Introduction: A Land of Contradictions

By 1840, the European settlers of the Port Phillip District—later known as Victoria—saw themselves as architects of a society more virtuous and industrious than the convict colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land. Yet they faced a paradox: they sought to impose British bourgeois civilization on a land that seemed destined for elemental struggle between man and nature. This tension shaped Melbourne’s early years, as settlers clashed with Indigenous peoples, rival factions, and the harsh environment itself.

The Savage Coast: Early European Encounters

The southern coast of Australia had long intimidated European explorers. Matthew Flinders, awed by the roaring seas of Bass Strait in 1798, named a foreboding promontory Cape Grim. Sealers and whalers lived brutally, mirroring the untamed landscape. When convicts attempted a settlement at Sullivan’s Cove in 1803, they dismissed the land as barren and unworthy of speculation.

Yet by the 1820s, perceptions shifted. Explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell revealed fertile plains south of the Murray River, sparking dreams of pastoral expansion. Meanwhile, land-hungry settlers in Van Diemen’s Land—men like George Russell and Niel Black—looked across the strait for opportunities denied them in Britain.

The First Settlers: Ambition and Dispossession

### The Hentys and Portland Bay

In 1834, Thomas Henty, seeking a “first rank in society” for his family, bypassed established colonies for Portland Bay. His son Edward led the first permanent European settlement there, bringing livestock and supplies. Yet their ambitions were soon overshadowed by a rival venture: John Batman’s Port Phillip Association.

### John Batman and the “Treaty”

Batman, a polarizing figure born to convict parents, negotiated a controversial agreement with the Wurundjeri people in 1835. In exchange for blankets, tools, and annual tribute, he claimed 600,000 acres—including the future site of Melbourne. Though the British government voided the treaty, Batman’s party pressed forward, establishing a foothold on the Yarra River.

### John Pascoe Fawkner’s Rival Colony

Fawkner, another Van Diemonian with a convict past, arrived soon after, deriding Batman’s claims as fraudulent. His settlers built Melbourne’s first permanent structures, igniting a feud that reflected broader tensions between emancipists and free settlers.

Clash of Visions: Order vs. Anarchy

### The Role of Government

Chaos quickly followed. Vandemonian convicts caused unrest, Indigenous resistance grew, and disputes over land escalated. In 1836, Governor Bourke declared Batman’s treaty invalid and appointed Captain William Lonsdale as magistrate to impose order. Bourke himself visited in 1837, naming the fledgling town Melbourne after the British prime minister.

### Surveying a City

Surveyor Robert Hoddle laid out Melbourne’s grid, prioritizing practicality over aesthetics. His design—wide, straight streets—endures today, though early residents grumbled about wind and dust.

Australia Felix: The Pastoral Boom

### Major Mitchell’s Discovery

In 1836, explorer Thomas Mitchell traversed the lush plains west of Melbourne, dubbing the region Australia Felix (“Happy Australia”). His reports triggered a land rush, attracting overlanders like A.F. Mollison, who drove thousands of sheep from New South Wales.

### The Rise of the Squattocracy

Wealthy pastoralists—including Scottish immigrant Niel Black—secured vast runs, displacing Indigenous peoples. By 1839, Melbourne’s elite had formed the Melbourne Club, symbolizing their newfound gentility. Yet this prosperity came at a cost: violence against Aboriginal communities and exploitation of convict labor.

Legacy: A City’s Contested Foundations

Melbourne’s early years were marked by contradictions: idealism and greed, opportunity and dispossession. The settlers’ vision of a “little England” clashed with the land’s harsh realities and the resilience of its original inhabitants. Today, Melbourne’s growth—from a disputed frontier to a global city—remains a testament to ambition, conflict, and the enduring consequences of colonization.

### Modern Reflections

The treaties Batman claimed were never honored, and Indigenous voices were long excluded from Melbourne’s story. Recent decades have seen efforts to reckon with this history, from land rights movements to cultural revitalization. The roar of Bass Strait, which once symbolized nature’s indifference, now reminds us of the complex legacy left by those who sought to tame it.