Reception this way: motels – a sentimental journey with Tim Ross

Event details

Events and Exhibitions

Date & time

14 June 2025 to 19 October 2025

Open daily
from 10 am

Location

Museum of the Great Southern
Residency Road
Albany, WA 6330

Price

Free

Travel around Australia revisiting your memories of the classic Aussie motel, from family holidays and long road trips to continental breakfasts and mid-century mod-cons.

In a land where the car has provided us with the ultimate freedom to hit the road and explore, it is no surprise that Australians wholeheartedly embraced the American concept of the motel. When motels began springing up in the 1950s, they represented a new, stylish and sophisticated way to travel.

Join National Archives and Tim Ross on a driving holiday through the quintessential Australian experience of staying in a motel. And find out why these images are part of the national archival collection.

This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians. 

Tour schedule