How the Tamar River looked 60 years ago

We've been copying several boxes of old archived photos over to our digital archive, and I thought I'd share some interesting images of the Tamar River with you.

I've dug through the old black and white prints and sorted these images of work around the Tamar River and the North Esk River.

Obviously the mud, or silt as it's sometimes called, has been an issue for a long time, as these photos were taken from 1963 onwards.

I've added the exact captions recorded by the original photographers at the time.

The caption tells on June 17, ( the year this was taken wasn't recorded) on the bank of Launceston's North Esk river, the Woodfield and French bulldozer is doing a very important job. It is laying the foundation for the flood protection levee and ring road that will run along the Esplanade.

I thought I'd show you what their work has now provided us. The North Esk river now has a high levee bank with a well-used footpath, which provides great views.

9/5/1966: Thousands of tons of rock-fill was dumped into the North Esk River at Launceston, beside the southern bank between the Tamar and Charles Street bridges.

16/6/1963: CRASH - and another mouthful of rocks goes tumbling into the North Esk river. The rocks are being dumped to build a flood wall along the Esplanade.

You can see the Esk Brewery sign that is still there today.

The interesting coincidence is I photographed the same area on 16/6/2023. (Sorry I couldn't find an excavator)

9/5/1963: A Launceston Marine Board employee, watches as a stream of black mud and water pours from the end of a big pipeline leading from a new pontoon dredge working in the Tamar River. The dredge is depositing about 1200 cubic yards of mud and water onto the west Tamar flats every hour.

15/2/1963: The new suction dredge hired by the Launceston Marine Board, being assembled to pump silt from the Tamar to West Tamar flats as part of the reclamation scheme.

This photo shows it in the North Esk river with the old wharf area behind, which is now Seaport and Home Point.

20/4/1963: New Marine Board dredge, just before starting work in the Tamar River. Filling from it is sucked along the pipeline supported on pontoons to the shore where it is used in the West Tamar flat reclamation work.

2/6/1964: The main levee in Launceston's flood protection scheme is beginning to look like a huge concrete grandstand, in Royal Park.

The levee bank as it is today. Originally the site for Tasmania's first military barracks, Royal Park is now an established park adjacent to the Tamar River, used for recreation and events.

21/8/1969: Royal Park official opening.

Master Warden of the Port of Launceston Authority Mr Ray Ferrall, Ald. King, Mr JN Edwards, chief engineer of Haunstrup and Associates, the consulting engineers, and the City Engineer, Mr M Hoerner who is also Chairman of the Flood Protection Board.

The view some 54 years later, with established trees and lush green grass.

Hope you enjoyed looking back with me.

Paul Scambler- Senior Photographer