Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a spy? For starters, it's nothing like the movies.

The National Archives of Australia's latest exhibition in Canberra lifts the veil on some of what really goes on in this hidden profession.

The identity of staff at Australia's domestic spy agency, ASIO, is protected by law, but "Spy: Espionage in Australia" features anonymous interviews with several officers.

One said he felt the burden of working in the shadows on his first day.

"I wasn't even sure if I could tell my dad what I had for lunch that day," he said.

He went on to describe the reality of intelligence work.

"I think the real surprise is the really mundane stuff, the reality of work every day, which involves meetings and paperwork and governance and those day-to-day frustrations that you have when your computer freezes," he said.

Keeping information secret is a core part of the job.

"You do have to keep things from your partner and your family and friends, and that can take its toll a bit when you know you can't just go home and then offload if you have a bad day," another officer said.

"It's quite exciting. It's pretty terrifying, as well, when you realise the risks if you get it wrong, but it is addictive."

Another officer spoke about the changing nature of the work.

"Targets have moved away from the traditional telephone, meet down by the corner. Now they're online, they're using encrypted apps.

"Old-school" spycraft: a camera hidden in the pages of a copy of Tolstoy's War and Peace. ( Supplied )

"It's not the old-school methods of passing a note on a street corner or a dead drop. It's online, it's obfuscating their activities and that's making it more difficult for … our techies as well," he said.

The archives' director-general, David Fricker, said the exhibition examined espionage and counter-espionage in Australia from the time of Federation until now.

"People are fascinated with the secrecy behind the business of espionage and, here at the archives, we have the opportunity to open up the files and let people see for themselves," Mr Fricker said.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said it was important to tell the stories of the men and women behind the work.

"The balance between public interest and security is incredibly important … That's why exhibitions like this are good, to help people understand what we do and also to tell the story we operate under law," he said.

"There's a balance between privacy and security but, actually, what we do has oversight."

Mr Burgess said a spy's work was nothing like that portrayed in films.

"You've got James Bond, Jason Bourne, you've got the Black Widow. I can tell you this world is nothing like that of the movies," he said.

"Look: I'm living proof that spies are like normal people like me, I'm no Daniel Craig."

ASIO 'remains crucial'

While the Cold War ended decades ago, Mr Burgess said ASIO's work was as important as ever.

"Unfortunately, we live in a time where espionage and foreign interference threats are at an all-time high [and] the threat from terrorism continues to be a problem."

The exhibition also includes an interview with ASIO's most recent former director-general, Duncan Lewis.

A kit of emergency supplies ASIO used to give to foreign defectors who needed to go into hiding. ( Supplied )

He spoke of ASIO's four main responsibilities: terrorism, counter-espionage and foreign interference, how to support border forces, and security vetting.

"[Vetting] is ensuring that the workforce that we have in government is a secure one, that we don't have people that are plants inside our government that are able to leach information out," Mr Lewis said.

"We need to make sure that we have people who are security-cleared, particularly in sensitive jobs in government, and much of the responsibility of that falls to ASIO."

The agency says it's always looking for curious, clever people to join its ranks.

A job offer might be just around the corner — just don't tell anyone.