Collection of thirty-nine loose photographs of various sizes, depicting artesian bores under construction or in operation, with a few general photographs of farming in Queensland, probably photographed by Charles Kerry. All either with captions on prints, or with pencilled captions on reverse. The captions have been recorded as found and may include language which is offensive, inaccurate or inappropriate. They have been retained to reflect the context of the collection's creation. All prints are also stamped on the reverse with 'Water Supply Department, Queensland, 5 Dec. 94', presented by Sir Thomas McIlwraith 25.2.95.' Sir Thomas McIlwraith (1835-1900) was Minister of Public Works in Queensland for the period 1874-1879, and Premier of Queensland three times between 1878 and 1893.

Discovery of the potential of the Great Artesian Basin, extending over an area of 670,000 square miles southwards from the Gulf of Carpentaria, and falling largely in Queensland, formed the base of that State's great grazing and wool-farming prosperity - a source of irrigation that allowed the spread of sheep and cattle farming into an area of notoriously capricious extremes of flood and drought; it was in fact the great drought of 1885 which stimulated the demand for a survey into the possibilities of a large scale harnessing of artesian water. The first deep bore was started at Blackall in 1885, although Thurrulgoonia bore was flowing before Blackall was completed. By 1899 there were 505 successful bores on stream, producing 224,000,000 gallons of water a day.