Melbourne: A Historical Insight

The settlement of Melbourne commenced in 1835 when newly wealthy settlers from Tasmania, purchased land on both Port Phillip Bay and along the Yarra River from the local Aborigines. Only two years later in 1837 the streets of central Melbourne were carefully surveyed then laid out, some streets were deemed of such importance that they were purposefully built with a width, wide enough to turn a team of bullocks or oxen, 30 meters wide. The first govenor of the newly formed colony of Melbourne arrived another two years along in 1839. Charles La Trobe resided in the Govenor’s Cottage which he sailed from England to the Great Southern Land, aboard the same ship as the rest of his luggage and belongings and which has now been painstakingly preserved for posterity and may be visited in King’s Domain, today serving as both a history lesson and a nostalgic reminder of Melbourne’s humbler beginnings.

The early 1850’s were golden years for Melbourne on many levels, during 1851 Melbourne and the colony of Victoria broke away and became independent from the state of New South Wales. Then soon after the rush was on, gold was first discovered in Victoria, sparking one of the greatest gold rushes the world has ever known, rivaling similar worldwide rushes in California, the Yukon valley in Alaska and the Kimberly gold and diamond rushes of South Africa. The life and times of Melbourne’s gold rush history has been replicated at the Gold Treasury Building, built in 1858 to service the burgening goldfields industry. Gold formed the catalyst for several decades of growth and prosperity for Melbourne, lasting through to the late 1880s. Examples of the ornate Victorian-era structures built during these halcyon times still stand. In 1888 the gold boom collapsed, Melbourne property prices nose dived and Victoria suffered the global depression of the 1890s.

In 1901 Melbourne was elected the temorary capital of Australia, Australia had gained nationhood, becoming simultaneously both independent and an ex-british colony. Australia’s Federal Parliament was conducted in the Parliament House of Victoria from Australia’s inauguation in 1901 until 1927 when Canberra was founded and installed as the nations new, impartial and more centralised capital. After World War II Melbourne’s population grew rapidly, its till-then dominantly Anglo-Celtic population was quickly boosted by immigration from war torn Europe, in particularly Greece (800,000+) and Italy (230,000 +). Today Melbourne is the second largest greek city in the world, only Athens the Greek capital is called home by more Greek people. Melbourne also claims to be have the largest Italian population of any city, outside of Italy. Melbourne’s significant pre-war Jewish population was further expanded upon, after the war. From the mid-70s many immigrants came from South-east Asia, particularly displaced persons brought about again by wars in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. Melbourne like all former gold rush communities has always enjoyed a strong Chinese population, Melbourne’s Chinatown thriving since the gold rush era.

New highrise towers infiltrated Melbourne’s heartland during the building booms of the 1970s and 80s. Melburnians recognised the potential loss of their architectural heritage, taking prompt steps to protect all of their engineering marvels of yesteryear. Melbourne’s development continues in the 2,000’s heralding the opening of the Crown Casino, once the largest casino in the world, Melbourne Museum, Federation Square and the Docklands precinct.

Melbourne is certainly the self elected cultural capital of Australia, a claim supported by its many pre-eminent theatres, art galleries, festivals, performances and restaurants. In addition to the modern Melbourne Museum, there are many themed museums dedicated to subjects such as Melbourne’s Chinese history, Jewish history, sport, thoroughbred racing, railways, police, fire fighters and banking. Melburnians are sports fanatics and particularly passionate about Australian Rules football, a sport both invented and worshiped in Melbourne during the winter months. Cricket is Melboune’s number one summer sport and the Melbourne Cricket Ground known locally as the “G” is one of the world’s premier cricket grounds, bursting to life each boxing day with a crowd of around 100,000 patrons, for the opening day of an intenational test match. Horseracing is another passion as old as Melbourne itself. The entire state embraces a public holiday ritualised on the first Tuesday of November each year for the running of the Melbourne Cup, now one of the stellar horse races on the world’s racing calendar. Each January sees Melbourne hosts tennis’s Australian Open, one of the world’s four Grand Slam championships along with the U.S, British and French Opens. In March, Melbourne also plays host to the first race of the Formula One Grand Prix season.

Throughout the gold and building booms, Melbourne managed to retain its many spacious landscaped parks and gardens, once a gauge of a city’s wealth, lifestyle and soul, these remain to this day as escapes from the rigors of urban life. Melbourne’s parks and gardens lead the world, truly adorning the state capital and rightfully staking Victoria’s claim as the Garden State. The profusion of trees, plants, and flowers creates a rural tranquillity within a busy cosmopolitan city. More than one-quarter of the inner city has been set aside as recreational space. The second symbol of Melbourne's civility is the streetcar or tram. Solid, dependable, going about their business with a minimum of fuss, trams are an essential part of city life. For a definitive Melbourne experience, climb aboard a tram and proceed silently and smoothly to the "Parisian end" of Collins Street.

At Southbank, one of the suburbs adjoining the city center, the Southgate development has realised Melbourne's vision of the Yarra River. Once a blighted stretch of factories and run-down warehouses, the southern bank of the river is now a vibrant, exciting part of the city, the river itself has finally taken its rightful place in Melbourne's psyche. Amble past the elegant houses of East Melbourne, enjoy the shops and cafés in Fitzroy or Carlton, rub shoulders with locals at the Victoria Market, or hire a canoe at Studley Park to paddle along one of the prettiest stretches of the Yarra where you may discover Melbourne's soul as well as her heart.

When you require a sojourn away from the big city, take a day-trip to Philip Island, to see the fairy penguins or nearby Wilson’s Promontory National Park, visit the gold-fields or drive down the Great Ocean road and let your breath be taken away by some undreamt of views of the ocean’s edge and staggering coastal rock formations. Ski the virgin slopes of Mt Buller, Mount Donna Buang or venture to Lake Mountain for some world-class cross-country skiing.

When Ava Gardner arrived in Melbourne in 1956 for the production of the film “On the Beach”, she was credited with quipping that the city would be “a great place to make a movie, about the end of the world”. These days Melburnians recall the alleged remark with wry amusement rather than malevolence, which shows how far this city of 3.5 million has come. Today, Melbourne consistently polls among the "world's most liveable cities" in all quality-of-life surveys, Melburnians seem to have informed opinion stacked on their side, not Ava’s.