Summary

Photograph of the Kodak Australasia factory in Abbotsford whiile in flood from the Yarra River, 1952.

This photograph shows the factory as the floodwater is receding. Debris from the flood is evident in the foreground and is stuck in the mud and silt from the river. The sheds made of aluminium sheeting are still partially underwater.

The Yarra River was prone to flooding, and despite major works designed to manage water flow in the 1920s, the river still experienced a major flood in November 1934 and again in 1952. Such floods caused damage to the Kodak factory and potentially washed away into the river some of the materials and chemicals that were used in the manufacturing process.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers, as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

This photograph is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down.

Description of Content

In the foreground of the image, there is debris stuck in the mud and silt from the recently flooded river. There are small barrels, tin cartons, various pipes, aluminium sheeting and timber. In the background to the right is a low lying shed made of aluminium sheeting that is partially submerged by flood waters. A line of trees is behind this shed and in the distance, one of the factory chimneys is visible. To the left in the background are trees and also building structures, still partially submerged.

Physical Description

Black and white silver gelatin photograph, printed on light weight paper, landscape format with a white border.

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