Date 1858

An extraordinary, very early photograph of Melbourne showing The Falls, the place where the freshwater met saltwater, and the navigable extent of shipping on the Yarra. Below the falls a deep natural basin was available for ships to unload and turn, called the Turning Basin. Today this is the site of Queens Bridge, looking towards the Melbourne Aquarium. Given the majestic urban waterway it is today, the scene of environmental destruction depicted here is also remarkable. Not a trace of the natural environment remains. Even The Falls were dynamited in 1883 to improve shipping...‘Yarra Yarra’ is believed to be the aboriginal name for The Falls, indeed, John Wedge, a settler in 1835 wrote: “On arriving in sight of the river, the two natives who were with me, pointing to the river, called out, ‘Yarra Yarra’, which at the time I imagined to be [the river's] name; but I afterwards learnt that the words were what they used to designate a waterfall”.

Source: State Library of Victoria