🎪 Did you know the site of Arts Centre Melbourne used to be home to a circus? Our conservators restored this scrapbook compiled by Wirth's Circus transport manager Charles West, which is filled with thousands of fascinating images from times gone by, and stories waiting to be discovered. Come make your own memories at our summer blockbuster, Circus 1903 this January in the State Theatre → https://brnw.ch/21wDvJs | Arts Centre Melbourne

Footage of Wirth's Circus shot by American tourists in the early 1950s. It shows their arrival, construction of the big top, behind-the-scenes footage of the performers, and part of the show. From our #Circus collection: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/australian-circus-shows-performers-and-history | NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

From shifting away from animal performances to showcasing daring stunts, the circus has transformed over the years in a bid to uphold and rejuvenate this timeless tradition. | HuffPost Entertainment

This year our collection reached 6,000 home movies, including this recent acquisition showing the raising of the Wirth's Circus big top, in the 1950s. Read more about our 2017 acquisitions: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/2017-nfsa | NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia