On 19 November 1960, the Portland Harbour Trust was officially opened by His Excellency, The Governor of Victoria, Sir Dallas Brooks, in front of thousands of onlookers. It was one of the largest concentration of Premiers, Statesmen, industrial and civic leaders ever to attend an event outside of an Australian capital city.
Today, Port of Portland is a busy modern port, handling in excess of $2 billion in trade. One of Victoria’s four major shipping ports, it handles bulk cargoes such as plantation woodchips and logs, grain, aluminium products, mineral sands, fertiliser, livestock and wind tower components.
To celebrate our 60 year anniversary, Port of Portland is providing access to an online exhibition of photos and memorabilia. We invite you to take a journey of discovery with us…
In addition to some great photos, Port of Portland, in conjunction with Glenelg Shire Council’s Cultural Collection and Powerhouse Productions, have provided a glimpse of the past through a series of short historical video’s for you to enjoy.
Celebrating 60 Years
EPISODE 1 – BIRTH OF THE MODERN PORT
A painstaking process of transferring thousands of hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
The first video in the series uncovers the hopes and dreams for the future of Portland through the eyes of KS Anderson and the local people.
Footage has been made available courtesy of Glenelg Shire, Port of Portland, and Portland Harbour Trust.
Episode 2 – Portland in the Sixties
The second video in the series uncovers Portland in the sixties. We get a glimpse of the health, recreational and industry opportunities that underpinned the community. A painstaking process of transferring thousands of hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
EPISODE 3 – THE PORT TEN YEARS ON
The third video in our series focuses on the positive economic benefit of building the port has had on local industries in Portland and Mr Keith Anderson’s somewhat enthusiastic estimate of the potential population boom to come.
The video features Mr Theo Jarrett, Mr Jack Stanford and Mr Keith Anderson.
A process of transferring thousands of hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
EPISODE 4 – THE QUARRY
The fourth video in our series focuses on the Cape William Grant quarry and the almost inexhaustible quantity of bluestone for the building of the new Portland harbour.
Nowadays, blasting at the quarry is heavily regulated and carried out under the instructions of a qualified “powder monkey.” The days of seeing large explosions, along with the deep long loud BOOM are long gone with techniques of controlled blasting now improving overall environmental and safety standards.
A process of transferring thousands of hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
EPISODE 5 – THE GRAIN SILOS
The fifth video in our series focuses on the construction of the grain silos.
A geological survey was conducted in 1963 for the viability of building cement grain silos to the west of the south end of the K.S Anderson Wharf.
“On the basis of the data obtained from the investigation, it is concluded that the site is suitable for the construction of the proposed silos” reported Soilmech Pty Ltd.
The silos, owned by GrainCorp have a storage capacity of 60,000 tonnes of grain and continue to be used today.
A process of transferring thousands of hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
EPISODE 6 – THE PIONEERS
Take an amble down the streets of Portland and a peek through some of the homes of our pioneers, evoking a fond collection of wonderful memories.
Episode 6 gives us an opportunity to visit a bygone era.
“Though photographs may fade, the memories behind them are far from forgotten.”
A process of transferring hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
EPISODE 7 – THE COMPLETION
Now the new breakwater and wharf are completed it is time to acknowledge this historic achievement with a celebration. A ball was held in the transit shed on the KS Anderson Wharf with 3,500 people attending.
A process of transferring hours of archival footage from 16mm film to high definition has uncovered many hidden gems that we can now bring to life through a series of historical videos for the community to enjoy.
This concludes our series of historic videos for 2017. We hope you have enjoyed watching them and if you missed an episode please go to our vimeo page vimeo.com/portofportland
60 Years of Reflections (1960-2020)
It is with pleasure we invite you to watch our new short documentary 60 Years of Reflections – let us take you on a nostalgic journey into the Ports history and the challenges faced in building the modern port. A trip down memory lane with some anecdotal accounts from former and current employees.
Against the Odds
In 2016, Port of Portland released a documentary titled Against The Odds – it tells the story of the port from conception to today, sharing insights into the people who have been part of the port’s modern history. The documentary captures the memories of port employees who have served for 25 years and longer. It provides an insight into the rich history of the port workers, often working in back-breaking and dangerous conditions.