Sunday, December 7, 2025

Country Roads Board photographs - Princes Highway

The Country Roads Board was established in 1913 to maintain major roads in Victoria. Previous to this all roads were the responsibility of the local councils. The Public Records Office has digitised much of the CRB's photographic collection, you can access them here.  This post shows the Princes Highway photos from the old Shire of Berwick area; the South Gippsland Highway photographs from the old Shire of Cranbourne area can be seen here


Main Street, Dandenong, 1913.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00047_A


Township of Dandenong - market day - Princes Highway East, 1913.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00158


Berwick township section East side looking West, 1928.
St Andrews Presbyterian, now Uniting Church, is on the left.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00005


Berwick township section East side looking West, 1928.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00005


Junction of Princes Highway East with road to Upper Beaconsfield, 1913. This is, of course, Berwick and the Border Hotel / Berwick Inn (see here)
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00032_A


Princes Highway East Section 1 - Cardinia Creek Bridge at Beaconsfield, 1931.
This photograph is, we believe, mislabelled. Marianne Rocke of Upper Beaconsfied History wrote this about the photo - I believe that this photograph was wrongly labelled by the Country Roads Board/PROV. It was not taken in Beaconsfield. A few reasons: The bridge is too close to the turnoff to Upper Beaconsfield. The Princes Highway seems to be going up a small rise. There was only one other building on the north side of the road at that time, and  the hotel [Gippsland Hotel, now the Central Hotel] had a different architecture. 
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 30_295


Road running North from Cockatoo station, 1913.
Cockatoo is north of the Princes Highway.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00036


400 gallon heaters set up for spraying on the Cockatoo-Gembrook Road, 1931.
This road is north of the Princes Highway.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 30_00259


Princes Highway East (Section 1) : bridge over Toomuc Creek, Pakenham, 1937. 
The building behind the bridge is Burke's Hotel, also called the La Trobe Inn.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 36_00211


Princes Highway East section 1 : Hancock's Bridge, Pakenham, 1930. Hancock Creek is between Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 30_00081


Princes Highway East Section 1 - between Pakenham and Nar-Nar-Goon, 1918
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 18_00030


Sand Road, south of Nar Nar Goon, 1913
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00035


Princes Highway East section 1 - from Tynong Road - base course of granite, 1929.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00098


Quarry at Tynong opened up by contractor Manrell, Pakenham, 1929. This is north of the Highway. 
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00201


Princes Highway East section 1 - between Garfield and Tynong turn-off: maintenance of granite sand surfacing 1929
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00100


Princes Highway East : section 1 : construction of mixed in place near Garfield, Pakenham, 1932.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 32_00074


Bridge over Bunyip River between Bunyip and Drouin : Princes Highway East, 1913
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00166


Princes Highway East section 1 - bridge over Bunyip River, 1929.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00095


Princes Highway East Section 1 : wrecked approach span : Bunyip River Bridge after December floods 1934 : Eastern end
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 34_00084


Train being shunted across Bunyip River after December floods 1934.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 34_00081

CRB's photographic collection, you can access them here.  This post shows the Princes Highway photos from the old Shire of Berwick area; the South Gippsland Highway photographs from the old Shire of Cranbourne area can be seen here

This post, which I compiled, first appeared on my work blog Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.

Country Roads Board photographs - South Gippsland Highway

The Country Roads Board was established in 1913 to maintain major roads in Victoria. Previous to this all roads were the responsibility of the local councils. The Public Records Office has digitised much of the CRB's photographic collection, you can access them here.  This post shows the South Gippsland Highway photographs from the old Shire of Cranbourne area; the Princes Highway photos from the old Shire of Berwick area, can be seen here.  

South Gippsland Highway section 1 - maintenance tent: Cranbourne - Dandenong Road, 1914.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 14_00191_B


Brunt's gravel pits near Cranbourne, 1913.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00183


South Gippsland Highway Section 1 - between Cranbourne and Tooradin - 
recently reconstructed, 1936.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 36_00144


South Gippsland Highway Section 1 - between Cranbourne and Tooradin -
 recently reconstructed, 1936.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 36_00145


South Gippsland Highway Section 1 : between Five Ways and Tooradin, 1945.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 45_04174


Bridge across Tooradin Inlet on South Gippsland Highway - Section 1, 1927.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 25_00075


Bridge across Tooradin Inlet on South Gippsland Highway - Section 1, 1927. 
The Tooradin Garage is the building behind the bridge.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 25_00076


Bridge across Tooradin Inlet on South Gippsland Highway - Section 1, 1927.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 25_00077

South Gippsland Highway Section 1 : reconstruction near Koo-Wee-Rup, 1934
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 34_00103


South Gippsland Highway Section 1 : reconstruction near Koo-Wee-Rup, 1934
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 34_00104

Timber bridge over main drain at Koo-Wee-Rup - South Gippsland Highway - Section 1, 1913.
I don't know what that building is behind the car, in fact, I am not even sure this is actually Koo Wee Rup, despite of the label.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 13_00177


South Gippsland Highway Section 1 : bridge over S.R. and W.S. [State  Rivers & Water Supply Commission] drain beyond Kooweerup, 1938. 
I am unsure where this actually is.  
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 38_00572

South Gippsland Highway - section 1 - Lang Lang River looking upstream with old bridge in background, 1928.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 28_00178


Old bridge over Lang Lang River on South Gippsland Highway - section 1, 1927.
Photographer: Country Roads Board VPRS 17684 Image 25_00072

CRB's photographic collection can be accessed here.  This post shows the South Gippsland Highway photographs from the old Shire of Cranbourne area; the Princes Highway photos from the old Shire of Berwick area, can be seen here

This post, which I compiled, first appeared on my work blog Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.