Exotic and Historic Travel

It wasn’t until 1835 that Melbourne, as it is now known, was established. An attempt by Europeans to settle here was made in 1803 but was unsuccessful as the land was considered unsuitable. At first it wasn’t known as Melbourne but by other names like Batmania and Dutergalla. Before 1803 the land was home to tribes known as Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung and Watharurong, but the collective population of these tribes never exceeded 20,000 people.

Gold Rush

After gold was discovered in 1851, the ‘Victorian gold rush’ occurred. By the 1860s Melbourne was expanding economically very quickly and the population rising exponentially. By the mid 1860s Melbourne was Australia’s most populous city. Nowadays Sydney has marginally more inhabitants than Melbourne. Modern day Melbourne is a diverse place, and indeed it was back in the 1800s, with migrants arriving from Europe and Asia.

The gold rush led to the construction of some of Melbourne’s most famous landmarks in the late 1800s. Buildings that appeared in this era include Parliament House, Old Melbourne Gaol and the Supreme Court.

Melbourne was part of the British Empire at this time and the boom resulting from the Gold Rush peaked in 1885, at which point Melbourne was just about the richest city in the world, as well as the second largest in the empire, behind London, capital of England.

Melbourne residents are known as ‘Melburnians’, and the city has been known as ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ ever since this prosperous period over a century ago.

Federation

The federation of Australia occurred in 1901, and Melbourne played a pivotal role for Australia in this important political time. Melbourne continued to be a sought after place to live, and would be Melburnians flocked to the city from Australia and beyond, especially in the period directly after World War 2.

Olympics

One of the most famous events to happen in Melbourne was the 1956 summer Olympics. This was a historic moment for Australia as it was the first time the games had been hosted in the southern hemisphere (it beat 6 American cities in the voting). It was deemed a very successful event.

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