It is a long slog, but that's what we planned for. The old photographers were panorama maniacs, they wanted a wide view. They got on top of every tower and high point in the city to capture the view. This was not as easy as today, they had to carry a lot of gear up towers (read about Walter Woodbury and the Gasworks Tower
Unfortunately some of the plates from those excursions are missing. Hidden Melbourne is very busy filling in those gaps with images captured by other old photographers, and also views captured by us.
This historic panorama captured by Nettleton in 1883 from the roof of the Royal Exhibition Building is an example where we have 3 gaps and cannot locate old images to fill those gaps.
Therefore we have inserted 5 views captured in 2016 from the dome of the REB. You can see these views here:
Southwest View South View Southeast View NorthWest View NorthEast View
Hidden Melbourne historic tour now includes a photographic panorama of Melbourne captured by Walter Woodbury in 1855 from the 195 ft high chimney of the new gasworks, thought to be an Australian first. These were the years of the birth of modern photography. At the age of merely 21 he took his wet-plate camera, tripod, portable darkroom and his chemicals and was hoisted in a ‘proper cradle’ by means of the ‘small steam-engine’ up to the room at the top of the chimney.
An early adoptee of the new Collodion Process, he used a glass plate coated with a collodion (cellulose nitrate) solution to which a soluble iodide was added. Prior to exposure the plate was immersed in a solution of silver nitrate to form silver iodide. The plate, still wet, was exposed in the camera and then had to “fixed” immediately because once the collodion film had dried this could not be done. The panorama required 4 overlapping photographs.
How much easier it is for Hidden Melbourne, using a Sony A7R2 with a CMOS sensor, “developing” the images in Photoshop!!! This highly detailed panorama has been enhanced to show features not visible on the old prints made on silver gelatine paper. Many thanks to the State Library of Victoria for making these images available, and for the sterling job they do to preserve our history.
Read the fascinating story in the LaTrobe Journal linked to this scene and have a detailed look at Melbourne 1855 through an old lens. Click on this image to see the instructions, use the link to see the panorama in detail.
https://www.hiddenmelbourne.com.au/VTNode/1855_Woodbury_Gasworks_Tower
Hidden Melbourne allows you to travel through time an space with our virtual tour from the birth of Melbourne up to the present day. The birth of Melbourne was also the birth of photography and we have taken the opportunity to walk in the steps of the first image makers who captured the city during it's birth and growth.
In 1841 Samuel Jackson created a highly accurate and detailed 360° panoramic view of Melbourne (Camera Lucida, projection sketched on paper).
In 1875 the Paterson Bros captured a view from the same location during construction of a new spire (Glass plates coated with collodion, sensitised with silver nitrate, exposed then fixed).
In 2016 Hidden Melbourne captured a highly detailed panoramic view from the same spire (Sony A7R2 on cmos sensor).
All three scenes can be viewed here in this preview of the historic tour of the complete city and its towers (coming soon!)
https://www.hiddenmelbourne.com.au/ScotsChurch
In November 2016 Friends Of The Auburn Tower held an opening night to launch the TOWER PANORAMA by Hidden Melbourne. Former premier Ted Baillieu gave a stirring speech about the “Power of Towers” to enable us to see distant views and make visual connections to other high places surrounding us.
The TOWER PANORAMA is a high resolution 360° panoramic view from the spire which has been printed and mounted on the four walls inside the tower. It will be used in guided tours and enable those who cannot climb to the top, to be able to enjoy the view. The panorama is also an electronic interface, as we have included printed QR codes which can be scanned by mobile phones and drop the viewer onto remote towers which are visible from Auburn Uniting Church.
Here is a view of one panel of the panorama, showing the Western View (North, East, South and West are on the four walls). Barney is demonstrating the QR codes which open up the view from a distant tower when scanned.
Nothing beats climbing up the tower itself, please contact AUC and make a visit: Friends of Auburn Tower
We have also added a Gigapixel view from the tower balconies, which are extremely difficult to access. Enjoy it here: Gigapixel view
