Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria in southeastern Australia. It was founded by free settlers from the British Crown colony of Van Diemen’s Land in 1835 and named for the contemporary British Prime Minister William Lamb, the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. It was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847, and it became the capital of the newly founded colony of Victoria in 1851. The city’s wealth was significantly increased by the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s. It is home to the Port of Melbourne, one of Australia’s largest ports, located at the mouth of the Yarra river. Related BRANCH article: Jason R. Rudy, "On Literary Melbourne: Poetry in the Colony, ca. 1854."

Coordinates

Latitude: -37.814355373741
Longitude: 144.963541037870

View on the COVE Master Map

Timeline of Events Associated with Melbourne

Date Event Manage
Jul 1854

Ground broken for U Melbourne and public library

Melbourne Public LibraryOn 3 July 1854, ground was broken for the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne Public Library. Image: The Public Library, Melbourne (1854). State Library of Victoria. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Jason R. Rudy, “On Literary Melbourne: Poetry in the Colony, ca. 1854″