Robert's custom-built light table for digitising the archive
A life behind the lens
Robert Gray began his career as a cadet photographer at The Age newspaper in Melbourne in 1968. Over the next three decades, he would work across press, commercial, architectural, food, and portrait photography — documenting Australia through a period of extraordinary change.
From the newsrooms of Melbourne to the tropical north of Queensland, from Hong Kong harbour to the Great Barrier Reef, Robert's camera captured the people, places, and moments that defined an era. All on film. All meticulously catalogued.
Now retired in Brisbane, Robert has spent years digitising his extensive archive — building a custom light table, developing cataloguing systems, and preserving over 12,000 images for future generations.
Career Timeline
1968–76
The Age / Sunday Press, Melbourne — Press photographer
1976
North Magazine — Queensland by 4WD
1976–79
Freelance — Hong Kong, fashion, corporate, tourism
1981–87
McKenzie Gray & Associates — 300+ clients, Melbourne
1987–01
Cairns — Tourism, hospitality, Tropical North Queensland
