During the 19th century, in a time when the World relied upon ships for transport, Sir John Coode was theengineer engaged to design ports, harbours, canals as well as gateways linking seas, lakes and rivers.
Sir John Coode
Sir John Coode, KCMG – (b. 11 Nov 1816 – d. 2 Mar 1892)
Sir John Coode, K.C.M.G., was descended from an old Cornish family, of which records extend back to the fifteenth century. Born at Bodmin on the 11th November, 1816, was educated at the Bodmin Grammar School. From an early age, however, he had shown a strong liking for mechanical work and through the good offices of a relative, to whom his natural bent was know, he obtained an introduction to the late Mr. James Meadows Rendel, Past-President Inst. C.E., with the result that he abandoned law in favour of engineering…
Victoria
In Victoria, his designs included the Yarra River Canal in Melbourne as well as harbours at Portland and Warrnambool, river improvements at Belfast, the entrance between Bass Strait and the Gippsland Lakes, and, the entrance channel to the Geelong Harbour.
Coode’s Yarra River Canal c 1886 » POI Australia
The Yarra River once swung in an elegant loop that was surrounded by pristine swamps full of bird life. John Batman described this stunning landscape in his journal of exploration dated in the year 1835: ” . . . We then made the Rim, I had gone up a few days [?] intending to come on the opposite si…
The Entrance c 1889 – Lakes Entrance, Gippsland, VIC » POI Australia
Located some 320 km east of Melbourne, the Gippsland Lakes are the largest inland lake system in Australia, stretching over some 400 square kilometres. The network of shallow lakes, marshes and lagoons are collectively fed by the Avon, Thomson, Latrobe, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo Rivers. Basical…
Western Australia
In Western Australia he reported on a harbour at Fremantle.
South Australia
South Australia included the design for an outer harbour near the mouth of the Port Adelaide River.
New South Wales
New South Wales saw inspections, reports and designs for the Richmond, Clarence, Bellinger, Nambucca, Macleay and Shoalhaven Rivers; the harbours of Port Macquarie, Wollongong and Kiama; the entrance to Lake Macquarie, and the wharf at Darling Harbour, Sydney.
The Clarence River, NSW
The Clarence River is located in the north-east region of New South Wales. It measures in at over 400 km from source to sea, contains some 100 islands, and is one of Australia’s largest waterways. It was the stunning Australian Red Cedar that first drew cedar getters to the area c 1839, however, once the cedar was exhausted, farmers moved in to take advantage of the beautiful, fertile soils…
Queensland
Queensland included designs for Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, and the bar of the Norman River.
Many of his designs were implemented and are still in use until this very day. These achievements are enormous in Australia, however, there are so many more around the World . . .
This is an ever evolving story. As our travels to various regions of Australia continue, more discoveries may come to light and will be added to this amazing story of the life of Sir John Coode.
