busy

I'm trying to work out the direction this photo is placed. Is this King St facing west looking down from Elizabeth St? Is the dome on the left mid street the old Grace Bros dome? Or is this a photo of George St looking south from King St? That would make the dome The Queen Victoria building, wouldn't it? Also would love to know vintage of photo.

Interesting photograph, there seems to be lot of men gathered in the one spot in this photo, I wonder why?

See reverse view photo and information: www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/2376884304/

The crowd may be because the Daily Telegraph office was in King Street on the left; people used to gather nearby to learn the latest news. See also - www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/2964804829/

The photo displayed here in Flickr, is not the same quality as that on the MAAS website and lacks some detail. The clearer detail shows four "electric lamps" which are unique to this part of King Street in the photo - and I believe that this text in The Daily Telegraph of 30 March 1901 (for the inaugural Federal election) explains this photo. "The complete arrangements made at "The Daily Telegraph" office enabled the results to be promptly announced. The names of all the candidates and every constituency in every State were conspicuously posted on a large hoarding, and brilliantly illumlnated by four large electric lamps". I think the significance of the event being shown in this photo should be recognised. It would not only give a more precise date to the photo - but link it to that election. For others wishing to view the photo in more detail - collection.maas.museum/object/27617

Of the Australian capital cities which closed their networks between the 1950s and 1970s (only Melbourne and Adelaide retained trams, although Adelaide only had one line in operation), Brisbane was the last capital city to close its tram network. Despite the decision to shut down the network, Brisbane's trams were held with great affection by locals, and their removal was termed "one of the most appalling urban planning mistakes in the city’s history".[2] There have been ongoing proposals since the early 1990s to reinstate a functional tram network. Through the 1940s and 1950s, the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia.[3] Trolleybuses were introduced in 1951. The last tramway to open was in March 1961.[1] Clem Jones became Lord Mayor of Brisbane the same year, and all new route construction was canceled.[1] The decline of the electric street transport systems By 1948 Brisbane's trams failed to return a profit as they could not compete with the more efficient bus services.[3] Urban development, often well away from public transport, the rise of suburban shopping centers, and the relative decline in the cost of motorcars meant that as elsewhere, Brisbane's public street transport system increasingly had to compete with the private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post-war peak of 148 million passenger journeys in 1946 to approximately 64 million passenger journeys in 1968. Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the Paddington tram depot fire on 28 September 1962. 67 trams were destroyed, which represented 20% of the entire fleet.[3] Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones was a pro-freeway and private car. The Kalinga, Toowong, Rainworth, and Bulimba ferry routes closed in December 1962.[4] The Brisbane Tramway Museum Society was formed in 1968 to preserve some of Brisbane's trams. At present the museum has 24 Brisbane trams in its collection, with 6 operational; California type tram 47, Ten Bench tram 65, Baby Dreadnought tram 99, Dropcentre tram 341, Four Motor tram 429, and the last tram built and officially operated in Brisbane, Four Motor Phoenix tram 554. Tramway operations commenced at the museum at Ferny Grove in 1980. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Brisbane

This one taken from the same spot on a quiet day.

The first electric tramway ran along Stanley Street, in South Brisbane on 16 June 1897.[1] Horse-drawn carriages were still being used in 1899. In 1900 local residents were agitating to have the Kelvin Grove tramway extended along Enoggera Road to the Newmarket Hotel in Newmarket. However, a new bridge over Enoggera Creek would be required.[5] Also, there were concerns that the close proximity of the proposed tramway would take revenue away from the railway line.[6] However, these concerns were resolved and the tramway extension to the Newmarket Hotel was opened on Monday 27 July 1903.[7] Up until the end of World War I, Brisbane's trams were the primary method used for traveling within the city. Four trams were constructed in 1897 and 1898 by the Brisbane Tramways Company. They were cross-bench cars with no center aisle. Two of the benches (those attached to the end bulkheads) were fixed and the other seven benches were tip-over. They could carry 45 seated passengers, plus standees. Two were withdrawn from service in 1938, the other two were probably withdrawn in 1943. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Brisbane#:~:text=These%204....