Melbourne (pronounced /ˈmɛlbən/ , locally ) is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and is the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre (also known as the "Central Business District" or "CBD") is the anchor of the greater geographical area and the Census statistical division known also generally known as Melbourne. As of late 2009, it had an approximate population of 4 million. A resident of Melbourne is known as a "Melburnian".
The metropolis is located on the large natural bay known as Port Phillip, with the city centre positioned at the estuary of the Yarra River (at the northern-most point of the bay). The metropolitan area then extends south from the city centre, along the eastern and western shorelines of Port Phillip, and expands into the hinterland. The city centre is situated in the municipality known as the City of Melbourne, and the metropolitan area consists of a further 30 municipalities.
It was founded in 1835 (47 years after the European settlement of Australia) by settlers from Van Diemen's Land. The early settlement was originally known as "Bearbrass". It was renamed "Melbourne" in 1837, in honour of William Lamb - the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly-created colony of Victoria. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it then served as the interim seat of government of the newly-created nation of Australia until 1927.
Today, it is a centre for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism. It is the birthplace of cultural institutions such as Australian film (as well as the feature film), Australian television, Australian rules football, the Australian impressionist art movement (known as the Heidelberg School) and Australian dance styles (including the Melbourne Shuffle and New Vogue). In recent years, it has also become a hub of the Australian music industry. For this, it is known as the "cultural capital of Australia".
Melbourne is classified as a Beta World City+ by Loughborough University's GaWC Research Network, and as a City of Literature by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. It has been ranked as one of the top three World's Most Livable Cities by the Economist Group's Intelligence Unit (since 2002), top 10 Global University Cities by RMIT's Global University Cities Index (since 2006) and top 20 Global Innovation Cities by the 2thinknow® Global Innovation Agency (since 2007). It is also home to the world's largest tram network. The main airport serving the city is Melbourne Airport.
History
Main article: History of MelbourneSee also: Timeline of Melbourne history and History of VictoriaEarly history and foundation
Before the arrival of European settlers, the area was occupied for an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years by under 20,000 hunter-gatherers from three indigenous regional tribes: the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung and Wathaurong. The area was an important meeting place for clans and territories of the Kulin nation alliance as well as a vital source of food and water. The first European settlement in Victoria was established in 1803 on Sullivan Bay, near present-day Sorrento, but this settlement was abandoned due to a perceived lack of resources. It would be 30 years before another settlement was attempted.
In May and June 1835, the area that is now central and northern Melbourne was explored by John Batman, a leading member of the Port Phillip Association, who negotiated a transaction for 600,000 acres (2,400 km 2 ; 940 sq mi) of land from eight Wurundjeri elders. Batman selected a site on the northern bank of the Yarra River, declaring that "this will be the place for a village", and returned to Launceston in Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land). However, by the time a settlement party from the Association arrived to establish the new village, a separate group led by John Pascoe Fawkner had already arrived aboard the Enterprize and established a settlement at the same location, on 30 August 1835. The two groups ultimately agreed to share the settlement. It is not known what Melbourne was called before the arrival of Europeans. Early European settlers mistranslated the words "Doutta-galla" which are believed to have been the name of a prominent tribal member, but said by some to also translate as "treeless plain". This was nevertheless used as one of the early names for the colony.
Batman's Treaty with the Aborigines was annulled by the New South Wales government (that at the time governed all of eastern mainland Australia), which compensated the Association. Although this meant the settlers were now trespassing on Crown land, the government reluctantly accepted the settlers' fait accompli and allowed the town (known at first by various names, including 'Batmania') to remain.
In 1836, Governor Bourke declared the city the administrative capital of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, and commissioned the first plan for the Hoddle Grid in 1837. Later that year, the settlement was named Melbourne after the British prime minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who resided in the village of Melbourne in Derbyshire, and the General Post Office opened under that name on 13 April 1837. Melbourne was declared a city by letters patent of Queen Victoria, issued on 25 June 1847.
The Port Phillip District became a separate colony of Victoria in 1851 with Melbourne as its capital.
