Seventy years ago today, Australians gathered around glowing screens for the very first time. It is strange to imagine now, in a world where screens follow us everywhere, but on 16 September 1956 television arrived like a visitor from the future. It changed how we saw ourselves, how we shared stories, and how we connected as a country.

The moment it began

Mainstream television in Australia officially launched on 16 September 1956 when TCN-9 in Willoughby, Sydney switched on its broadcast signal. Advertising executive Bruce Gyngell appeared on screen and said the words that would become part of our national folklore: “Good evening, and welcome to television.”

That simple greeting opened the door to a new era. Within weeks Melbourne followed, driven by the excitement of hosting the 1956 Olympic Games. By November, both cities had multiple stations on air, and the country was learning how to gather around a box that brought the world into the lounge room.

Before the big switch on

Australia had been experimenting with television long before 1956. Early trials took place in Melbourne and Sydney as far back as 1929 using electro-mechanical systems. Brisbane followed in 1934 with regular test transmissions. These were small, flickering images sent to a handful of receivers, but they proved that the technology worked and that Australians were curious about it.

By the late 1940s and early 1950s, public demonstrations drew crowds who wanted to see this strange new medium. It was clear that television was coming. The only question was when.

The early years

When television finally arrived, it was expensive. In 1956 a TV set cost six to ten weeks of wages, so only a small number of households owned one. People gathered at neighbours’ homes, shop windows, and community halls to watch the Olympics, variety shows, quiz programs, and the first local dramas. Much of the content was live because videotape technology had not yet reached Australia.

Even the famous footage of Bruce Gyngell’s first broadcast is not the original. The kinescope recording was lost, and the version we know today is a re-enactment filmed a year later.

Growing into a national storyteller

Television spread quickly through the 1960s and 1970s. Regional stations launched. Networks formed. Colour arrived in 1975. Australian stories began to take shape on screen through programs like Homicide, Bellbird, Skippy, Number 96, and later Neighbours and Home and Away.

Television became a place where we saw our own suburbs, our own humour, our own landscapes. It also brought the world to us through satellite broadcasts, global events, and international dramas.

From one screen to many

The decades that followed brought cable, digital broadcasting, HD, streaming, and now on-demand viewing across every device. The medium keeps changing, but the heart of it remains the same. Television is still a shared experience. It still shapes our culture. It still gives us moments we remember.

Why this anniversary matters

Marking seventy years of Australian television is not just about nostalgia. It is about recognising how deeply this medium has influenced our national identity. Television helped knit together a country spread across vast distances. It gave us common stories, common jokes, common memories.

It also reminds us how quickly technology changes. The first broadcast reached only a few hundred screens. Today millions of Australians stream content from anywhere in the world. Yet the spark that lit up those first lounge rooms in 1956 still flickers in every screen we watch.

A final reflection

As Absolutely Australia continues to explore our history, culture, and shared moments, this anniversary feels like one worth pausing for. Television has been part of our lives for seventy years. It has shaped how we see ourselves and how we see each other.

Good evening, and welcome to television. Again.

Timeline of Australian television milestones

1929: Experimental television transmissions begin in Melbourne and Sydney using electro-mechanical systems.

1934: Regular test transmissions commence in Brisbane, further proving local interest in television.

16 September 1956: Official launch of mainstream television in Australia with TCN-9 Sydney’s first broadcast and Bruce Gyngell’s “Good evening, and welcome to television.”

November 1956: Melbourne stations begin broadcasting in time for the Olympic Games, cementing television as a new national pastime.

1960s–1970s: Rapid expansion of regional stations and formation of national networks. Local dramas and variety shows build a distinctly Australian TV culture.

1975: Colour television is introduced across Australia, transforming how audiences experience sport, drama, and live events.

1980s–1990s: Australian series like Neighbours and Home and Away gain international audiences, exporting Australian stories and landscapes overseas.

2000s: Digital broadcasting rolls out, increasing channel choice and improving picture quality.

2010s–2020s: Streaming services and on-demand platforms reshape viewing habits, but television remains a central storyteller in Australian life.