Then & Now

TAKEN from approximately the same position but 144 years apart, these two photographs clearly illustrate Geraldton’s development in that time.

From the digital archives of Geraldton Historical Society, the old photo is believed to be the earliest image on record of Marine Terrace.

It shows the developing town’s main street as a rough sand track, the first layer of bitumen was not laid down until the 1920s.

However, that old photo is not quite as old as was first thought.

When it was added to the GHS archive around 20 years ago, it was recorded as having been taken in 1869, but the only recognisable landmark tells a slightly different story.

That landmark is the Victoria Hotel, which was built in 1871/1872 when the area's total population was only 500 people.

With solid walls of stone and brick, it still standsbut is now empty and unused.

No other buildings in the archive image are recognisable today, those which replaced them were built in line with the Victoria Hotel, closer to what is today the footpath.

An interesting detail in the archived photo is at the right, a tall pole bearing a bell.

This is believed to have been the town’s fire alarm, which would have been loud enough to call volunteers to the foreshore.

Once there, they would fill their one horse-drawn tank and pump with sea water before galloping to the blaze!