Victorian gold rush
The discovery of gold in Victoria in the same year led to the Victorian gold rush, and Melbourne, which provided most service industries and served as the major port for the region, experienced rapid growth.
Migration to Melbourne, particularly from overseas including Ireland and China, caused a massive population increase. Slums developed including a temporary "tent city" established on the southern banks of the Yarra, the Little Lonsdale district and at Chinatown.
The population growth and flow of gold into the city helped stimulate a program of grand civic building beginning with the design and construction of many of Melbourne's surviving institutional buildings including Parliament House, the Treasury Building and Treasury Reserve, the Old Melbourne Gaol, Victoria Barracks, the State Library, Supreme Court, University, General Post Office, and Government House, the Melbourne Town Hall, St Paul's, St Patrick's cathedrals and several major markets including the surviving Queen Victoria Market. The city's inner suburbs were planned, to be linked by boulevards and gardens. Melbourne had become a major finance centre, home to several banks, the Royal Mint to Australia's first stock exchange in 1861.
Before the arrival of white settlers, the indigenous population in the district was estimated at 15,000, but following settlement the number had fallen to less than 800, and continued to decline with an estimated 80% decrease by 1863, due primarily to introduced diseases, particularly smallpox.
The land boom and bust
By the 1880s, Melbourne's boom was peaking. The city had become the second largest in the British Empire (after London), and the richest in the world. Melbourne hosted five international exhibitions at the large purpose-built Exhibition Building in the decade of prosperity.
During an 1885 visit, English journalist George Augustus Henry Sala coined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne", which stuck long into the twentieth century. Growing building activity culminated in the "Land Boom" which in 1888 reached a peak of speculative development fuelled by consumer confidence and escalating land value. As a result of the boom, large commercial buildings, coffee palaces, terrace housing and palatial mansions proliferated in the city. and the establishment of a hydraulic facility in 1887 paved the way for elevators and high-rise buildings to dramatically change the city's skyline. This period saw the expansion of a major radial rail-based transport network.
The brash boosterism which typified Melbourne during this time came to a halt in 1891 when the start of a severe depression hit the city's economy, sending the local finance and property industries into chaos during which 16 small banks and building societies collapsed and 133 limited companies went into liquidation. The Melbourne financial crisis helped trigger the Australian economic depression of 1890s and the Australian banking crisis of 1893. The effects of the depression on the city were profound, although it did continue to grow slowly during the early twentieth century.
Federation of Australia
Further information: Federation of Australia...
Fix Bad Credit | Bad Credit Report Repair | Credit Repair after ...
Consumers should asking the credit repair company a simple question "how can you rebuild my credit?" CBD does both; repair your negative credit and rebuild ...
A Card To Rebuild My Credit: Poor Credit Rebuild Credit
Bank Name Card Name: Tag-line: Card Type: APR % Setup Fee: Annual Fee: YOUR Options: Orchard Bank Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard: Best for Purchases 0% intro APR for 6 month
Rebuild Your Credit Score, Rebuild Bad Credit
with help from lexington law i was able to rebuild my credit score from 530 to 707!
after bankrupcy ,how can I REBUILD MY CREDIT SCORE .
I need to buy a car. I also need to get a credit card to show lenders that I can pay it off. MY x LEFT ME WITH BAD DEBT AND I WAS ABLE TO PAY 25% OFF BY THE AID OF CHAPTER 11 ...
Re: What are my next steps to rebuild my credit after receiving my ...
What are my next steps to rebuild my credit after receiving my discharge papers?
Unsecured credit card to rebuild my credit
Would like to rebuild my credit. Any one know a good un secured card to start with?
How do I "rebuild" my credit, really?
How do I rebuild my credit, really? ... "Learn the Secrets I Used to Wipe Away Negative Items on My Credit Report & Raise My Scores Over 200 Points!"
Rebuild My Credit - Lending Club
The pupose of my loan is to be able to buy a home in the future. The loan would be used to consolidate my monthly payments into 1. I have a steady jo
What are my next steps to rebuild my credit after receiving my ...
What are my next steps to rebuild my credit after receiving my discharge papers?