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First European settlers lands in St Kilda
The first European settler in St Kilda was Benjamin Baxter in around 1839. He was a settler from Melbourne on a grazing lease. In 1840, St Kilda was the home to Melbourne's first quarantine station for Scottish immigrants -
Area is official named St Kilda
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land starts to be purchased in st Kilda
first block was bought by James Ross Lawrence, who had been master of the Lady of St Kilda until 1842. -
influx of wealthy European settlers
By 1845, Lawrence had subdivided and sold the land on which he had built a cottage. The land on the sea-side of The Esplanade has continued to be Crown land. Within a few years, St Kilda became a fashionable area for wealthy settlers and the indigenous peoples were driven out to surrounding areas. The high ground above the beach offered a cool fresh breeze during Melbourne's hot summer months. by 1846 St Kilda becomes "the place to be" -
land boom in St Kilda
St Kilda's population more than doubled between 1870 and 1890 to about 19,000 persons. During the Land Boom of the 1880s, St Kilda became a densely populated district of great stone mansions and palatial hotels, particularly along the seaside streets such as Fitzroy Street, Grey Street and Acland Street -
St Kilda depression
During the Depression of the 1890s, however, St Kilda began to decline. Many wealthy families had lost much of their fortunes and several of the large mansions were subdivided for apartment or boarding-house accommodation. After a cable tram line was extended south from the Melbourne central city area, the seaside area became a popular entertainment precinct for Melbourne's working classes. Wealthy people moved to more exclusive suburbs such as Brighton, South Yarra and Toorak. -
the growth of infrastructure
Carlo Catani, a native of Italy, was Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department. He was contracted in 1906 to prepare a masterplan for the beautification of the St Kilda foreshore to Point Ormond. His plan resulted in the famous leisure precinct along the foreshore. -
development of the jewish community
St Kilda grew as a centre for Melbourne's growing Jewish community and a growing Orthodox community developed with a number of synagogues and schools. -
underground culture
St Kilda became one of the city's main areas of bohemianism as well as one of the larger gay and lesbian residential areas. From 1965, Mirka Mora's Tolarno Hotel became the focus of many of the local artists. -
gentrification
St Kilda also experience increased gentrification during the 1990s, particularly popular with yuppies due to its proximity to the CBD. The increased cost of rentals led many long term residents to leave and removed much of the bohemian and artistic character of the area. -
the continuation of developement infustructure, parks and recreational facilities
In 2006, plans went out for a foreshore re-development, which included promenade widening In 2006, the proposed development of a skate park and concrete urban plaza over parkland on Fitzroy Street caused significant local controversy. The council received a large number of objections. Alternative sites along the foreshore were ignored by council and all of the mature trees on the site were removed before the plans were presented for consultation. -
St kilda 2015
businesses and residents became more concerned at the downturn of Fitzroy and Carlisle Streets because of crime, violence, haphazard development and traffic gridlock. -
St Kilda today
Today, St Kilda is an area of sharp social contrast, with many homeless and other disadvantaged people living among the wealthy and fashionable who crowd its shops and cafes. The suburb is noted for its many itinerant backpackers, but also for its many long-term permanent residents.
For many years, St Kilda has had the highest population density in the Melbourne statistical area, and the highest for a metropolitan area outside of Sydney.