader shift in awareness, policy attention and media coverage.
Preserved as audio, the recording captures a moment when speech itself shaped Australian conversation – demonstrating how testimony can powerfully operate as civic action and influence collective understanding.
Courtesy of National Australia Day Council.
‘Tabaran’, Not Drowning, Waving and the musicians of Rabaul featuring Telek – 1990
Because it is a pioneering world music collaboration.
The title track from the 1990 album Tabaran, this recording brings together Australian band Not Drowning, Waving with musicians from Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, led by singer George Telek. The collaboration began after Telek met David Bridie in 1989, with sessions recorded in Rabaul soon after.
Telek sings in Kuanua and Tok Pisin, using the three-part harmonies characteristic of Tolai music. These vocal traditions sit alongside contemporary studio production, creating a recording shaped by shared performance rather than adaptation.
The album was nominated for Best Indigenous Release at the 1992 ARIA Awards and helped introduce Telek – already an established figure in Papua New Guinea – to wider international audiences.
‘Tabaran’ remains a key example of regional collaboration in Australian recording history, capturing language, musical practice and partnership across the Asia-Pacific.
Behind the sounds
Read: Democracy Manifest, anatomy of a viral moment
An arrest in '90s Brisbane ripped a man away from his 'succulent Chinese meal' — the rest is history. Explore how the voice of Jack Karlson became national legend through the power of internet memes.
Read: Australia's best novelty songs
Kitsch, clever and catchy. We take you through nine Australian novelty songs that bucked trends to become surprise classics.
2007 - 2024
Past inductees
The complete list
1890s
1896 – The Hen Convention, Thomas Rome
1898 – The Recordings of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits, Alfred Cort Haddon and others
1898 – They Always Follow Me, Syria Lamonte
1899 – Fanny Smith’s Tasmanian Aboriginal Songs, Horace Watson1900-1919
1900 – The Absent-Minded Beggar, JJ Virgo
1901-1902 – Cylinder Recordings from Central Australia, Spencer and Gillen and Aboriginal communities
1904 – Chant Vénitien, Nellie Melba
1904 – Farewell Address to Australia, Hallam Lord Tennyson
c1905 – Caro Mio Ben, Ada Crossley
1907 – The Black Watch, Percy Herford
1907 – Starlight, Hamilton Hill
1910 – My South Polar Expedition, Ernest Shackleton
1910 – Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer, Marie Narelle
1912 – When Father Papered the Parlour, Billy Williams
1913 – Hold Your Hand Out Naughty Boy, Florrie Forde
1914 – Message Recorded at Mena Camp, Cairo, Second Lieutenant Henry Miller Lanser
1915 – The Landing of the Australian Troops in Egypt, Zonophone
1919 – Country Gardens, Percy Grainger1920s
1921 – Love Will Find a Way, Gladys Moncrieff
1924 – London Recordings, Newcastle Steelworks Band
1926 – Freshie ; After the Dawn, Sydney Simpson and his Wentworth Café Orchestra
1926 – Speech at the Opening of the Columbia Graphophone Company Australian Factory, Admiral Sir Dudley De Chair KCB MVO
1927 – Anvil Chorus, PC Spouse
1927 – The Sailors, Stiffy & Mo
1927 – Waltzing Matilda, John Collinson
1927–1932 Sydney Recordings, Queenie and David Kaili
1928 – Hinkler’s Message to Australia ; Incidents of My Flight, Bert Hinkler
1928 – Twilight of the Gods (Die Götterdämmerung), Florence Austral1930s
1930 – The 1930 Australian XI: Winners of the Ashes
