The environmental history of bucket dredging in Victoria

The introduction of bucket dredges from New Zealand in the 1890s provided a much-needed boost to the mining industry in south-eastern Australia. More than 50 dredges operated in Victorian river valleys each year during the peak of the industry between 1908 and 1913, with a subsequent revival from the 1930s to the 1950s using larger plant. At least 101 bucket dredging installations worked in Victoria during the 20th century. The dredges, however, had a major effect on river valleys and soon became widely known as 'desolating dredges'. This paper presents a general synthesis of the bucket dredging industry from an environmental perspective. In particular we consider the effect of dredging on waterways, and efforts by local communities and authorities to limit adverse effects.