FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Here is an interesting one...
aerial view of a caryard in Brisbane after the 1974 floodwaters had receded.  A few submerged Holdens in amongst that lot :o :( including a windowless van.
(http://enc.slq.qld.gov.au/qm/research/ld795-26_brisbane_floodsr.jpg)

There's an awful lot of old Holdens in this yard for 1974. Surely this must have been someones car collection?
The majority of them seem to be FE through to EK plus a few 50's & 60's Americans.

Ken

I agree with you Ken, I'm just reporting the pic as it was described in the Archives.  My guess is the photographer saw all these cars in one place after the flood and assumed it was a car sales yard.  Could have been someone's collection.  I tried to attach a large picture, but had no success.

Could it be the "front yard" of a wreckers?

The cars are too complete for a wreckers - and too neat.
Only one car has its bonnet off and it also appears to be missing a door - but all the other cars have no missing parts or accident damage that I can see.  I wonder if all these cars went to scrap - no wonder it's hard to find an FE or FC in the Brisbane area - they were all destroyed in a flood in 1974 :o
If this was an old Holden enthusiasts collection, there are only 2 FJ's which seems strange considering the number of FE to EK's
It's a great photo.

Ken

The top left hand corner of the pic - the corner one looks like rear damage, the one to the south is missing a door and the one to the right is missing its glass, possibly from the flood. 2 cars right of that the roof looks crushed and 3 right of that is a remnant of something. To the south of that it look like a ute with its bonnet in the back and its rear tailgate missing.

On the right hand side is that an SS with the striped bonnet and air scoop with the boat next to it?

As you say, models are too specific for a general storage yard - do you know what are the buildings to the top or where the photo was taken from? Could it still be in existence, albeit with different cars today?

HK / HT / HG Monaro's and a GT Falcon...  :'(

By the look of the huge shed it could be somewhere near hamilton wharf which is near the Valley,where they were assembled or it could be at the industrial area near northgate.My bet is Hamilton wharf seeing as the cars are covered in only the finest Brisbane river mud.The other possibility is the Woolstores at Tennerrife which is just around the corner from The Valley.      cheers paul viner

Hopefully you will be able to see a  bigger version of the picture if you click on the link- :ohttp://enc.slq.qld.gov.au/cgi-bin/DisplayResearchImage.pl?title=Brisbane%201974%20Floods.%20Aerial%20view%20of%20car%20yard%20after%20flood%20waters%20had%20receded.&ImageNumber=ld795-26_brisbane_floods&Publisher=Queensland%20Museum&url=http://enc.slq.qld.gov.au/qm/research/ld795-26_brisbane_floodsr.jpg ($2)

Considering the wide range of makes & models including boats maybe it's a holding yard for stolen or reposessed vehicles. Would an insurance company own the yard.
Considering the popularity of Holdens during the 60s & 70s I don't think it strange that there are so many there.
Colin.

Could it be a panel shop yard????????????

Looking at the photo and taking into acount that there seems to be alot of mud on the ground it seems fairly certain that these cars were where they were when they were flooded. That being said I would think that it wouldn't be a car yard as some of these cars are parked in a manner that would indicate that they were not on display. I am inclined to agree with colt, that the yard was repossesion yard or similiar.

Looking at the photo again, I have another observation re the location.

If you look at the building to the top with the big roof I think that it is possibly a railway sided building. The overhang would cover the guys loading up the trains and it looks like a loading platform with big sliding doors to open when it was loading time. Could that yard have been a car park for local workers, and like any over time a couple of bangers got left behind?

Where did they used to load up the trains - I am thinking wool or sugar type thing.

Or am I completely whacko? I don't know Brisbane at all......
 8)

The yard looks like it has a processing plant of some sort out of picture on the LHS, notice how the dirt/dust covering the cars lessens the further right you go.