1930 – Our Don Bradman, Len Maurice
1931 – Along the Road to Gundagai, Peter Dawson
1931 – Sweet Nell of Old Drury, Nellie Stewart
1933 – Etude de concert in F minor and Etude de concert in A flat major, Eileen Joyce
1936 – Wrap Me Up In My Stockwhip and Blanket, Tex Morton
1936–40 – Yes, What?, 5AD, Rex Dawe and cast
1937 – Dad and Dave from Snake Gully (Radio Series), George Edward Players
1937 – Life Without Love, Frank Coughlan’s Trocadero Orchestra
1938 – The Aeroplane Jelly Song, Joy King
1938 – Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox, Jim Davidson's Dandies and Dick Cranbourne
1939 – Give A Little Credit to Your Dad ; Lonesome For Your Mother Dear, Buddy Williams
1939 – Menzies Speech: Declaration of War, Sir Robert Menzies1940s
1940–58 – Australia's Amateur Hour, AWA
1941 – Concert in a Cave at Tobruk, Chester Wilmot, ABC Field Unit
1941 – Curtin Speech: Japan Enters Second World War, John Curtin
1941 – The Melbourne Cup, Ken Howard, sports commentator
1941–72 – Argonauts Row, Harold Williams
1942 – Digger, Jack Lumsdaine
1943 – Dame Enid Lyons: Maiden Speech, Dame Enid Lyons
1943 – Senator Dorothy Tangney: Maiden Speech, Dorothy Tangney
1943 – The Majestic Fanfare (ABC radio news theme), Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra
1944 – Swanston St Shamble ; Two Day Jag, Graeme Bell
1944 onwards – Grace Gibson Productions’ radio serials, various artists
1945 – First Parliamentary Sitting Broadcast – Victory in Europe, Ben Chifley and Sir Robert Menzies
1945 – Women’s Status in the United Nations Charter, Jessie Street
1948–1962 – Pick A Box, Bob Dyer
1949 – Theme from Blue Hills, New Century Orchestra1950s
1950 – Corroboree, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
1950 – Maranoa Lullaby, Harold Blair
1952 – I'm the Sheik of Scrubby Creek, Chad Morgan
1952 – Horrie Dargie Concert, The Horrie Dargie Harlequintet
1953 – Sam Griffiths, Jack Luscombe
1953 – Tribal Music of Australia, AP Elkin
1954 – Happy Little Vegemites, Betty Parker, Stephen Parker, Julia Parker and Linda Marcy
1954 – Speaking Clock, Gordon Gow and the Postmaster-General's Department
1955 – Prestophone Mastertape, Olive and Eva
1955 – The Adventure of the Singing Bullet, Smoky Dawson
1955 – The Drover's Dream, Alan Scott and the Bushwhackers
1955–1967 – Binny Lum Collection, Binny Lum and interviewees
1956 – The Man from Snowy River, Leonard Teale
1956 – Olympic Games, Melbourne 1956: Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony, Official Souvenir Recording
1957 – A Pub With No Beer, Slim Dusty
1958 – My Country, Dorothea Mackellar
1959 – Aboriginal Recordings, John Hutchinson
1959 – Bye Bye Baby, Col Joye
1959 – Come Closer to Me, Pilita Corrales1960s
1960 – The Art of the Prima Donna, Dame Joan Sutherland
1960 – She’s My Baby Johnny O’Keefe
1961 – The Death of a Wombat, Ivan Smith and George S English
1961 – I Only Came to Say Goodbye, Wilma Reading
1961 – Nausicaa: Opera in Three Acts, Peggy Glanville-Hicks
1962 – Georgia Lee Sings the Blues Down Under, Georgia Lee
1962 – I Remember You, Frank Ifield
1962 – I’ve Been Everywhere, Lucky Starr
1962 – 'Louie the Fly' Mortein jingle, Neil Williams and Ross Higgins
1963 – Arnhem Land Popular Classics: Aboriginal Dance Songs with Didjeridu Accompaniment, David Blanasi, Djoli Laiwanga and others
1963 – Bombora, The Atlantics
1963 – Doctor Who theme, Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire
1963 – Royal Telephone, Jimmy Little
1963 – He's My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy, Little Pattie and The Statesmen
