Victoria's Engineering History
This page is a work in progress. It will contain links to more detailed chronology of the key events and innovations in the history of engineering in Victoria, and key resources about that history.
Chronology:
The key overlapping periods of major engineering development in Victoria are:
- Pre 1834 - Before European settlement.
- 1834-1851 - Early settlement.
- 1851-1860 - Rapid developments after separation from NSW and the discovery of gold.
- 1860-1895 - The booms and busts that followed.
- 1888-1914 - National developments leading up to, and following, Federation in 1901.
- 1914-1939 - Boom and bust between the Wars.
- 1939-1950 - Engineers being innovative in the Pacific
- 1950-1975 - Post War developments to serve mass migrations from Britain, Europe and Asia.
- 1975-today - Consolidation and renewal.
Engineering Works by Discipline:
Many very significant engineering works were undertaking in Victoria, both to serve the Goldfields, the Metropolitan area of Melbourne, to serve the development of the Colony, the State, and the Nation.
Lists of key and major engineering works by industry / discipline (in preparation) are:
- Roads and Bridges
- Buildings
- Water Supply
- Irrigation and Drainage
- Ports and Harbours
- Sewerage
- Fortifications and Defence
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Railways
- Tramways
- Electricity
- Gas Supply
- Telegraph / Telephones / Radio
- Aviation
- Electronics and Computers
- Environment
- Bio-engineering
Resources:
General Histories provide an outline of the major engineering works in Victoria:
- 1888 - Kernot, W. C., 'Engineering Works in Victoria', in Victoria and its Metropolis: Past and Present Vol.2, Chapter 2. Alexander Sutherland, 1888
- 1934 - 'One Hundred Years of Engineering in Victoria', in Journal of the Institution of Engineers Australia. pp.353-420 October 1934
- 1984 - 'Our Engineering Heritage' 1985 Calendar. Commemorating 150 years of engineering in Victoria, The Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1988 - Carroll, Brian ed., The Engineers: 200 Years at Work for Australia (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1988), 311 pp.
Regional and thematic studies provide an overview of specific works and industries, and there are many heritage studies of specific sites.
Specific engineering works have been identified in heritage studies, listed in the register of the National Trust, and provided protection under the provisions of the local Planning Scheme, under the Victorian Heritage Register, or under other heritage or place legislation.
Engineering societies and organisations in Victoria, produced technical papers, and from time to time published lists of their members. Sometimes the technical papers include obituaries. Other membership lists, including some membership registers, survive in manuscript collections and archives. Sometimes these files include supporting papers that relate to an engineers education, qualifications, work experience and references.
General directories such as Sands and McDougals, provide some listings of Engineers, Contractors, Manufacturers and Builders, although often details about engineers are hidden in the alphabetical listings.
Tenders and Contracts often listed in Victorian Government Gazettes, newspapers and journals, may provide invaluable details about engineers, contractors and works.
Victorian Parliamentary Papers are also useful as they contain reports, enquiries, lists of government employees, and so on. Some Departmental and Private organisations contract books, contract files and contract drawings survive and have been placed in publicly accessible archives, others are not as secure or accessible.
Some sources are indexed, and some have been digitised, but many are not. It is hoped that as these sources are identified, scoped and indexed, their content can be more easily accessed and utilised. It is hoped that these web pages can provide a means of ready access to such indexes and sources.
