How quickly the “village” of Melbourne grew. In the fifteen years since the site of Melbourne was first depicted in John Batman’s journal in the June of 1835, stating “This will be the place for a village“, the population had already grown to 20,000 by 1850. Still considered a small trading port at this time, it was quickly becoming the centre for the pastoral industry . . .
The following decade would see Melbourne’s population explode to 125,000 !!!
The discovery of gold in 1851 changed everything. In that very same year, on the 1st of July 1851, Victoria was officially separated from the colony of New South Wales bringing with it the challenges of dealing with law and order, public infrastructure, communications, cultural institutions, public works and so forth – this all happened to coincide with the population explosion . . .
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Melbourne c 1855
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” . . . Let us scan the progress made under La Trobe in some public utilities and diversions. In 1839, if a man did not own a saddle hack, he walked. Then, for many years, the only supplementary means of transport was the Albert car, a heavy one-horse vehicle. In September, 1854, the Hobson’s Bay Railway Company opened its first line – from Melbourne to Sandridge (Port Melbourne). In 1845 Patrick Reed made the first proposal to supply the town with water by means of a water-wheel operated by the falls of the river. In 1850, James Blackburn, city surveyor – Melbourne had been created a city on June 25, 1847 – pumped water into a supply tank in Flinders street by a small steam-engine. Next year a huge tank was set up in Gisborne street, East Melbourne, filled by a pumping plant on the river bank near Spring street, and communicating with fixed water mains. The Yan Yean Reservoir, begun in 1853 under La Trobe, was completed in 1858, after his departure. Roadmaking was slow. It is difficult to realise that in 1852 – 10 years after the first council had taken office – there was not a properly made street or footway, sewer, watercourse, or gutter in Melbourne, most of the roads being chains of potholes and stumps ; this in face of the fact that in 1842 the council had agreed with La Trobe that “the state of the state of the streets must be the first care!”
The first bridge at Swanston street was wooden, built by Alexander Sutherland in 1845. It cost £630, and a toll was charged for passage, this being the rule of practically every bridge and main road of the period. Old Prince’s Bridge, which succeeded Sutherland’s bridge in 1850, was built of stone in one arch of 150 feet by Patrick Reed at a cost of £20,000. It stood till 1888.
The “glims” over tavern doors, which had been the only street lights, were supplemented in 1843 by the first street lamps. Years later these corporation lamps were said by “The Argus” to “give off more smoke than flame.” They burned fish oil. A blacksmith of Fitzroy, George South, first suggested gas lighting in 1844. A city business man, William Overton interested himself in 1849, and the City of Melbourne Gas and Coke Company was formed on August 28, 1850, at a meeting in the Mechanics’ Institute (now the Athenæum) . . . “
Source: Excerpt – ‘Argus’ (Melbourne, Vic) – Article “The Story of a Century – When La Trobe Arrived – No Vehicle in Melbourne – Streets Studded with Stumps – Elizabeth Street a Creek – Stocks on Market Square” – published 16th October 1934
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View other important events in this Region’s History . . .
