The 1929 Launceston floods

In April 1929, Launceston was devastated by floods which inundated large parts of Invermay and Inveresk, as well as other low lying areas of the city.

Inveresk and Invermay were evacuated without loss of life, but 22 people were killed in other flood-affected areas around Tasmania.

More than 4000 Northern Tasmanians were left homeless by the floods, and the city took many years to recover from the disaster.

Since 2010, the City of Launceston and Launceston Flood Authority have been working on a $58m project, aimed at reconstructing the city's flood levees.


Illustrations by Vicki Dewsbury

April 1929 rainfall map courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology.


Selected images from this film have been used with permission from the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office. They come from the following series:

http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/def...
and
http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/def...

The original photographers who created these images are unknown or wished to remain anonymous.

If you would like more information, visit: http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/tasmaniash...


Selected footage by John Burton and J King courtesy of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/def...

Thanks to:
Vicki Dewsbury, Malcolm Riley, Dr Owen Ingles, the Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office, UNSW, QVMAG, Ross Smith, Jon Addison, Bev Allen, Andrew Fullard, Shane Eberhardt, Josh Coates, Eamonn Seddon and Danny Gibson.


Sound effects:

Rain background by Mike Koenig - soundbible.com
Sports bar patrons loud - soundbible.com