1835–1850: Melbourne the meeting place
On an early winter’s day in 1835, Alongside a beautiful stream, a group of Aboriginal men gathered around a bearded stranger.
His name was John Batman. He hoped to become fabulously rich—by buying 500 000 acres of the Aboriginal land in exchange for a few household goods.
This transaction—meaningless to the Aboriginal people that day and immediately rejected by government—marked the beginnings of Melbourne.
Key Dates
Before settlement thousands of Aboriginal people live in the Port Phillip region.
1803
Convict settlement established at Sorrento, led by Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins, but soon abandoned due to lack of water, poor soil and unsuitability as a port
1835
The Enterprize moors on the Yarra River on 30 August, bringing the first permanent European settlers
1837
Melbourne is named after Lord Melbourne, the British prime minister
1837
Surveyor Robert Hoddle lays our Melbourne’s central grid of streets
1839
First shipload of immigrants arrives from Britain
1842
First flourmills and iron foundry established
1843
First election—landholders elect Port Phillip District representatives for the New South Wales (NSW Legislative Council
1847
Melbourne town is raised to the status of a city, by the authority of Queen Victoria
1850
Melbourne’s population 20 500