1931 Aerial Photographs

Background

The Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society's collection includes a series of twenty-one A4 photocopied pages reproducing an aerial photograph series taken over the Doncaster and Templestowe area in 1931. 

Although the resolution of the pages is not high, they have now been scanned and are presented below, together with a key map showing the location and area covered by each photo.
These historical black-and-white vertical aerial photographs capture the rural and semi-rural landscape of the area, including farmland and orchard land with their field boundaries, dams, houses and farm buildings, shops, roadways, native vegetation, and rivers and creeks.

Source and Dating

The government agency that commissioned the aerial photos is most likely the Department of Crown Lands and Survey, a historical department of the Victorian Government, though the commissioning agency is not stated on the photographs themselves. The words "Melb and Metropolitan Area" are legible in some cases on the flight data information panel along one side of each photograph. Each photo carries a capture date, and where legible these indicate the photos were taken in a series of runs in February, March and April 1931.

The Information Panel

Each photograph carries an information panel recording key flight data:
    • an altimeter/height gauge showing flight altitude (eg 1,150 feet)
    • a photograph frame counter (eg 03081)
    • a directional arrow indicating north
    • a cross-axis, or T-shaped, bubble spirit level recording the exact orientation of the aircraft at the moment of exposure
    • a panel giving the purpose and date of the run and other camera information
    • a time clock recording the time of exposure

1931 aerial photos- typical frame information panel.  From left: altimeter, frame counter, spirit level, directional arrow, run-details panel, time clock 

Key Map

To assist in identifying the area covered by each photograph frame, a key map as shown below has been prepared showing the approximate location of each photo. Each frame is shown as a square box marking the limits of that photo, annotated in the top corners with its frame number. Many of the frames overlap.

1931 aerial photographs – key map for photo frame locations

The Photographs

The twenty-one photos below have all been oriented with the blue direction arrow facing upwards, giving a generally north-facing alignment consistent with standard map orientation.

1931 aerial photo- frame 2493

1931 aerial photo- frame 3078

1931 aerial photo- frame 3079

1931 aerial photo- frame 3080

1931 aerial photo- frame 3081

1931 aerial photo- frame 3125

1931 aerial photo- frame 3126

1931 aerial photo- frame 3127

1931 aerial photo- frame 3128

1931 aerial photo- frame 3139

1931 aerial photo- frame 3140

1931 aerial photo- frame 3141

1931 aerial photo- frame 3142

1931 aerial photo- frame 3143

1931 aerial photo- frame 3144

1931 aerial photo- frame 3155

1931 aerial photo- frame 3156

1931 aerial photo- frame 3157

1931 aerial photo- frame 3158

1931 aerial photo- frame 3341

1931 aerial photo- frame 3342

Source: Ian Schafter, DTHS, August 2026