Stinky
I think the reason the dirt is only on the roofs of the cars on the left is because it is the lowest point. The cars on the right did not get completely covered. You can still se water at left.
Regards
Alex

I think Paul is close, but I think it is a wharf area by the look of the storage building, delivery trucks and the type of yard area provided for the water side workers vehicles.

regards
Weddo

Hi Guys
What a great pic. Thanks for sharing it Shayne.
Got board last night and did some googling using Paul's hunch that it might be around Hamilton Wharf and came up with this.It's Boundary street just below the Storey bridge in Hamilton. Looks pretty close to me.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/IhadaV8/hamilton.jpg)

Maybe an old wharfie might know abit of history about the place
Cheers
Tony

Tony will certainly be getting a star stamp on his home work for this effort.  That's obviously the location.  Now for the date.  It seems likely to be earlier than 1974 given the spread of cars that are there.

Tony, your next home work is dates of floods in Brisbane.

Cheers
David

24th January 1974 the flooding started caused by Cyclone Wanda  ;)

The bigger picture makes the cars a lot clearer, now I can see a lot more damaged cars. At least 4 in the centre as well as the stripped EH ute. An EJ wagon is burnt out, a crashed early Falcon on the LHS - and the car with the roof crushed - that's a '52 / '53 Caddy isn't it?
As was mentioned there are 3 Monaros (1 with a guard missing) and a GT Falcon. There are a number of '55 / '56 / '57 and '59 Chevs laying around. What is the wagon 4th from the top on the LHS? Is it a Zephyr?
I can see a Hillman Imp and an early Cortina with a late Valiant next to it :-\
I think I am still with car collection - It's just too neat for a wrecking yard and why have 3 Monaros and no Kingswoods lying around?
Also what is that English thing doing there? Is it a Wolsley or a Jag or something?

Ken

I think I have it! Paul had it spot on and Colin was going well with his idea as well.

When you use Google Earth to the middle of Tony's picture (call him Sherlock) 27°27'43.71"S and 153°02'06.91"E and zoom in on the text written on the road - it says Water Police!! Look to the very top of the old pic and I think that is a Falcon Patrol car (but I wouldn't be good on my models).

So, back to the idea that it was a compound. You can also see that there is still a chain link fence in place along with the 2 sheds in the top corner of the original picture still there today - which shows it was not an aerial photo but taken from the bridge.

Anyone in Brisbane confirm that the building on the water is/was the Water Police - there is a date by the look painted on the road so they may no longer be there.

 8)

If it was the water police, and it looks like it was, it may well have been a holding yard for unclaimed/abandoned cars as well as cars that had either been stolen and recovered, which may explain whay there are Monaro's and no Kingswoods.

This would account for the accident damaged cars as well, as well as the states of disrepair to some of the vehicles, ie with panels missing etc.

Keith

When you look it does say Water Police and what looks like a date range. I am guessing they are no longer there but I think you have it now as to what that yard really was.

OK - we need another puzzle!!


 8)

That's magnificent!  And it makes sense.  Great work. That's why nothing is stripped off the complete cars and the wrecks remain pretty much exactly as they were towed in.

Ken

Ken

Yes,the building was the Brisbane Water Police Station. Found a few old pix of it here
  http://mywebsite.bigpond.com/ijpj/Police_Pages/history.html ($2)

Tony

Good work Holmes,if thats the case it was right under the story bridge on the old Kangaroo point cliffs which is the old docks right next to the river.I knew that mud looked awfully suspicious,but what a great collection of cars.That area is now under a proposal to be developed,but the people have spoken and it looks like it will be turned into green space and not some overpriced ghetto for the rich.

Nice bit of detective work you blokes.  I will send the information to the Qld museum in a note so they may update the notes on the picture.

I would have added this pic in its own thread if I'd realised it was going to attract so much debate.

Someone else better dig out an old pic for the FE-FC Detective team to go to work on...

 ;) ;D

What a good idea - done!