Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of 3.8 million in the Melbourne metropolitan area (June 2004) and 69,670 in the City of Melbourne (which covers only the central city area). The city's name is pronounced as either {{IPA|/?mel.b?n/}} or {{IPA|/?mæl.b?n/}}. The city's motto is "Vires acquirit eundo" which means "we gather strength as we go". Melbourne was the capital city of Australia from 1901 until 1927.

History

Main article: History of Melbourne

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Melbourne was founded on 10 May 1835 by a group of free settlers led by John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, unlike some of Australia's capital cities which were founded as penal colonies (Adelaide and Perth are other notable exceptions). With the discovery of gold in central Victoria in the 1850s, leading to the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne quickly grew as a port to service the necessary trade. During the 1880s, Melbourne was the second largest city in the British Empire, and came to be known as "Marvellous Melbourne". Victorian Architecture abounds in Melbourne and today the city is home to the largest number of surviving Victorian Era buildings of any city in the world other than London.

Related Topics:
10 May - 1835 - Settler - John Batman - John Pascoe Fawkner - Penal colonies - Adelaide - Perth - Gold - 1850s - Victorian gold rush - 1880s - British Empire - Victorian Architecture - Victorian Era - London

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Melbourne became Australia's national capital at Federation on 1 January 1901. The first Federal parliament was opened on 9 May 1901 in the Royal Exhibition Building. The seat of government and the national capital remained in Melbourne until 9 May 1927 when the provisional Parliament House was opened in the new capital city of Canberra.

Related Topics:
National capital - Federation - 1 January - 1901 - Parliament - 9 May - Royal Exhibition Building - 1927 - Parliament House - Canberra

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Melbourne continued to expand steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century, particularly with the post-World War II influx of immigrants and the prestige of hosting the Olympic Games in 1956. This was the first time the Olympic Games had ever been held in the Southern Hemisphere (the only other time was when Sydney hosted the Games in 2000). Throughout the 1990s, the Victorian state government of Premier Jeff Kennett (Liberal) began a campaign with aggressive development of new public buildings (such as the Melbourne Museum, and the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre), the Crown Casino, and publicising Melbourne's merits both to outsiders and Melburnians. This has continued under the government of current Premier Steve Bracks (Labor).

Related Topics:
20th century - World War II - Immigrants - Olympic Games - 1956 - Sydney - 2000 - 1990s - Premier - Jeff Kennett - Liberal - Melbourne Museum - Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre - Crown Casino - Steve Bracks - Labor

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Melbourne is split into various Local Government Areas each with their own Councils. One of these is the City of Melbourne - covering the central business district. The City's current Lord Mayor is John So, who was inaugurated in 2001, after the first direct election of a Lord Mayor for the city.

Related Topics:
Local Government Area - City of Melbourne - Lord Mayor - John So - 2001

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Melbourne is built on the land of the Kulin nation, the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area.

Related Topics:
Kulin - Aboriginal

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