Historical information

This photograph was taken in August, 1938 some eight years prior to the establishment of Mt. Beauty as a township. The area was still being used for grazing, and the land was eventually acquired from the local land owners by the State Electricity Commission. The construction of the road, from Tawonga to the High Plains, was commenced in April of this year. This allowed men and heavy equipment to be transported to the work sites for the construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme

Significance

This photograph is important as it shows the upper Kiewa Valley as it was before the establishment of the town of Mt. Beauty. The land has been cleared of natural growth and has been used for grazing cattle. By 1946 housing construction had commenced for the new town of Mt. Beauty and by 1948 street construction in the southern part of the town was completed as far as Hill Street.

Physical description

A black and white photograph of farmland with Mt. Emu in the background. This has been taken from where Mt. Beauty township now stands prior to road making and the erection of houses. A line of trees below the hill line indicates the position of the East Kiewa River. (No. 5 in a set of 8)

Inscriptions & markings

Handwritten in black ink on the upper left corner of the photograph is the inscription 'Kiewa 25/8/38' and the number 5 has been stamped on the upper right hand corner. On the back is the word 'Velox' which is the name of the photographic paper on which the photo was developed.