Motorists picnic under autumn tinted trees at the Cotter Reserve, Australian Capital Territory

Abstract

Scene with three cars in which a woman and man contemplate the autumn foliage of large plane trees. The area is equipped with a tap near the closest tree and two sets of tables and benches. On one of the benches can be seen large paper bags. Beyond the deciduous trees are evergreen shrubs and a grassy bank with a post and wire fence.The Cotter Reserve, which is about 20 kilometres west of Canberra was a favourite picnic area because it was one of the few places in the Territory that had facilities such as taps and tables. It lies a couple of kilometres down from the junction of the Cotter and Murrumbidgee Rivers. The Reserve is near the Cotter Dam which was built in 1915 and was Canberra's first water supply.This photograph is from an album that was held at the London office of the Australian National University over the period 1949 to 1952. The album was used to inform prospective staff about Canberra. These images are part of the series produced by the Department of Information and kept at the National Archives of Australia in Canberra. National Archives holdings in this series have gaps and some images may be held only at the ANU Archives.