A research collaboration involving The University of Melbourne, BHP Steel and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), was formed in 1993 to investigate the performance of both the structural and nonstructural components of steel-framed domestic structures when subjected to earthquake loading. Forming a key part of this research, as described in this paper, are aspects of an experimental program used to determine the linear elastic dynamic properties of isolated single wall panels, a typical model house constructed and tested on an earthquake simulator at The University of Melbourne, Australia, and from nondestructive dynamic field tests on a full-scale prototype single story steel-framed brick-veneer house typical of Australian conditions.