Punt Road, Richmond

Scarce c.19th hand coloured engraving showing the floods on Punt Road, Richmond, Victoria in 1864.

On Dec. 13 heavy squalls of wind, accompanied by rain, swept across the city, and continued to increase in intensity during the three following days. The wind being from the S.W. and S.S.W. a high tide arose. This, coupled with the heavy rain, had the effect of making the river Yarra rise to a greater height than it had ever done before…the scene was heart-rending. At the river end of the Punt road hundreds of dwellings were submerged and many were swept away. In all these houses the furniture and other valuables were either totally destroyed or greatly injured, whilst in some instances the inmates had great difficulty in escaping with their lives… A kerosene-store was injured, and hundreds of cases of oil carried seawards. Large quantities of salt and sugar have been destroyed, as well as flour and other perishable articles…It is known that three men have lost their lives through the flood; but it is anticipated that other fatal accidents, unreported, have occurred. The sufferings resulting from this disaster – many having lost their all – are widespread and acute’.

From the original edition of the Illustrated London News.

References:
De Vries, L. History as Hot News: World of the Early Victorians Through the Eyes of the “Illustrated London News”.. London 1996.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 8438724
State Library Victoria: RARELTEF 052 IL696I
State Library New South Wales: RECORD IDENTIFIER 74Vv5Oy4wEgl