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Can you find your home on the Corley Explorer?

By Myles Sinnamon, Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland | 11 December 2018

The Corley Explorer, a database containing over 61,000 photographs of homes in Queensland taken during the 1960s and 1970s, was launched in late 2018 to coincide with the opening of State Library's exhibition, Home: a suburban obsession. Although the exhibition is over, the database is still available online.

Multigabled Queenslander in Brisbane 1970

Multigabled Queenslander in Brisbane's inner suburb of Yeronga. 6169 Frank and Eunice Corley House Photographs ca. 1970. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no. 198610

These photographs were taken by Frank and Eunice Corley who drove around suburban streets from Bundaberg to Beenleigh taking snapshots of the fronts of houses, which they would then attempt to sell to the occupant in the form of a calendar or greetings card.

Story of Frank and Eunice Corley (Youtube)

It is estimated that the Corleys took approximately a quarter of a million photographs with around two-thirds of these images sold. The remaining 61,000 were donated to State Library in 1995.

House images are presented by suburb, then in the order they were photographed on the film spool, street by street. While the majority of images are not individually identified by street name and number, the Corley Explorer allows you to input the exact address as well as add personal stories and photographs of the property.

Browsing the photographs for the Brisbane suburb of Everton Hills I recognised the house I grew up in at 49 Olearia Street. Our family lived in this house from 1980 to 1999.

49 Olearia Street, Everton Hills, ca.1970s. From 6169 Frank and Eunice Corley House Photographs ca. 1970. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 6169-1803-0008

49 Olearia Street, Everton Hills, ca.1970s. From 6169 Frank and Eunice Corley House Photographs ca. 1970. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 6169-1803-0008

I raided my parents photograph collection and came up with a number of images of the facade, the garden and shots from inside the house, which I uploaded to the Corley Explorer.

Everton Hills House 1986

49 Olearia Street, Everton Hills as it looked ca.1986. Photo courtesy of Myles Sinnamon

Everton Hills home 1999 and sold sign

49 Olearia Street, Everton Hills, 1999. Photo courtesy of Myles Sinnamon

One of the major changes visible from the Corley photograph to when I lived in the house was that a portico over the front entrance was added some time prior to 1980. The front and back verandahs were built-in in 1988.

The property backed on to Kedron Brook and had a multi-level backyard.

Can you identify your house on the Corley Explorer? Help us by adding your story to the image.

This short video looks at how this valuable collection of photographs was rescued and preserved by State Library staff.

Myles Sinnamon - Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

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