Melbourne from the Survey Office, 1839, by Robert Hoddle. H260, La Trobe Collection
Friday August 6 — 1852 — This morning came in sight of the Headlands of Port Phillip wh. are low sandy and uninteresting — At the eastern entrance was the wreck of a vessel wh. had gone ashore during the last gale — The tide was very strong & our power small so that at our first attempt to enter the steamer actually wheeled round and walked out — eventually we got in round some ugly breakers and found ourselves in the grt. bay of Port Phillip wh. in size and appearance much resembles the Bay of Manila — on one deep inlet to the westward beyond some peculiar conical hills called Station Peak is the town of Geelong —We advanced up the bay till we came in sight of the shipping lying in a tolerably protected inlet of Port Phillip at the mouth of the Yarra Yarra called Hobsons Bay — advancing round a point with a low light-house we came to an anchor amongst the shipping opposite the port town of Williams town. This is a low lying collection of houses formed entirely in connection with the shipping — a small wooden jetty is all that has as yet been formed — & there is no water in the town so that they are supplied fm the opposite shore —We saw several small steamers racing about the different ships calling here and there in the most capricious manner — eventually one came alongside of us & as I got a hint that I shd not get up to Melbourne today unless I went in it — I managed after a grt scramble to get myself & only a small portion of my property at wh. the Captn of this magnificent craft gave me some colonial bounce — after about half of us got on board the Captn determined he had got enough so turn ahead we went & slowly got into the Yarra Yarra wh. has only 9 feet at its entrance & averages some 50 yards in breadth — The banks are low swampy & covered with manuka scrub advancing yr. nose becomes sharper than any pointers but with a desire to point it in an opposite direction to that animal But like a compas with magnetic iron above it you whirl round unable to find a resting place — yr. eyes are now attracted to large shoulders & legs of meat sticking & stinking in the reeds — before you can enquire into the cause of this you are overwhelmed by the boiling-down establishment wh. the paddles of the steamer almost touch — Here I observed hosts of pigs feasting on the stinking offal — I never touched swines flesh in Melbourne.At last we arrived at a dirty wharf where myself & six others procured a cart for our luggage — of cabs there are only three in Melbourne wh. are always engaged by successful diggers at fr. £5 to £10 per diem — as to any of the idlers carrying anything for you they wd. rather pay to see you at it yr.self — The cart took our things a few yds. to the Port Ph. Club Hotel & my share was 5/- thus the fellow got 35/- when at the Hotel I was congratulated on obtaining a bed in a room with some others The Hotel-keeper astonished & disgusted that I did not sufficiently thank him for the favour. Thus ended my introduction to Melbourne the metropolis of gold — a day that made me more rabid than I ever had the pleasure of being before — & had it not been that such a thing as hydrophobia does not exist in the colonies I wd most certainly have gone roaring mad —41
H24514, La Trobe Collection.
42The next day, August 7 — 1852, at 10 a.m. I started down to Williams town in quest of my luggage — This day did not begin very propitiously as I got off without my breakfast the cook of the Hotel having made himself scarce without notice — The rascally Capt. of the river steamer wd. not oblige nearly all his passengers by putting them on board the Yarra — so I got on shore at last & thence to the Yarra & by dint of grt. civility found out that my luggage was most likely gone up in a lighter & that it wd be landed on the warf at Melbourne to take care of itself.In my first walk through Melbourne I was much struck by the handsomeness of the original design of the streets but as yet there are only a few handsome houses — so that time must illustrate the design — The grt. want to Melbourne is the difficulty of getting at the shipping — a railway is at present projected to Williams town as also a deep canal to Hobsons Bay up to the Yarra at Melbourne a distance of only three miles — These works must however remain in embryo while labor is so expensive — but they are necessary to the progress of the town — the freight fr. Hobsons Bay to Melbourne by the lighters that discharge the ships being five times the freight out fr. England — This wd. soon ruin the trade of the place did not prices rule so high in Melbourne —The town except one or two of the most important streets is well situated on rising hills — all in front of Melbourne towards the sea is very swampy & low but the back ground high & well wooded — The situation for the Govt. House when built is on the opposite side of the Yarra fr. Melbourne commanding a view of the town & bay — It is a remarkably handsome position though the land round it is perhaps rather too confined — adjoining but on a lower position is the Botanical garden a beautiful place — but only a portion has as yet been brought under cultivation. Mr. La Trobe the present Governor resides at a place of his own wh. they say is now worth £80,000 & wh. he purchased for c. £1200 —Melbourne is at present a most comfortless place — I remember one day asking an Irishman was there much fruit near Melbourne — “yes” said he after a pause “a few potatoes” & this I found to be very near the truth — The dogs in Melbourne I found to be as numerous & troublesome as in a Chinese town — The leading paper here, the Argus, is the most unscrupulous opposer of Govt. & all Govt. measures speaking constantly of “our own President Mr —” — It has a large circulation but this arises fr. the necessity on the part of newly arrived colonists to look at the advertising. It is a sad pity however but that all matters relating to the colony were thrown entirely into the hands of the colonial legislature & thus throw the odium off the Govt. — The second day after my arrival I met James Robertson-Forsyth N.C.S. whom I had left in China & Bird whom I had met between Penang & Singapore & who had got an appt. in the Govt. gold escort — Met Mr. Clow an old friend of our family —Monday August 16 — 1852 — [Here the journal ends abruptly]
