C1873

Plan of the New Docks on North Side of River Yarra as recommended by the Royal Commission on the low lying lands on the Yarra.

Mapmaker:

Rare early plan of the proposed docks on the Yarra, alongside the Customs House which sat on the River between William and Queen Streets, Melbourne, 7th November, 1873. The proposed docks were are at a point on the Yarra River … Read Full Description

Sold

S/N: VIC-1873B-GPOF–404248
(MD08)
Free Shipping
Plan of the New Docks on North Side of River Yarra as recommended by the Royal Commission on the low lying lands on the Yarra. WORLD MAPS

Within Australia

All orders ship free
within Australia
Plan of the New Docks on North Side of River Yarra as recommended by the Royal Commission on the low lying lands on the Yarra. WORLD MAPS

Rest of the World

Orders over A$300
ship free worldwide

See Shipping page for Terms & Conditions

Details

Full Title:

Plan of the New Docks on North Side of River Yarra as recommended by the Royal Commission on the low lying lands on the Yarra.

Date:

C1873

Mapmaker:

Engraver:

Government Printing Office Melbourne 

Condition:

Small repaired tear at left sheet edge, otherwise in good condition, with folds as issued.

Technique:

Hand coloured copper engraving.

Paper Size: 

600mm 
x 500mm
AUTHENTICITY
Plan of the New Docks on North Side of River Yarra as recommended by the Royal Commission on the low lying lands on the Yarra. - Antique Map from 1873

Genuine antique
dated:

1873

Description:

Rare early plan of the proposed docks on the Yarra, alongside the Customs House which sat on the River between William and Queen Streets, Melbourne, 7th November, 1873.

The proposed docks were are at a point on the Yarra River which was as far as ships could sail up and where customs officers were rowed out to the ships by convicts.

Charles Grimes government surveyor was the swamp in 1803 during his charting of Port Philip Bay. It became known as Batman’s Swamp, after pioneer settler John Batman, who built a house at the base of nearby Batman’s Hill in April 1836. In 1912 George Gordon McCrae (son of diarist Georgiana McCrae) described it as being in 1841: a real lake, intensely blue, nearly oval, and full of the clearest salt water. The lagoon was also described as; having a bottom of solid blue clay and laying at the high water level while the flats surrounding it were about one metre above high tid. Because of its distance from the city and its unsuitability for residential development, it soon became the location for numerous industries that polluted the swamp, such as; abattoirs, fellmongeries, tanneries and rubbish depots. The 1873 Royal Commission into the development of the area described the swamp as “a disgusting swamp as repulsive in its present aspect as it is pestilent in its influence”. The Commission recommended some residential development to the immediate west of the city, the reservation of areas along the Yarra River for docks, warehouses and industry, with the rest of the land being given over to agriculture and parkland. Drainage of the swamp was considered from the mid-19th century, but did not commence in earnest until about 1877, when a steam-operated pump was set up near Brown’s Hill at South Kensington, and drains dug along Swamp Road, which was later reconstructed as Dynon Road, connecting to West Melbourne. Draining was recommenced from 1890, under the design and supervision of the Victorian Public Works Department engineer William Thwaites.

Collections:
State Library Victoria: MAPS 821.03 GMFS 1873 B

Choose currency

Exchange rates are only indicative. All orders will be processed in Australian dollars. The actual amount charged may vary depending on the exchange rate and conversion fees applied by your credit card issuer.

Account Login

The List

Join our exclusive mailing list for first access to new acquisitions and special offers.