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Before European colonization, the land now occupied by Melbourne was used by the Australian Aboriginal nations Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung. The area was an important meeting place for the clans and territories of the Kulin alliance, as well as a vital source of food and water. The first European settlement in Victoria was established in 1803 in Sullivan Bay, near present-day Sorrento, but this settlement was abandoned due to a supposed lack of resources. It happened 30 years before another settlement tried.



Between May and June 1835, the area that is now central and northern Melbourne was discovered by John Batman, one of the main members of the Port Phillip Association, coming from the land of Van Diemen (Tasmania), who negotiated a transaction of 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) of land to eight elders of the Wurundjeri tribe. Batman selected a location on the north bank of the Yarra River, declaring that "this will be the place of a town," and returned to Launceston, Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land). However, around that time a group came from the Association to settle in the new town, a separate group led by John Pascoe Fawkner who had come aboard the Enterprize and established a settlement in the same situation, on August 30, 1835. The two groups ultimately agreed to share the settlement. It is not known by what name Melbourne was known before the arrival of the Europeans. Early European settlements mistranslated the words ´´Doutta-galla´´, which was believed to have been the name of a prominent member of a tribe, but some translated it as ´´Treeless plain´´. This was used as one of the first names for the colony.



Batman's Treaty with the Aborigines was annulled by the government of New South Wales (then they ruled all the lands of eastern Australia), which compensated the Association. Although this meant that the settlers were encroaching on Crown land, the government reluctantly accepted the settlers 'fait accompli and allowed the city (originally known by various names, including' Bearbrass) to remain.



Melbourne was originally the capital of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, and later became the capital of the colony of Victoria. The discovery of gold in Victoria in the late 1850s, which sparked the Victoria Gold Rush, led Melbourne to develop as a large port and service hub, which would later become Australia's main industrial center. During the 80s, Melbourne was the second city in population, after London, of the British Empire, as well as being one of the richest and it was called Marvellous Melbourne ("the wonderful Melbourne"). The many Victorian-style buildings that exist in the city date from that time, making Melbourne the second city in the world, after London, in number of Victorian buildings still standing. During this prosperous decade, Melbourne hosted five international exhibitions and the Royal Exhibition Building was built. This period also witnessed the expansion of one of the main radial rail networks.





Flinders Street Station, at the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets in 1927, when Melbourne was still the national capital. Melbourne was named the national capital of the Federation of Australia on January 1, 1901. The first federal parliament was inaugurated on January 9, 1901. May 1901 at the Royal Exhibition Building. Melbourne retained the capital and seat of government until 1927, when the new capital of Canberra was completed, however, the Governor General remained in Government House in Melbourne until 1930 and many of the main national institutions remained in the city well into the 20th century. The city continued its uninterrupted expansion during the first half of the 20th century, in particular thanks to the arrival of immigrants after World War II, attracted by the job opportunities in Australia and by the good reputation of the city, whose international prestige had been seen enlarged by the celebration of the 1956 Olympic Games. The financial and mining booms between 1969 and 1970 concluded with the establishment in the city of the headquarters of large companies such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. Nauru then booming economy drove several ambitious investments in Melbourne, such as Nauru House. Despite the capital's move to Canberra, Melbourne continued to be Australia's economic and cultural capital until the 1970s, when it gradually lost prominence to the benefit of Sydney.



In the 1880s, Melbourne experienced a period of decline, in which there was an increase in unemployment and a sharp decline in population due to emigration to the states of New South Wales and Queensland. In the 1990s, the Victorian government led by liberal Prime Minister Jeff Kennett attempted to reverse this trend with an aggressive campaign to revive the economy and development of public works that focused on promoting the city as a tourist destination with a focus on tourism of major sporting events, with the creation of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Other major projects were the construction of new public buildings, such as the Melbourne Museum, and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center), as well like a casino, the Crown Casino. These planning efforts were accompanied by a city promotion campaign, which has continued under the government of current Labor Prime Minister Victoria Steve Bracks. Other strategies implemented are the privatization of some Melbourne services, including public transport, but also the reduction in funding for public services such as health and education.



Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained its population and significant job growth. There have been significant international investments in the city. There has been a major renovation of the city center and urban areas such as Southbank, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklands and, more recently, South Wharf.





Melbourne is an Australian city, capital and largest city in the state of Victoria. It was the capital of Australia between 1901 and 1927, when it moved to the planned city of Canberra. It is the second city in the country in population, after Sydney, with approximately 3.8 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area. It is located on the lower reaches of the Yarra River and the shores of Port Phillip to the north and east. The name Melbourne also serves to designate the geographic region of Greater Melbourne. The historic center, the City of Melbourne, has only 71,380 inhabitants (2006 data).



Melbourne was founded by free settlers in 1835, 47 years after the first European settlement in Australia, as a pastoral around the Yarra River. Quickly transformed into one of Victoria's leading metropolises by the gold rush of the 1850s, Melbourne became Australia's largest and most important city. Melbourne's growth slowed during the early 20th century and was overtaken by Sydney.



Today, the city is an important center for commerce, industry and cultural activity. It has been voted several times in international studies as one of the cities with the best quality of life in the world.



The city has been recognized as the sport and culture capital of Australia and is home to several of the most significant sporting events and institutions in the country. Also named a gamma city by Loughborough University in 1999, Melbourne is notable for its blend of Victorian and contemporary architecture, its extensive tram network, its Victorian gardens and parks, as well as its diverse and multicultural society. Several internationally renowned events have taken place in Melbourne, including the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. It also hosted the 1981 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the G20 summit. in 2006.



Melbourne is widely regarded as Australia's sporting and cultural capital, sharing the highest position on three occasions in a study by The Economist of the World's Most Livable Cities based on its cultural attributes, climate, cost of life, and social conditions such as crime rates and healthcare, in 2002, 2004 and 2005. In recent years rising property prices have led to Melbourne being named the 36th least affordable city in the world and the second least affordable in Australia.



The city hosts a wide variety of annual cultural, performing arts and architectural events. Melbourne is also regarded as the live music capital of Australia with a large chunk of successful Australian artists emerging from Melbourne's live music scene. Street art in Melbourne has become increasingly popular with Lonely Planet guides, listing it as one of the top attractions. The city is also admired as one of the great cities of the Victorian Era (1837-1901) and vigorous urban life intersects with an impressive array of 19th and early 20th century buildings.

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