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The first inhabitants of Port Phillip Bay
The Yarra River was like the Aborigines major life source, it provided food, hygine and meeing places. Many animals such as kangaroos, emus and peacocks woud hang around near the river, so men would hunt there. Women and children would catch seafoods along the river, It was a perfect place to live. -
John batman
In May 1835, John Batman explored Port Phillip Bay, looking for suitable sites for a settlement. Batman claimed to have signed a 'treaty' with Aboriginal leaders, giving him ownership of almost 250,000 hectares of land. There are still discussions today weather he ment for good or not. -
John batman treaty
Batman's Treaty was a document signed on 6 June 1835 by John Batman. Europeans are said to have negotiated the situation for buying the land with giving gifts to the traditional owners of the Aboriginal lands. He purchased the 500, 000 acre land for the price of 40 blankets, 30 axes, 100 knives, 50 scissors, 30 mirrors, 200 handkerchiefs, 100 pounds of flour and 6 shirts. The New South Wales Governor declared the treaty illegal but the town was formed anyway. -
Yarra River in Colonial Melbourne
In early Melbourne, there were many huts and tents along the bank of the Yarra River. The river was used as drinking water and hygine reasons. The colony grew fast when the governor announced 12 districts, people moved to the country to set up cattles and farms. Land was bought for low prices and settlers would buy the land to secure a good future. -
Gold rush
Many immigrants wear leaving Britain due to the gold rush. Thousands arrived daily, lodging houses and hotels to accommodate themselves. Many houses of iron, timber and canvas sprang up on the city's edge due to long term stays.
Gold brought both progress and problems. Sudden wealth transformed a small port town into a frantic world centre. The wharves were constantly jammed with shipping, cargo and migrants. Many diggers would be drunk and the city was jam packed with people! -
Land boom
Visitors to Melbourne in the 1880s were amazed. In the Southern Hemisphere was a city larger than most European capitals. In just a decade the population had doubled, racing to half-a-million. Citizens strutted the streets, bursting with pride as their city boomed -
first electricity in Melbourne
The first application of electrcity in Victoria was the telegraph between Melbourne and Williamstown in 1854. But in 1910 cables and pipes were built underground. The first telephone was introduced in 1879 and Motorised vehicles appeared in the 1900s. Cable trams started operating in 1885. People liked having electricity because it was an easier living source. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was an economic catastrophe that severely affected most nations of the world, including Australia. For many people this period began before the market crash in prices and lasted until the Second World War. There were several causes for the Great Depression, when wall market crashed in New York, and the fall in export prices and sales, which ;ead on to other disasters. -
Olympic Games
The Olympics games in 1956 was held in Melbourne after it was selected as the host city. The event made a huge impact on Melbourne's population, bringing people from all over the world to see just how advanced and developed Melbourne had become. People would hire apartments, stay in hotels and buy food, this was good for the economy. -
Development of the Docklands
From the 1880s, the what used to be the swamp of Melbourne became used as a dock with network of wharfs, heavy rail infrastructure and light industries. However, the Dock became an abandoned site after a while and was literally forgotten. The Melbourne Docklands now, being developed in stages to create a sustainable, mixed use community where people can live, work, invest and visit.
