Forty years ago, Phillip Island was part of an incredible photographic experiment. A Day in the Life of Australia captured life as it was on March 6, 1981.
The brainchild of American photographer Rick Smolan, the project saw 110 photographers from across the world, including 41 from Australia, spread out across the country, capturing the Australia way of life in a 24-hour period.
One of those was Julie Millowick, a young photographer working in Melbourne.
Recommended by John Cato, a legendary Australian photographer who had lectured her in college, Julie was assigned to cover Rosebud, the general area up to Frankston and across to Phillip Island. About four years into her freelancing career, Julie said the chance to be involved in the ground-breaking program was exciting, and a little daunting.
“I grew up in South Australia and had never been to Rosebud or the island,” she admitted.
“I drove to Phillip Island about two days before to check out the locations, working out where I should go and where the potential was.”
The team from A Day in the Life organised for her to stay in a caravan park at Rosebud and provided a car and rolls of film.
After that, Julie was on her own.
“I literally walked around talking to people,” she said.
“I explained the project and said, I’m wondering if I could take your photograph. I think the fact that I was a lone agent, and just walked in and approached people in a low-key way, there was no adverse reaction. People were fantastic and revisiting those photos now, 40 years on, it just brings back positive memories. People got into the mood of it.”
Visiting Phillip Island, she was struck by the number of partially built homes there were.
“People were living in them or in nearby caravans while building. It was really noticeable at the time. There were these owner-builders all over the place. I knew it was something I should document.
“I was really lucky for lots of reasons. I photographed ordinary, everyday life. It’s really interesting to see what people were like 40 years later and there’s stuff that really sticks out. Like the amount of cigarette advertising outside milk bars, or kids on BMX bikes.”
She said in one shot, there’s a man in the background carrying four glass milk bottles in a special carrier, “obviously going to get refills”.
“All the shopping was in big brown paper bags. There’s not a plastic bag in sight. It’s all ordinary, everyday situations. Two people eating pies with sauce, another guy filling up the car with petrol. It’s simple stuff, but they still talk to me.”
Some of the photos on Phillip Island are Julie’s favourites from the day, but at the time, she had no idea if any of the photos would make it into the book.
In this digital age, it’s hard to imagine taking photos for 24-hours, without ever being sure exactly what you’d captured. On top of that, she didn’t get to process or edit the photos before submitting them. At the end of the 24-hours, Julie had to return to base, and hand over all her film and her notebooks.
“They took it all off for processing, then we went on with our lives,” Julie said.
“When the book came out in October, I flipped through it madly. I hadn’t seen anything. I didn’t know if the photos had worked. I was thrilled to see a two-page spread, plus another small photo included.”
About two months later, a box arrived in the post containing all Julie’s negatives and colour transparencies from the shoot.
“That was the first time I saw the photos.”
Revisited
Revisiting the photos more recently, Julie enlisted the help of Christine Graydon and the Phillip Island Historical Society to identify people featured in the island shots.
“Christine was absolutely brilliant. She tracked down the details of the young male surfers, one of them also eating a pie as he sits on the rear bumper of his VW. She also identified the couple of owner-builders as Doris and Jason Monet. Doris is pregnant with her daughter Louise in the photo.”
When it was released, A Day in the Life of Australia was a smash hit, selling 250,000 copies.
The book is currently out of print and can only be found in second-hand book shops or online, with pre-loved copies on ebay priced over $200.
Seven of the images she took on that day are featured in Julie’s most current exhibition “Eye to Eye” currently showing at the Footscray Community Arts Centre.
The project was a life-changer for organiser Rick Smolan, who went on to do similar books in many countries.
“I don’t know if it was life-changing, but it was a big boost to my confidence,” said Julie.
“I was at the beginning of my career and I was getting clients, but all the time you were pushing yourself and at the same time doubting yourself. It was such an honour to be asked to be part of it, such a thrill. It’s still a thrill.”
View her current exhibition, including seven images from ADILTA at: juliemillowick.com/portfolio-items/eye-to-eye/