Lifeblood of the city

Description: How Melbourne has always depended on the Yarra for its existence. The expanding city has drawn upon the Yarra and its tributaries, culminating in the development of the head-waters of the Yarra itself. The climax is the building of the Upper Yarra Dam, shown in detail. The film uses old prints to illustrate past development of Melbourne, with emphasis on its water supply. Material filmed at all stages of the ten years of building the Upper Yarra Dam presents a full picture of how a large rock and earth dam is built. Concludes witht he opening of the reservoir by Sir Dallas Brookes (26th November 1957). Commentary by Geoff Raymond.