We passed through the Heads under sail, continuing our course down the bay for some thirty miles, until we had nearly reached the mouth of the river Yara Yara, which empties into it, at its extreme N-Western corner. From which point we were towed up the river to the City; which lies43about one and a half miles to the N-east from the head of the Bay. The river from here to the city, pursues a crooked course through a dismal and dreary swamp; winding and bending about, with the appearance of a narrow stagnant ditch more than any self-respecting stream, through a flat reedy waste, partly covered with salt lagoons; and reeking with unsavoury smells. This is what the approach to the city by water at that time, used to be like. We finally, late in the afternoon, reached and made fast to the “Australian” wharf, at the S-western limits of the city.On our northern course up the Bay we saw, first the little town of Sorento, on our left, close to Schnapper Point; which is just inside the Heads. And some miles further on, on the same shore, where the bay greatly widens out, lay the town of Geelong; which a few years before, had competed with Melbourne for first position as entrepot for the Colony; and between which two towns, the first R-way built in this colony was still uncompleted when I first got here, early in '57. A little farther along from this point, we sighted on our right — That farthermost outpost of the big city's suburbs, named Brighton. Next, some four to five miles farther along, we had St Kilda on our right, and the town of Williamstown across the water, to the left. Whilst further along, at the bays northern limit; were Sandridge, on the one side, and Footscray opposite, to the left …… During the Christmas holidays of '66, we had Mrs. Adelaide Archer and her husband, down on a visit from the country. Adelaide being a younger sister of my wife, who sometime before had been on a visit with them at their home in Castlemaine. We always had six days racing in Melbourne during the holiday week, as it is called, and it is at this particular time, that the great Intercolonial Match is run for the Melbourne Cup, and a stake of ten thousand sovereigns. The races, are the occasion of the annual great dress Parade of ladies fine toilets, fine horse stock, and stunning vehicles, and at the meet this year, it was said, there was fifty thousand people on the Flemington course, on the day the Cup was run for the course is situated just a short distance to the west of the city, and a couple of miles beyond the north end of the Bay … The grandstand with its richly robed occupants, with the densely crowded “hill” — as the rising ground about it, and on which the stand is placed, is called — made I should judge, as fine a spectacle as could be found, I doubt not, on most any course [in] Europe …… In the early part of the following Autumn, about the first of the month of April, we saw a fine muster and review, of the Colonial Volunteer Forces, at a place called Sunbury, on the Keilor plains, some eighteen miles north of town — The Governor, Sir Chas. Darling, being present with Major Genl. McArthur, in command of the troops. The proceedings terminated with a very spectacular sham battle, and we had no reason to complain of our giving ourselves such trouble, and going so far; to see the colonies sogers …… During this, my last residence in Victoria, we enjoyed many pleasant excursions to the different settlements and places surrounding the city. The suburban R-ways which had been recently constructed, placing numerous points of interest, now within easy reach — and crossing over to the south side of the Yara at numerous desirable spots, where no bridges exist, was made possible by the establishment of punts or small boats, to take passengers across at these places.The continuation of Flinders St which borders on the river, ends, in what is called the Richmond Road, going east — and this road makes a very pleasant morning walk — and Melbourne, I may here say, has one peculiarity of climate that somewhat corresponds with San-Francisco in that the early mornings are mostly, during the summer, the only enjoyable part of the day — for in the most part, the hot wind blows at Melbourne, as does the chilly, foggy wind at San Francisco — making each of these places dusty and unpleasant in the afternoons. At the point of commencement of the Richmond Road, going east, we can see the Houses of Parliament just a couple of blocks on the left, while to the right, and within the limits of Richmond Park, we can see the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and directly beyond, and across the Yarra, is the beautiful Botanical Gardens — and then, as we continue on, going, east, over a gradually raising roadway; with Fitzroy Gardens bordering one, and Richmond Park the other side of our road; we, after a stretch of near a half a mile, pass by the Bishop Palace at the south east corner of the gardens and the road — and a short distance further on, we gain the top of the Richmond Hill, and the end of the road at the same time.Here, we are at the extreme s-eastern corner of the old city limits; and at this point we find a road running at right angles to the southward, toward a favourite resort of the oldtime residents, called Cremorne Gardens. This road ends where it reaches the river, about a mile away. Across the river to the south and east lies the one only Insane Asylum of the Colony; called Yara-Bend;44and near by it, the pretty villages of Kew and Hawthorn; whilst directly in front of us, to the right and left, are the suburbs of Richmond, and Collingwood; and farther over, directly east, Preston. To the N-east, Pentrige, and to the Nth, Carlton. While far beyond, the view reaches its limit at the dark wooded hills of the Dandenong mountains, running N and south in that section of the Colony, called Gipps-Land …… My business during this my last residence in the colony, led me into making many excursions to up-country towns, and old mining camps. In this way, I visited many of the old familiar camps, and also, as well, many others. But now, the dizzy whirl and excitement of flush times was all past. And the drowsy stillness of some tropical calm seemed to pervade the old camping grounds, erstwhile so sounding with busy life; and the wild riot of the successful miner. That fierce storm of destroying gold seekers, whose presence here in the past, made such havock of many a beautiful silvan glade; had swept on to other and newer fields; so, leaving these once so beautiful spots to regain their primitive charm, and cover over those ugly scars, made in wresting the coveted treasure from their beautiful valleys, and charming slopes …
Panoramic view of Melbourne, c. 1866, by Charles Nettleton H843, La Trobe Collection.
