VPRS 18781 Historic Soundings Plans

This series comprises soundings plans created by the Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners. The plans primarily depict soundings taken around Port Phillip Bay. Soundings are measurements of the depth of the sea floor at the time of survey, and are commonly represented as rows or groups of numbers on a map. These plans date from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, and as such are hand-drawn. They depict locations under the responsibility of the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners such as the Yarra River, Fisherman’s Bend, Port Melbourne, and Hobson’s Bay. Some of the plans specifically document dredging activity. Given the functions documented in the plans, they appear to be a predecessor series to either VPRS 18782 Hydrographic Survey Plans or VPRS 18789 Port of Melbourne Soundings Plans, but this is subject to further research. These records were transferred to PROV from the Queenscliff Maritime Museum.