A Short Story of Melbourne
The true story of Melbourne begins as far back as 40 thousand years ago when the Aboriginal people lived there as part of the Kulin Nation. It became a type of meeting place for Europeans and the indigenous peoples when settlers from all over Europe began eying the beautiful and rich land for themselves. It was not until the early 1830s when a group of businessmen led by John Batman used trinkets to buy land from the Aboriginal natives.
This eventually becomes the city of Melbourne. Batman was a predominant man who employed many servants during the time he helped build the first buildings in the fledgling city. By the middle of that decade, the new city would have a population of nearly 145 men and just 35 women all of them being present when the city was named after the British Prime Minister of the day.
The city’s grid was laid out and the first public building was erected in the early 1840s. It was declared a city in 1847.
The fast-growing city was nearly emptied out when gold was discovered in Ballarat. By the 1860s, Melbourne was the largest city in Australia but when the gold rush ended in 1881, many businesses closed and a financial depression ensued.
Melbourne became the capital of Australia in the early 1900s. Today the population exceeds 4.5 million with over 1 million international visitors each year. It is the capital of the southeastern Australian state, Victoria and is a large financial hub for the region. It is home to the National Gallery of Victoria which pays homage to the first citizens, the Aboriginals, through indigenous art which is something the father of the city, John Batman, would have appreciated as he promoted racial equality during his lifetime.
