VPRS 18789 Port of Melbourne Soundings Plans

This series comprises maps and plans depicting soundings taken in the Port of Melbourne. The plans primarily show depth measurements collected as a result of sounding activities in the Port of Melbourne. Sounding, or depth sounding, refers to measuring the depth of the floor of a body of water. The depth measurements are depicted as numbers on each map, often in uniform rows although not exclusively. Many of the pre-1980s plans are hand-drawn. Later plans are computer generated. These plans primarily show the depths recorded along sections of the Port of Melbourne, such as the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers. Areas commonly represented in the collection include Port Melbourne, Yarraville, Williamstown, Appleton Dock, and South Wharf. Many of the maps show soundings taken in the vicinity of piers or berths. They also show some basic features of the coastline, notable features in the water, and shipping infrastructure such as piers where relevant to the area being surveyed. They also usually record the date the soundings were taken. Some plans contain reference to plans of previous soundings recorded in the same area, or other hand-drawn annotations. A number of the plans are specifically related to dredging activity in Port Phillip Bay, including dredging instructions highlighting specific locations, and soundings taken of spoil dumps. There are a small number of plan indexes, which list the plans for a particular year, as well as maps of the Port with the locations of that year’s dredging works highlighted. The plans were created between the 1910s and the 1990s. The same survey locations reappear throughout the series, so it can be used to track depth measurements in the Port of Melbourne over time. There is a limited index to this series located in VRPS 19075. That index can be searched chronologically, and then by plan number, but does not cover every plan in this series. Before being transferred to PROV, this collection was in the custody of the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.

本数据集包含描绘墨尔本港水深测量（sounding）成果的海图与测绘图件。此类图件主要展示墨尔本港通过水深测量作业获取的水深数据。水深测量（sounding，又称depth sounding）指对水体底部深度进行的测量作业。各海图上以数字形式标注水深数据，通常按整齐的行列排布，但也存在例外情况。1980年之前的多数图件为手绘作品，后续图件则由计算机生成。
此类图件主要呈现墨尔本港沿线区段的实测水深，例如雅拉河与马里比农河河段。馆藏图件覆盖的常见区域包括墨尔本港港区、亚拉维尔、威廉斯敦、阿普尔顿码头以及南码头。多数海图标注了码头或泊位周边区域的水深测量数据，同时还会标注测区海岸线的基本形态、水域内的标志性地物，以及与测区相关的航运基础设施（如码头等）。图件通常还会记录水深测量的作业日期。部分图件会提及同一区域既往的水深测量图件，或附带其他手绘批注。
部分图件专门关联菲利普湾港的疏浚作业，包括标注特定作业点位的疏浚指令，以及疏浚弃土场的水深测量数据。馆藏包含少量图件索引，可按年份罗列对应图件，同时也有标注当年度疏浚作业点位的墨尔本港海图。
此类图件的制作时间跨度为20世纪10年代至90年代。数据集内多次重复出现同一测量点位，因此可用于追踪墨尔本港水深数据随时间的变化情况。
本数据集存有一份有限索引，馆藏编号为VRPS 19075。该索引可按时间顺序检索，随后可按图件编号进一步筛选，但并未覆盖本数据集的全部图件。
在移交至PROV前，该馆藏由昆斯克利夫海事博物馆负责保管。