Melbourne Day:

The founding of your city

So, you live here, huh? Melbourne. Voted the world’s most liveable city. Home of the MCG. Known as the cultural epicentre of the nation.

You know a fair bit about your magnificent town, don’t you?

Well if not, it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on a few bits and pieces before the big day – Melbourne’s 169th Birthday, August 30th, 2004 … would it now?

Hopefully you already know that Melbourne was founded on 30 August, 1835, by settlers who sailed from Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) on board the schooner Enterprize? Of course you do. Remember? They landed on the north bank of the Yarra River, at the place now known as Enterprize Park.

Oh dear. We had better get into some detail, hadn’t we?

Here goes … the settlers came from Launceston in search of new land on which to graze their sheep. The Enterprize was owned by John Pascoe Fawkner but the expedition was led by John Lancey. The site for the settlement was chosen because there was a small waterfall that stopped further progress up the river but also because it separated the tidal movement from fresh water.

Got it? Okay. Now, keep up.

Now, Batman had established a camp at Indented Head on the Bellarine Peninsula in June 1835. He sailed his ship Rebecca into the mouth of the Yarra and set off on foot along the Maribyrnong looking for Aborigines to sign a "sale agreement" to buy land. He then returned to the Rebecca to sail back to Indented Head, but the weather turned particularly feral.

While an annoyed Batman waited he sent a small boat party upstream on to the bigger river to the east (the Yarra), who on their return, reported the freshwater falls. On their return to Launceston Batman and a colleague, John Wedge, sketched a map of his land purchase showing a reserve for a village on the southern side of the Yarra close to the falls (near the area we know today as South Melbourne). The Enterprize was moored beside the north bank of the Yarra in August 1835 and the settlement of Melbourne commenced on that site.

Here’s the cool bit …

Events had been set in train that could not be stopped, and because of the action of those from the Enterprize, the great city of Melbourne was born.

Phew.

Each year the Melbourne Day Committee holds functions and events to mark 30 August, the day Melbourne was founded.

This year, you’ll know a bit more to impress the socks off anyone within a bull’s roar of the office water cooler.

Hip. Hip. Hooray.

If you want more information to dazzle and amaze those around you with, please visit www.melbourneday.com.au