Album - Photograph, J.A. McDonald, Eltham-Diamond Creek Road, 21 Oct. 1953

Album - Photograph Album, J.A. McDonald, Bridge and Road Reconstruction Works, Shire of Eltham, 1952-1962

Historical information

18 October 1956
Flood level on road at corner of Railway Parade.
On the immediate left out of view is Mrs Lucy Egan's home. That house still stands today nestled up against the Wattletree Road Bridge on the other side built in 1959 and is owned by the Bakos family purchased by Mrs Heather Bakos in 1960..

Prior to the Wattletree Road bridge being built, Railway Parade extended up the alignment of present-day Gastons Road to the Eltham-Diamond Creek road which ran past the entrance of the present-day carpark for Edendale Farm. This view is looking west across the Glen Park Bridge, and the beginning of Wattletree Road which sweeps around to the right in the distance. Progress Road does not exist though a road reserve is present on maps.

Significance

Record of various Shire of Eltham infrastructure works undertaken during the period of 1952-1962 involving bridge and road reconstruction projects, sometimes with Eltham Shire Council Project Reference numbers quoted. It was during this period that a number of significant improvements were made to roads and new bridges constructed within the shire that remain in place as of present day (2022). In many situations, the photos provide a tangible visible record of infrastructure that existed throughout the early days of the Shire. The album was put together by or under the direction of the Shire Engineer, J.A. McDonald.

Physical description

Black and white photo print (location of negative unknown)

Adhered to a page in an album of 78 foolscap pages containing a sequence of photos, adhered via glue or sticky tape, with typed or handwritten headings and captions in pencil.
Originally contained in a green foolscap binder with spring clasp spine for retaining loose pages.
Also inserted loose within the binder a number of photo negative/print processing folders containing various loose prints and medium format Kodak 620 6x6 cm black and white negatives as well as plain enevlopes with lists of photos and quantities of copies made/used for assembling these album pages. The negatives have been catalogued separately and relevant relationships to pages highlighted in catalogue record.

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