Melbourne History

Street History:

Spencer St

This street is named after Lord John Spencer the Prime Minister of UK (1834-1837). It was the first place where permanent buildings were put and it's near Batmans Hill. The camps of Captain William Lonsdale and Charles LaTrobe were located here. Important buildings on this street include Southern Cross Station, The Age offices, Mail Exchange, Grand Hotel, Sir Charles Hotham Hotel and the HM Melbourne Assessment Prison. It was considered as the unfashionable part of town until Docklands, DFO and other high rise buildings were built there. 

William St

Notable landmarks on this street include Queen Victoria Markets, Flagstaff Gardens, the Immigration Museum, Supreme Court, AMP Tower and BHP House. It's the legal precinct of Melbourne along with Lonsdale St. In 1961 trams and the Royal Mint were built there. The street name is from King William IV. 

Elizabeth St

It was laid out in 1837, built on natural lakes which is why there are floods on this street. It carries storm water to the Yarra River. It's home to motorcycle retailing in Melbourne. St Francis Church which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Ana Tapper.

Bourke St

Bourke St is regarded as Melbourne's "second street." 

"Busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase.

It is known as Melbourne's entertainment hub.

It is the location of the famous, "Bourke St Mall," which is Melbourne's main pedestrian mall and one of the city's main tourist destinations. Bourke Street is named after Sir Richard Bourke, previous Governor of New South Wales. He was the 8th governor of NSW; In office from the 3rd December 1831 – 5th December 1837.

He was born on the 4th May 1777 in Dublin, Ireland

He died on the 12th August 1855 (aged 78) in Limerick, Ireland.

Collins St

Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs east to west. It is noted as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street. It is also often regarded as Australia's premier street,with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings and most exclusive boutiques and high-end retailers residing there. Collins Street is named after Lieutenant-Governor David Collins who led a group of settlers in establishing a short-lived settlement at Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula in the early 19th century. He then became the first governor of Van Diemens Land, later to become Tasmania.

Latrobe St

La Trobe Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne. It runs roughly from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the CBD. Notable buildings along La Trobe Street include the State Library of Victoria, Etihad Stadium, the Family Court complex, the former Melbourne Mint, Melbourne Central shopping complex and sections of RMIT University. La Trobe Street was named after Charles La Trobe, who was the first lieutenant-governor of Victoria. He was in office from the 15th July 1851 to the 5th May 1854. 

He was born on the 20th March 1801 in London, England.

He died on the 4th December 1875 aged 74 in Litlington, East Sussex, England.

Katie Dalton.

Aboriginal Settlement:

In 1835 the area that would become Melbourne belonged to Aboriginal clans who spoke two dialects of a common language. The dialects were called Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung, though their mother tongue has no name and has been labelled by linguists as ‘East Kulin’, after the two dialects common word for ‘man’. It is considered likely that Aboriginals had been settled in Melbourne for over 30,000 years. The word ‘Kulin’ is sometimes used to describe the Aboriginal people of Victoria.

Although there is some conjecture amongst Anthropologists, it is generally accepted that the Merri Creek and the current day City of Darebin area belonged to Wurundjeri-willam clan, one of two branches of the Wurrundjeri balug tribe. This tribe was a large Woiwurrung speaking tribe associated with the Yarra River drainage basin. Wurrundjeri-willam is translated as ‘white gum tree dwellers’. Within the Wurrundjeri-willam there were three sub-groups associated with different territories within the clan’s greater territory. By the 1830s, the groups were distinguished from each other by the names of their clan heads (ngurungaeta). Billibellary was one of the most respected clan heads. His people owned the area around the Merri Creek; and their land extended from the Maribyrnong River and the Merri Creek north to Mount William near Lancefield, encompassing much of Darebin.

The banks of the Darebin Creek also provided popular camping sites for Aboriginals prior to white settlement, especially the area that is now Bundoora Park. A number of artefacts have been found spread across a wide area of Preston, which demonstrates a significant Aboriginal presence. The stone used for the implements found was harnessed from Mt Cooper in NE Preston, and it is considered likely that the quartzite was used as currency by Aboriginals, as it has been found as far away as Brighton.

Billie Edmondstone.

Melbourne in the 1800's:

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria, and home to close to 4 million people. Many of the citizens of Melbourne live in the suburbs that east and south of the Yarra River, sprawled around Port Phillip Bay and extending as far east as Mount Dandenong. Melbourne was founded on the Yarra River in 1835 after an abortive bid in 1803 to establish a settlement inside the Port Phillip Bay heads near Sorrento. The Port Phillip District gained independence from New South Wales in 1850. Melbourne boomed in the 1850's as a result of the gold rush in the region to the north.

Kech Kuea.