John Robb

John Robb (4 September 1834 – 18 May 1896) was an Irish immigrant to Australia who was responsible for several important civil engineering works. History Robb was born in Lislaird near Castlederg, County Tyrone, Ireland, to Arthur Robb and his wife Sarah Robb, née Bird. In 1854 Robb and two brothers Robert (aged 18) and Samuel (aged 15) left for Australia aboard Fitzjames, arriving at Melbourne in October 1854. He joined the rush to the goldfields, teamed up with fellow Fitzjames passenger Thomas Stranger carting stone, then formed a partnership Overend & Robb with Best Overend (c. 1833 – 30 November 1877) as contractors. Thomas Stranger, whose sister Elizabeth he later married, was with them from the outset and served as their supervising engineer to at least 1888. Around 1860 Overend & Robb won a contract to demolish Batman's Hill to make way for the projected Spencer Street railway station. Later projects of Overend & Robb were the Sunbury Industrial Schools and sewerage and water supply works at Coleraine and Yan Yean in Victoria. He won contracts to build railway lines in Victoria: 1874 Wangaratta to Beechworth The first section of the Geelong to Colac railway, including the tunnel Morwell to Mirboo Murtoa to Warracknabeal Ararat to Hamilton and Hamilton to Portland He built railways in other States: South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. 1868 Launceston and Western Railway in Tasmania (Launceston and Deloraine railway). 1877 line from Kapunda, South Australia to the North West Bend, Murray River. It was while engaged on this project that Overend died, perhaps of heatstroke. Narracan Valley line Cairns railway in Queensland, whose costs exceeded £50,000, and the subject of considerable litigation. Robb was also involved in water reticulation and sewerage projects in Victoria and South Australia, and the screwpile jetty and breakwater at Victor Harbor, South Australia, at the time heralded as an engineering marvel.