ABSTRACT
Youth subcultures have their own histories. Though subculture' may be a contested term, it is still used by many academics to explain youthful allegiances and leisure practices. In a recent Contemporary British History article, Garland et al. argued that: the study of youth and youth culture provides an opportunity to uncover important aspects of social and political change, be they mediated through consumption, the construction of identity, the production of popular music, or in terms of providing a "space" beyond the family, school and workplace in which formative cultural and political interests are developed. The idea of historical research that delves into the materiality of youth's subcultural past might seem questionable in a world that is digitising at top speed. Australian youth culture scholars often have shown how the country's geographic isolation, unique topography, Indigenous communities, historic ties to Britain and the rural/urban cultural divide have created a unique experience for those born and/or raised here.
