Topography and the Lagoon

The area of Port Melbourne was originally sandy and swampy and covered in tea-trees. One of the main features of this swampy Port Melbourne landscape was the former Sandridge Lagoon. Originally a fertile hunting ground for the local Aboriginal people, and later a small boat harbour and a good spot for fishing, the lagoon became a central element to life in Sandridge and Port. However the area was prone to flooding and suffered drainage problems, making it polluted and smelly leading to its gradual in-fill, completed by 1929. Evidence of the Sandridge Lagoon can be seen today in the topography and in the layout of the streets that used to surround it, including Esplanade east and west, as well as the Lagoon Reserve Park – its bumpy surface a result of the infill process. On the edge of the old Lagoon on Esplanade West is the old 1891 pumping station, which used to assist in the flooding and drainage of the Lagoon. Today it still pumps floodwaters during heavy rainfall out into Port Philip Bay. To discover more about the old Sandridge Lagoon, take the PastPort Lagoon tour in the app.

by pastportproject