1963–1997 – The Luise Hercus Collection, AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive
1964 – I’ll Never Find Another You, The Seekers
1964 – The Land Where the Crow Flies Backwards, Dougie Young
1965 – Decimal Currency Jingle, Ted Roberts
1966 – Friday On My Mind, The Easybeats
1966 – In the Head the Fire, Nigel Butterley
1966 – The Loved One, The Loved Ones
1966 – Patrol from Da Nang, Tim Bowden
1966 – Play School Theme (There's a Bear in There), Various performers
1967 – Fireworks and The Orgasmic Opus, Dr Val Stephen
1967 – Irkanda IV, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
1968 – Bird and Animal Calls of Australia, Harold J Pollock
1968 – Lionel Rose Wins the World Title, Ron Casey
1968 – Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Eric Jupp
1968 – Victoria Bitter advertisements, John Meillon, George Patterson agency
1968–1972 – Jimmie Barker collections, Jimmie Barker
1969 – The Real Thing, Russell Morris1970s
1971 – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Eric Bogle
1971 – Because I Love You, The Master’s Apprentices
1971 – Eagle Rock, Daddy Cool
1971 – Just the Beginning, Don Burrows Quartet
1972 – I Am Woman, Helen Reddy
1972 – It’s Time, Alison McCallum
1972 – Most People I Know (Think That I’m Crazy), Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs
1972 – A Track Winding Back ; True British Spunk, Barry Humphries and Dick Bentley
1973 – The Loner, Vic Simms
1973 – Opening Concert Sydney Opera House, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Birgit Nilsson
1973 – The Lord's Prayer, Sister Janet Mead
1974 – Cyclone Tracy, Darwin
1974 – Living in the 70s, Skyhooks
1975 – Earliest 2EA broadcasts, SBS Radio
1975 – Heading in the Right Direction, The Renée Geyer Band
1975 – It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll), AC/DC
1975 – 'Kerr’s cur’ speech, Gough Whitlam
1976 – Girls in Our Town, Margret RoadKnight
1976 – Howzat, Sherbet
1976 – (I’m) Stranded, The Saints
1977 – Love is in the Air, John Paul Young
1977 – Menstruation Blues, Robyn Archer
1977 – Stayin' Alive, The Bee Gees
1977 – You, Marcia Hines
1978 – C'mon Aussie C'mon, The Mojo Singers
1978 – Khe Sanh, Cold Chisel
1978 – You’re the One That I Want, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
1979 – Harry Williams and the Country Outcasts, Harry and Wilga Williams and the Country Outcasts
1979 – Up There Cazaly, The Two-Man Band
1979–89 – Sampling Sounds, Fairlight CMI
1979–2005 – Gaywaves, Gaywaves Collective1980s
1980 – The 4×100 Medley Relay Final at the Moscow Olympics, Norman May
1980 – I Still Call Australia Home, Peter Allen
1980 – Shaddap You Face, Joe Dolce Music Theatre
1981 – Boys in Town, Divinyls
1981 – Brand New Day (Milliya Rumarra), Kuckles
1981 – Down Under, Men at Work
1981 – Improvisation in Acoustic Chambers, Ros Bandt
1981 – Slip! Slop! Slap! jingle, Peter Best and Phillip Adams
1981 – We Have Survived, No Fixed Address
1982 – Don't Change, INXS
1982 – Great Southern Land, ICEHOUSE
1982 – Power and the Passion, Midnight Oil
1982 – Solid Rock, Goanna
1982 – The Man from Snowy River soundtrack, Bruce Rowland
1983 – Cattle and Cane, The Go-Betweens
1983 – I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green), Redgum
1983 – Jailanguru Pakarnu, The Warumpi Band
1984 – PB/5 pedestrian crossing button
1985 – Like Wow, Wipeout, Hoodoo Gurus
1985 – Sounds of Then (This is Australia), GANGgajang
1986 – True Blue, John Williamson
1986 – We Are Going, Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)
1986 – You’re the Voice, John Farnham
