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The White Hat Guide to the History of Melbourne

Before humans

The area now known as Melbourne has undergone significant changes over time. Ten million years ago, there was tremendous volcanic activity to the west of Melbourne, and the resulting lava flows still influence Melbourne today. The volcanic basalt from these lava flows – known in Melbourne as bluestone – still forms the foundation of many of our streets and buildings. This blue-grey stone helps give Melbourne its atmosphere of sombre formality.

Aboriginal settlement

Somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago the first humans arrived in the area. These Aboriginal families and tribes gradually spread over the area now known as Victoria. As usual, the arrival of humans led to the extinction of a number of plant and animal species and assisted others to thrive. Over time, the Aboriginal inhabitants settled into a sustainable relationship with the environment even though techniques like fire farming had changed parts of it for ever.

By the time of first white contact in the early 1800s, a complex culture and tribal system (complete with tribal conflicts) had developed amongst the aboriginal peoples of the area. The numbers were small by today's standards – estimated at about 15,000 in Victoria at the time of first European contact. However, so completely did the arrival of white settlers devastate the aboriginal community that 200 years of white settlement has almost completely wiped away the knowledge of up to 40,000 years of aboriginal culture. 

We know that the tribes and families around the Melbourne area had a semi-nomadic lifestyle, while further down the coast there were settled communities who lived in stone houses. 

Those interested in aboriginal culture and history should visit the large Aboriginal section of the Melbourne Museum. It allows aboriginal people to tell their own story in their own words – as is thoroughly appropriate. However it only shows one aspect of Aboriginal history, and that often a sanitized one. Those with a deeper interest in the subject will need to look further afield.

Two remarkable men, William Barak (Aboriginal elder) and William Buckley (a white man who lived for a long period with the Aborigines), give us some tantalizing glimpses into aboriginal life at the time of first white contact.

European settlement

The first major attempt at a settlement took place in 1803 when Captain Collins landed convicts at Sullivan's Cove near Portsea. Among those present at that short lived and abortive settlement were William Buckley, Little Johnny Fawkner and Rev. Crook. In the same year, Charles Grimes was surveying the lower reaches of the Yarra.  Following this, several short-lived settlements occurred in the Westernport area until in 1835 entrepreneurs from Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania) effected the first white settlement of what is now Melbourne. For more details on the background to this settlement, refer to our entries on John Batman and Johnny Fawkner. (The first permanent European settlement in Victoria had occurred months earlier with the Henty brothers at Portland.)

Authorities arrived from Sydney to investigate this new illegal settlement. It was an embarrassment to Colonial Government that private enterprise had succeeded where numbers of official government attempts had failed. The Colonial authorities declared Batman's treaty with the Aborigines to be null and void, and, as if to emphasize the point that the land belonged to the King of England and not the Aborigines, Governor Bourke officially named one settlement after the King (Williamstown) and the other after the English Prime Minister (Melbourne).

At this period the main geographical features of what is now the CBD were three large hills, one smaller one (later to be called Batman's Hill), the blue lake, the Yarra river with its rapids and tributary creeks. Ask your guide on a White Hat Tour to point these out to you.

Old Melbourne Town (1835 - 1851)

For the first sixteen years Melbourne was virtually a wild west town with muddy streets and rough living conditions. Colourful descriptions of this period can be found in the works of Garyowen. Governor Bourke had brought his military surveyor, Robert Hoddle, with him to the Port Philip Settlement, and Hoddle adopted and expanded Robert Russell's early plan for the settlement to create a rectangular grid of streets one mile by half a mile. This grid of wide streets still dominates the character of the centre of the city.

During this time, Melbourne was the Port Philip Settlement of the Colony of New South Wales. Government decisions about Melbourne were made by people in Sydney, many of whom had never even seen the place. It is from that period that a certain antipathy between Melbourne and Sydney arose - some say it is still evident today but I'm sure that cannot be true.

It was also during this period that Melbournians learned a rugged self-reliance. There was no point in waiting for the Sydney Government to do things. If something had to be done, you did it yourself. Much of the infrastructure was provided by individuals or small companies. Utilities such as water supply, punts and bridges were variously set up by enterprising  individuals and businesses. To get to the seaside suburb of St Kilda you would pay your toll to the Princes Bridge Company to cross the bridge they had built across the Yarra and then pay your toll to the St Kilda Road Company to travel along the road they had built. It sure beat hacking your way through the swamp or waiting for the government in Sydney to provide these facilities.

Similarly, many educational, artistic, health and social services were set up through the philanthropy of private individuals, businesses and organisations - including trade societies (as trade unions were then called).

For Melbournians two of the main issues of the time were anti-transportation (i.e. not allowing Melbourne to become a penal colony) and separation (i.e. being separated from New South Wales and becoming a colony in its own right).

Separation & The Gold Rush

In 1851, Queen Victoria declared the area to be a separate colony. It was named after her – Victoria. Soon after gold was discovered near Ballarat and the colony became transformed. People poured in from all over the world to try their luck, and Victoria's goldfields were particularly productive. The population of Melbourne grew enormously. Melbourne for a while became 'the working man's paradise'. There was plenty of money to be spent and most able-bodied men were off at the gold diggings. Those with initiative quickly become self-employed or formed their own business, while those prepared to stay in Melbourne and take on employment were in a strong bargaining position. The Eight Hours Movement was formed.

The years from 1851 to 1890 did much to create the character of Melbourne and Melbournians.

To be continued ... when we get time.....

White Hat Tour of Melbourne Cemetery Melbourne Cemetery is an ideal introduction to Melbourne's history - particularly with the entertaining and informative guide from White Hat. The final resting place of many famous Australians including Peter Lalor, judge Redmond Barry, Sir Robert Menzies, John Gorton, Marcus Clarke, Burke & Wills, Sir Isaac Isaacs, Walter Lindrum and many more. As chosen and recommended by the Qantas In Flight magazine in May 2007. More information on the cemetery tour >>. 1pm to 3pm, selected Wednesdays and Sundays Melbourne General Cemetery - main entrance - $15 per head Bookings: (03) 9329 6055

See also:

• Melbourne Inventions

• When the wattles bloom again : the life and times of William Barak, last chief of the Yarra Yarra tribe