Great Floods. No. 1, in 1839.
The first of those extensive floods, which through the capriciousness of the rainfall, and the snow melting on the mountain ranges, are very uncertain in their visitations, occurred in Melbourne at the close of 1839. T h e white inhabitants of the settlement had seen nothing of the kind before, and to them it occasioned m u c h astonishment. Since 1835, the Aborigines had often foretold the coming of such events, but they were heard with incredulity; their vaticinations shared the proverbial fate awaiting prophets in their o w n country, and were set down as a black ruse, concocted for the alarm of a race of intruders, regarded with no friendly eye by the natives. T h e whites were, however, n o w taught by ocular demonstration to pay more respect to the warnings of their sable contemporaries. During thefirstthree weeks of December the weather was scorching, and hot-windy, when a sudden change set in, and for three days and nights there was a continuous downpour of rain. T h e waters then took more time to travel to Melbourne than now, in consequence of the thickly-timbered state of the low lands, the profusely matted scrubs abounding along the sides of the Upper Yarra, and the manner in which the river, and watercourses discharging into it, were choked by such deposits as the snags, dead timber, and debris of ages. For these reasons, no doubt, the Yarra did not attain any alarming height till the 23rd, and it was not until the 24th (Christmas Eve) that the flood was at its full, when it overflowed the river banks, and inundated all the low-lying locality of the then small-scattered township to a depth of several feet. A punt that plied across the river, a little eastward of the present Princes Bridge, was soon disabled, and all transit from North to South was suspended unless by boat, a precarious m o d e of conveyance. This was of less consequence, as the southern side of the river was then only inhabited by a small colony of brickmakers, all of w h o m were beggared by the ruin which so unexpectedly overwhelmed them. Between the wharf and Emerald Hill stretched out the brickfield, where was stacked a considerable quantity of bricks, the labour of months, and from this place pile after pile was swept away, accompanied by the miserable shanties in which the people lived, leaving them homeless and penniless at the same time. T w o or three of the most substantially-built residences remained, and were six feet under water, almost up to the roofs. T h e residents had all fled for their lives. At the Melbourne side, the wharf was impassable on foot, and the only locomotion was by means of a couple of cock-boats placed on the streets for the occasion. T h e water tumbled along Elizabeth Street in an immense volume; Collingwood, Richmond, and round away down to the Beach resembled an immense circular lake. Emerald Hill, then known as the Green Hill, with its sheep browsing on the summit, seemed to look on with resignation at the innovation m a d e by the liquid element; whilst in the far West, Batman's Hill with its picturesque tree-crowned cone, was as an oasis in the swirling watery desert by which it was completely encircled. At this time the streets abutting round the Western Market with Collins and Little Flinders Streets constituted the principal places of business, and being high ground little merchandise was injured ; settlement along the Yarra banks had hardly commenced, and no perishable property being exposed to the inundation, losses similar to those sustained by subsequent floods were unknown. T h eflatfrom Elizabeth Street to Swanston Street was almost completely under water, and some of the dashing young squatters, in town for a Christmas spree, amused themselves rowing about in boats. Several fatal accidents occurred. A stockman named Jordan was riding into town and attempting to ford the Merri Creek, at a crossing-place near Northcote Bridge, had his horse swept off by the current. His body was found in a battered condition on Collingwood Flat after the waters went down. T h e horse was observed on Boxing D a y grazing in the n o w Yarra Bend Reserve, minus the bridle, and with the saddle under its belly. T h e same day William Brennan a brickmaker, was drowned whilst trying to swim the Yarra. H e had come into town, "nobblerized" too much, and would insist on returning home. H e rushed into the river, and after a few strokes and struggles went down, but not to that h o m e where a wife and four young children were anxiously expecting him. His body was recovered three days after, embedded in some brushwood on the Southern side. There were two almost miraculous escapes, corresponding in some particulars, and they both occurred on Christmas morning. Another brickmaker, named Crawford, who had also indulged in too m u c h stimulant, took it into his head to cool himself with a plunge into the Yarra, and stripping off at the end of Swanston Street, in he
