Australian Psychedelic History Project
The Australian Psychedelic History Project is dedicated to discovering, recording and preserving the stories of people whose lives were touched by, contributed to, or helped shape Australia’s psychedelic history. Including the many personal experiences that have remained largely absent from the historical record.
Much of this history was never formally documented. It survives in personal memories, forgotten archives, photographs, letters, artworks, medical files and the stories of people who were there. As time passes, many of these first-hand accounts are at risk of being lost.
Our aim is to build a richer and more human record of Australian psychedelic history by bringing together the institutional record, counterculture, personal experience and, most importantly, the voices of people who actually lived through these times and who had psychedelic experiences that had lasting impact.
What Inspired the Project
The inspiration for this project came from the remarkable first-hand testimony of Evelyn Harrison, who was part of Australia’s first wave of psychedelic therapy and research.
Evelyn generously shared her memories of receiving psilocybin-assisted therapy at Melbourne’s Private Hospital in the 1960s. Her deeply personal account brought a largely forgotten chapter of Australian history to life in a way that medical records and archival documents alone could not.
Her courage in sharing her story also highlighted something important: many of the people who lived through this history are now getting older, and their memories may disappear if we do not take the time to record them.
Evelyn’s testimony became a cornerstone of our research into Melbourne’s Forgotten Psychedelic Era and helped inspire this project. An important effort to find, record and preserve more of these voices while we still can.
Aquarius Festival, Nimbin, 1973. Photograph by Harry Watson Smith. Creative Commons.
Our Current Focus: Up to the End of 1975
The current phase of the project is specifically seeking experiences, memories and historical material relating to Australian psychedelic history up to and including 31 December 1975.
We have chosen this period because it captures two important and overlapping chapters in Australian history: the first wave of institutional psychedelic use, research and therapy that emerged from the late 1950s, and the first major wave of psychedelic counterculture that developed through the 1960s and early 1970s and can be see here as mark by the end of the vietnam war.
We are interested in both sides of this history — and everything in between.
That might include experiences with psychedelic therapy or research; doctors, psychiatrists, hospitals and patients; early LSD and psilocybin use in australian; artists, musicians and writers; communes and alternative communities; festivals and gatherings; spiritual exploration; underground networks; drug culture; community living, activism; or simply personal experiences of living through this remarkable period.
We are also interested in what happened afterwards. How did these experiences affect people's lives? Did they influence someone's art, creativity, spirituality, relationships, activism, work or way of seeing the world? where they painful, exciting, and or meaningful.
An experience may have occurred before the end of 1975, but its influence may have lasted a lifetime. That continuing story is part of the history too.
Whose Stories Are We Looking For?
Above all, we want to hear first-hand accounts from people who were there.
Your story does not need to involve a famous person or a major historical event. A seemingly small memory — a person, place, conversation, how you obtained the psychedelic, where you had the experience, what you experienced, or another detail prompted by these questions — may provide an important piece of a much larger historical picture.
Your memories don't need to be perfect either. You may not remember an exact date or someone's full name. Tell us what you remember and, where you are uncertain, simply tell us that too.
We also recognise that important histories survive through families and personal archives. If your story concerns a parent, grandparent, relative or another person you knew, and you have direct knowledge of how psychedelics affected their life or the lives of people around them, we would also like to hear from you.
You may also hold part of this history without having a story to record yourself. Photographs, letters, diaries, artworks, medical records, flyers, publications and other surviving documents can all help us piece together and preserve the historical record.
First Nations Histories
We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their own histories, cultural knowledge and relationships with Country, plants, medicines, ceremony and altered states of consciousness that long predate the period covered by this project.
We welcome appropriate First Nations oral histories and historical material that intersect with the history we are researching, including experiences and encounters up to the end of 1975.
We also recognise that some knowledge is culturally restricted or is not appropriate for a public or research archive. Such histories must be approached with respect for cultural authority, community wishes and appropriate protocols concerning how knowledge may be recorded, preserved, accessed or shared.
What Makes a Story Australian?
Our primary focus is on people who were living, working or participating in psychedelic research, therapy, culture or communities in Australia.
However, Australian psychedelic history did not always happen within Australia's borders.
We also welcome accounts involving Australians overseas where there is a meaningful connection to Australian history. This could include Australians serving or representing the country as soldiers, nurses, doctors, researchers or other professionals; significant academic or scientific engagements; or encounters with internationally important people, institutions or events that subsequently influenced psychedelic research, ideas or culture in Australia.
The important question is not simply where the event happened, but how it connects to the Australian story.
Building the Historical Record
Through oral histories, archival research and historical documentation, we hope to bring together these scattered pieces of the past and better understand how psychedelics intersected with medicine, science, culture, creativity and people's lives in Australia.
These stories and materials will be preserved for historical research and may help inform future articles, publications, educational projects and other historical work, always in accordance with the permissions contributors give us.
Most importantly, we want to create a place where these memories can be preserved before they disappear, and in some cases showcased for historical and resurch purposes.
Every memory can add something to the historical record. If you were there, knew someone who was, or hold a piece of Australian psychedelic history connected to 1975 or earlier, we would love to hear your story.