Growing up in Sydney

Moments in the lives of thousands of Sydney's children are documented in the State Library's photographic collections. These photos remind us that although every child's life is unique, some childhood experiences in Sydney are typical. Exploring with friends, a trip to the beach, soft drinks in the backyard, school lessons and Christmas visits to Santa are just some of the things that thousands of Sydneysiders remember from their own childhoods.

 > View a selection of photographs dating from the late 19th to the early 21st centuries documenting Sydney's children at play, at school and at work.

The photographs capture some of the joy and innocence of a Sydney childhood, whether lived in the inner suburbs or in the rural bushland suburbs surrounding the city.

Children in Sydney slums, mainly Surry Hills, Woolloomooloo, Redfern, 1949, by Ted Hood
Photograph  PXA 584/13