Introduction

The Place Now Called Victoria

Rural Victoria

Ned Kelly

A Jewel in the Crown

Marvellous Melbourne

Victorians at War

Victorian Stories

A Jewel in the Crown of the Empire

From the time it became capital of the new colony of Victoria in 1851, Melbourne flourished, enriched by the discovery of gold and the arrival of artisans, business people and gold seekers from around the world. The provincial town servicing the needs of a chiefly agricultural industry in the 1840s became a bustling metropolis and international port. Dirt roads and weatherboard buildings gave way to cobblestone paving and impressive stone edifices. Soon Melbourne would become one of the greatest cities in the British Empire.

   

With a diverse population came demands for greater access to culture and education. The Melbourne Public Library (now the State Library of Victoria) was founded in 1854 by leading citizens such as Judge Redmond Barry and Lieutenant-Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe. Reflecting the spirit of the age, the library was a democratic institution, free to everyone over the age of 14 'even though he be coatless…if only his hands are clean'.

Not all shared in Melbourne's new wealth. Slums developed in the back lanes of the city and many people in rural Victoria, including Aboriginal communities, continued to live in poverty. Missions and reserves were established, from which a new Aboriginal voice emerged.


Illustrations
Left: Barcroft Capel Boake, Bust of Sir Redmond Barry, c1903
Right: Cairns & Johnson, The Queen's Reading Room, 1859