Melbourne - History

When Europeans first settled the Port Philip region it was inhabited by five Aboriginal language groups that made up the Kulin Nation. To discover more about local Aboriginal culture take the Aboriginal Heritage walk or visit the Melbourne Museum with its extensive collection of indigenous art and artefacts.

In 1835 the first white settlers sailed up Port Phillip Bay, however it was not until the gold rush of the 1850s that Melbourne started to grow quickly. Those lucrative years and the ensuing land boom have left Victoria with an outstanding legacy of fine architecture, causing visitors to the region in the late nineteenth century to label the city as "marvellous Melbourne" and "the jewel of the Southern Hemisphere".

See many of the most famous buildings of that period along the Golden Mile Heritage Trail. The four-kilometre walk has brass markers describing points of interest, important buildings and other attractions so you can take a self-guided walk or if you prefer there are also guided tours available.

Among the highlights of the walk is the world heritage nominated Royal Exhibition Building, one of the world's largest and oldest exhibition pavilions, symbolising the great 19th century international exhibition movement.

The National Trust also owns and operates a number of outstanding and architecturally significant historic homes and museums. Among the best are Como house (a colonial mansion set in five acres of garden at Toorak) and Rippon Lea (the last of Australia's great privately owned nineteenth century suburban estates).

Following the end of World War II immigration increased dramatically, with migrants and refugees arriving in large numbers, particularly from Greece, Italy, Yugoslavia, Poland and Turkey - these days Melbourne is home to more people of Greek descent than any other city in the world apart from Athens.

Subsequent waves of immigrants from Vietnam and Cambodia have brought elements of their own culture, architecture, cuisine, entertainment and festivals to the city.