3 November 2010

Image of South Canberra c1930s

| johnboy
Join the conversation
19

[First filed: Nov 2, 2010 @ 10:03]

South Canberra in the 1930s [Photo Courtesy Archives ACT]

Aussielyn has sent this photo in with some questions:

    — Can anyone date this photo of South Canberra?
    — It is from a series that Archives ACT hope to have restored.
    — The housing on the south side of Barrallier St Griffith is not yet constructed.
    — The southern background is Murray’s Dairy farm “Kurrumbene”.
    — I have dated it c 1930s. Can anyone add light?

Anyone?

Join the conversation

19
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Better be careful, this could easily end up in the ‘grey’ literature and be cited in IPCC publications (much like a now-discredited piece on Himalayan snowmelt).

ConanOfCooma said :

Poor buggers, the drought is so bad the lake is gone!

global warming must have been bad back then!!

goodwolverine8:20 pm 10 Nov 10

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

what else gives the impression that it was 1930s?

If you zoom waaaaaaay in, there’s a guy with an onion on his belt.

yes, i do indeed believe it was the style at the time 🙂

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

I heard Menzies drank it dry after somebody told him the pub was closed.

LOL.

Woody Mann-Caruso2:09 pm 03 Nov 10

I heard Menzies drank it dry after somebody told him the pub was closed.

I hear that particular drought lasted until the mid ’60s. And to think people complained about the one just finished.

ConanOfCooma10:46 am 03 Nov 10

Poor buggers, the drought is so bad the lake is gone!

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

If you zoom waaaaaaay in, there’s a guy with an onion on his belt.

LOL!

mddawson said :

Its an aerial photo taken in the early 1940s most probably by the RAAF.

The circular patch of grass surrounded by trees is Manuka Oval. Stuart St Griffith is on the middle left. Another photo in the series shows the southern part of Griffith/Narrabundah (South of Bannister Gardens) yet to be developed. Houses in Bannister Gardens were completed in the early 40s.

Of course I should have written “Stuart St Griffith is on the middle right.”

The original photos can be viewed most weekdays at the ArchivesACT Reading Room upstairs at Woden Library.

Old Canberran & AussieLyn:
(For supporting map references, Hotel Kingston existed in 1943, and in 1940, but not in 1933)

Hotel Kingston didn’t officially open until Monday, 20 July 1936.
Supportive text from Wednesday 22 July 1936 edition of Canberra Times:
HOTEL KINGSTON
The transfer of the licence for the Hotel Kingston, which was opened on Monday, from Walter Patrick McGrath, of Griffith, to Alexander James Kay, of Canberra, was gazetted yesterday.

Citation:
1936 ‘HOTEL KINGSTON.’, The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926-1954), 22 July, p. 3, viewed 2 November, 2010, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2422766

Context:
(Click here for relevant Canberra Times page, see bottom of middle column, just above the MAKE YOUR OWN COUGH REMEDY AND SAVE MONEY ad)

old canberran5:03 pm 02 Nov 10

Lyn, I have attempted to identify some of the landmarks on the photo and have uploaded an enlarged version to here: http://vk2ce.com/South%20Canberra%20c1930s.jpg” here.
I have a 1933 map and the Hotel Kingston is not on it neither are the finished streets in Griffith so the photo is definitely after 1933, probably early 1940’s. If you can find out when the “Kingo” was built you’d have a better idea of the date of the photo.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

If you zoom waaaaaaay in, there’s a guy with an onion on his belt.

…which was the style at the time?

Mr Evil said :

The photo’s black and white?

You couldn’t get white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.

Just left on centre down the bottom, flat building with 2 seperated lanes leading up to it is Telopea Park School.

Thanks Skid for the advice & great nla hyperlinks. The date was just a rough guess.
I think I should now date the photo early 1940s, it was taken from an air force plane.

The book on the Narrabundah Prefabs is being put together by
Allan Foskett.
We are looking for corporate support to top up the heritage grant. Anyone able to help out please email me:
austinlynch60@gmail.com
Website: http://www.narraprefab.org/index.html

Its an aerial photo taken in the early 1940s most probably by the RAAF.

The circular patch of grass surrounded by trees is Manuka Oval. Stuart St Griffith is on the middle left. Another photo in the series shows the southern part of Griffith/Narrabundah (South of Bannister Gardens) yet to be developed. Houses in Bannister Gardens were completed in the early 40s.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

what else gives the impression that it was 1930s?

If you zoom waaaaaaay in, there’s a guy with an onion on his belt.

The photo’s black and white?

Just ask Norman Abjorensen, he’ll know.

Woody Mann-Caruso12:56 pm 02 Nov 10

what else gives the impression that it was 1930s?

If you zoom waaaaaaay in, there’s a guy with an onion on his belt.

Photo is roughly from Capital Hill aligned along Sydney Ave towards Telopea Park, yes?

The southern end of Barralier St wasn’t yet developed at the end of 1940.

But it was by 1943.

Other than ‘Barralier St isn’t fully developed’, what else gives the impression that it was 1930s?

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.