1856 - The punt at Punt Road

A photograph of the punt at Punt Road Richmond taken in 1856. The punt for horses and carriages is on the far (south) bank. There are several small punts for pedestrians on the north bank awaiting business. On the south side of the river Punt Road rises sharply with cultivated land on both sides. There is a large house on the east and several small wooden buildings.

The river was narrower at that time than it is now and possibly slightly displaced from its present channel. Before the late 1890s the river looped a little north from this point into what is now Gosch's Paddock and then south into what is now the Botanic Gardens lagoon before winding north west again towards the city. On either side of the river before Princes Bridge were large shallow lagoons.

The photo is reproduced in Remembering Melbourne 1850-1960 published by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria (2016,) thus identifying the original as being in its collection. The caption tells us that 'John Twomey and punt keeper's premises [are] on the east side of Punt Road. On the west side is a summer house, the toll gate and beyond (on the slope) is the vineyard belonging to David Olgivie.'