1875 Melbourne Looking North West

A photograph from 1875 of Melbourne looking north west with the nearest street being Swanston Street, running from lower left to middle right. Bourke Street runs diagonally from upper left to lower right. Almost in the centre of the picture we see the GPO building with its clock-tower. The "lake" at the top of the image was known originally as "Batman's Swamp", later as "West Melbourne Swamp", and was drained in the late 19th century.

The photograph was taken from the top of Scots' Church on the corner of Russell and Collins Streets. Scots' Church was completed in 1874 and was the highest building in Melbourne at that time and provided a wonderful platform for bird's-eye photographs of Melbourne.

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Photograph attributed to the Paterson Brothers.

The notes from the State Library tell us that this image is a "Photographic print, elevated view, of Melbourne taken from Scots Church, Collins Street. Shows Post Office (upper left) and West Melbourne swamp (upper centre)."

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 blemishes and artifacts such as stains, mould, scratches and damage caused by the handling 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.