1986 – Wide Open Road, The Triffids
1986–2008 – This Sporting Life, Roy and HG
1987 – I Should Be So Lucky, Kylie Minogue
1987 – Rebetika Songs, Apodimi Compania
1987 – Recording of a Superb Lyrebird at Healesville, Victoria, Greg Wignell
1987 – Voss, Richard Meale
1987 – Neighbours, Barry Crocker
1988 – Tender Prey, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
1988 – Bicentenary protest coverage, Radio Redfern1990s
1990 – Dingo, Vicki Powys
1990 – Tabaran, Not Drowning, Waving and the musicians of Rabaul featuring Telek
1990 – Took the Children Away, Archie Roach
1991 – Democracy Manifest / Succulent Chinese Meal, Jack Karlson
1991 – Treaty, Yothu Yindi
1992 – Antarctica: Suite for Guitar and Orchestra, Nigel Westlake
1992 – Kickin’ to the Undersound, Sound Unlimited
1992 – Redfern Address, Paul Keating
1992–2008 – Songlines: Songs of the East Australian Humpback Whales, Mark Franklin (The Oceania Project)
1993 – Alive and Brilliant, Deborah Conway
1993 – From Little Things (Big Things Grow), Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody
1993–2014 – Deadly Sounds, Vibe Australia
1994 – Chains, Tina Arena
1994 – Tomorrow, Silverchair
1995 – Island Home, Christine Anu
1995 – LSD, djhmc
1995–98 – Martin/Molloy, Tony Martin and Mick Molloy
1997 – I am Australian by Various
1997 – Truly Madly Deeply, Savage Garden
1998 – Toot, Toot, Chugga, Chugga Big Red Car, The Wiggles
1999 – These Days, Powderfinger2000s
2001 – Aether, The Necks
2001 – Not Pretty Enough, Kasey Chambers
2001 – Reading Writing Hotline jingle, Peter Sullivan and Steve Goldberg
2003 – Nosebleed Section, Hilltop Hoods
2004 – Scar, Missy Higgins
2005 – Wild Swans, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
2007 – Federal Court native title determination at Noonkanbah Station, ABC Kimberley broadcast
2008 – Gurrumul, Gurrumul
2008 – Apology to The Stolen Generations, Hon Kevin Rudd AC, 26th Prime Minister of Australia
2009 – Last Call of the Christmas Island Pipistrelle, Zoos Victoria2010s
2011 – Somebody That I Used to Know, Gotye ft. Kimbra
2012 – Concerto of the Greater Sea, Joseph Tawadros
2012 – The Misogyny Speech, Julia Gillard
2013 – Inaugural Speech to the Australian Parliament, Nova Peris
2015 – Australian of the Year acceptance speech, Rosie Batty

Rewind and rediscover.
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2026 panel of experts
Matthew Davies
Annette Shun Wah
Kylie Bracknell
Grace Koch
Therese Radic
Lena Nahlous
Sosefina Fuamoli
Millie Millgate
Annabelle Herd
Dale Cornelius
Rowan Henderson
Deborah Cheetham
Main montage credits
PB/5 pedestrian crossing button audio recording:
With thanks to Darren Scarce
Federal Court Native Title determination at Noonkabah Station (live broadcast), 2007:
Photo courtesy of Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
photographer Vanessa Mills
Democracy manifest footage:
Courtesy of Seven Network
'You' Maria Hines music video clip:
Courtesy of Sony Music Australia
'Scar' Missy Higgins album cover:
Courtesy of Eleven: A Music Company, photographer Adrienne Overall,
cover design by Cathie Glassby
'Tabaran' Not Drowning, Waving album cover:
Courtesy of Mushroom Music
Reading Writing Hotline advertisement:
Courtesy of Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
and Life. Be In It.
Composer Peter Sullivan, Illustrator Alexander Stitt
Australian of the Year acceptance speech, Rosie Batty:
Photo Courtesy of National Australia Day Council
'Shaddap You Face' Joe Dolce album cover:
Courtesy of Dolceamore Music













































