In the heat of summer, Australians enjoy nothing better than a day at the beach. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was little different except that beach goers did not strip down to costumes flimsier than their underwear.

This delightful photograph was taken on a bright sunny day in the first decade of the twentieth century at Williamstown Beach in Victoria. This was one of a number of beaches popular not only with the locals but with the inhabitants of northern and western suburbs of Melbourne. On public holidays such as Boxing Day and New Year’s Day extra trains were scheduled to deal with the demand. Inner suburban schools even took their children to Williamstown for the annual school picnic.

Those in the photograph who haven’t come on foot or by train may have travelled in one of the array of horse drawn vehicles seen at the back of the photograph. Umbrellas are everywhere, offering portable shade. A few tents and awnings have been erected back near the road. Many of the adults are fully clothed. The men are in jackets and waistcoats, some wearing boaters or panamas as a nod to the weather. Some women are wearing lighter dresses but many are still in dark colours, all are wearing hats. One older lady is even wearing a cape.

Some children, girls particularly, are fully dressed but others have their shoes off, pants rolled up, smocks hoisted, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

My favourite of all those on the beach is the little girl on the left – so full of the joy of childhood, I hope life treated her well.

For those who actually wanted to swim, Williamstown also had a sea baths which ran to a timetable to allow men and women to swim separately away from the eyes of the opposite sex. A red flag indicated that it was the women’s turn to bathe and a blue flag, the men.

And, finally, Williamstown Beach on a not so summery day.

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All photographs are out of copyright and courtesy of the State Library Victoria.