1883 Removing the Falls

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A photograph of the Yarra, showing some of the equipment that was used in 1883 to commence the removal of the Falls. (Click here to see a photo from 1858 of the Falls.) The Falls w ere an ancient basalt ridge (roughly located where Queens Bridge is today) that created a low barrier across the river, that usually stopped the seawater from mixing with the freshwater coming down the Yarra. This was important to the founding of the Settlement in 1835 as it provided the European settlers with fresh water, except when there were extremely high tides or floods. There were a number of attempts to raise the height of the ridge in order to contain the fresh water, but floods and strong tidal surges eventually broke the artificial walls away. The original inhabitants of the area, the indigenous people, used the Falls as a way of crossing from one side of the river to the other, and also as a natural fishing spot. The Falls prevented vessels from proceeding up and down the river, and once the Yan Yean supply of fresh water began to reach Melbourne in 1857 the Falls no longer served any purpose for the city. There was a wooden bridge built across the Falls in 1860, but it proved inadequate as the city grew, and the bridge was removed along with the Falls themselves in 1883, and Queen's Bridge - which replaced it - was completed in 1889. The Falls were surveyed in 1841 to determine the depth of the pools on either side of the ridge and an image of the survey is shown in the slideshow. John Batman's only son - 8yo John Charles - drowned after slipping into the water while crossing the Falls in 1845. All text © HotPress Photograph by Charles Nettleton. Notes from the State Library of Victoria tell us that the image is a "Photograph of a dredge and other boats, and people on jetty c.l. Several men are working on the dredges and another man wearing a hat is standing on boardwalk l.r. This photograph shows the Yarra falls (the rocks in the foreground) being removed in 1883. The dredges can be seen hauling away large rocks." This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the State Library of Victoria. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks. Our team of conservators have worked on a high resolution digital image in order to remove age-related damage caused by the handling and storage of the original. We strive to provide authentic representations of the original work that are suitable for enlargements that retain the tones and character of the original. Show more