Yarra River flood of July 1891

The Yarra River flood of July 12, 1891, left 1,000 people homeless. The Age of July 13, 1891 had a full report of the damage the flood caused (read it here) but here are a few stories- a house in Cremorne Street, Richmond had water to within a few feet of the roof, in Dover street, the water was  within a foot of the top of the some of the street lamps..... The Johnston Street bridge.... as a rule is considerably over 50 feet clear of the flood level, but last night the water was within 14 feet of the decking.  The flood also submerged 207 houses in South Yarra - the worst streets being  Clara, River, Tivoli and Karlsberg (The Australasian July 18, 1891, read full report here)

Great flood of July 1891 -  Looking east from Princes Bridge

State Library of Victoria Image H12675

A Board of Inquiry into the Yarra River flood of  July 1891 was established.  The Inquiry was investigating  (1) the causes and extent of river floods in and about Melbourne, and the extent to which they are contributed to, or intensified by, artificial or preventable causes , and (2) the measures that might be adopted for controlling or mitigating the effects of such floods, and for preventing, future damage therefrom.

The Board members were Mr Clement Hodgkinson, chariman; Mr. W. Davidson, Inspector general of public works; Mr Stuart Murray, chief engineer Victorian Water Supply department; Mr A. C. Mountain, city surveyor of Melbourne; Mr William Thwaites, engineer in chief to the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works; Mr P. J. Nolan, city surveyor of South Melbourne; Mr H. Tolhurst, city surveyor of Collingwood; Mr A Clayton, C. E., city surveyor of Richmond; Mr H.T. Haynes, city engineer of Hawthorn; Mr William Calder, city surveyor of Footscray; Mr A. V. Heath, borough surveyor of Port Melbourne and Mr. T. B Muntz, C. E., engineer of the shire of Malvern. (The Argus, October 14, 1891)

The Great Flood of 1891 - Punt Road Richmond.

State Library of Victoria Image H12674

The Inquiry heard from a number of expert witnesses - Carlo Catani, being one and his friend, Ettore Checchi being another. Ettore, Carlo and their friend Pietro Baracchi,  had journey from Italy to New Zealand then onto their new life in Victoria in 1876. The other evidence that was given by the expert witnesses can be read in The Argus of October, 14 1891, here.

Carlo and Ettore's evidence was reported in The Argus of October 21 (see here) Ettore's evidence is interesting as it shows the huge volume of water that swept down the Yarra during this flood.

Mr Ettore Checchi of the Victorian Water Supply department, the first witness examined submitted a number of plans showing the levels of the floods at different points of the river. At Warrandyte the volume of flood water was 1,650, 000 cubic feet per minute ; and at Dights Falls he estimated the volume to be 2,290,300 cubic feet per minute. Other authorities had formed different estimates as to the volume at the last-named and a mean average of 2,167,600 cubic feet per minute was given. At Gardiners Creek the mean average as to the volume of the flood water was 2,206,200. At Prince's-bridge the discharge would be practically the same at at Gardiner's Creek. The discharge of water at the St Kilda road was 495,800 cubic feet per minute, with a volume of 147ft per minute. The mean volume of water at the Saltwater River was 1,188,600 cubic feet per minute. The total discharge of water at the junction of the Saltwater River was 2,899,000 cubic feet per minute, with allowance for diversion at Prince's-bridge only. The total discharge of water into the bay was 3,395,000 cubic feet per minute. (The Argus of October 21, see here)

Mr. Catani of the Public Works department,  said there was a discrepancy between the levels supplied by him and those furnished by the officers of the Harbour Trust as to the flood waters at the Queen's-bridge. Above and below the bridge the same level of water he found obtained, the abutments of the bridge offering no obstruction to the continuous flow of the water. The levels he had marked on his plans were in agreement with those obtained by the Railway department. From his own observation he had fixed the levels of the flood of 1891. (The Argus of October 21, see here)

One of the solutions to stop the Yarra River flooding was to widen the river and straighten it's course and this work, between the Princes Bridge and the Cremorne Railway Bridge, was undertaken by Carlo Catani and the Public Works Department in 1896 and 1897, you can read more about it here. This work also led to the creation of Alexandra Avenue and the Alexandra Gardens, two other projects of Carlo's.

Kelso Street, Richmond, July 1891 flood. Photographer: Paul and Gerald Turner.

State Library of Victoria Image H96.160/1996



Twenty nine houses were 'rendered uninhabitable' by the flood, and you can see why by this photo.
Clara Street, Hawksburn, 1891 flood. Photographer: Cyril Robert Stainer.
State Library of Victoria Image  H2002.130/6

There are many photos of the 1891 flood on the State Library of Victoria website, www.slv.vic.gov.au