History of Melbourne Trivia Quiz

Answer: Palawa

Palawa people lived on the island of Tasmania, not in Melbourne, Victoria. The Bunurong, Wathaurong and Wurundjeri were the three tribes whose lands were closest to Port Philip and the Yarra River. Modern-day Melbourne is located almost entirely within the land of the Wurundjeri.

The other two Kulin tribes were Taungurong and Dja Dja Wurrung. The Kulin were hunter-gather people who were experts at fishing as well. They were mostly peaceful to each other and often freely traveled through each other's lands without incident. Usually, a welcoming ceremony would be performed when another tribe visited.

By the time of European settlement in the 1830s, there were about 20,000 Kulin people in the area.

Answer: Matthew Flinders

John Murray was commissioned to chart the southern coast of Australia. He first saw Port Phillip in January 1802 but did not enter it until a month later. He named it Port King after Governor King who placed Murray in charge of the Lady Nelson. Murray, even though he accomplished his task, was denied his commission because he falsified records in matters unrelated to Australia.

A few months after Murray arrived in Port Phillip, Matthew Flinders arrived and began exploring the area more in depth than Murray. Flinders believed he was the first European there. Flinders had previously made two other voyages to Australia, exploring the areas of Sydney and Tasmania.

Answer: Lack of potable water in Melbourne

The British were increasingly fearful that the French would try to take some of the less explored areas of Australia for themselves. Since Port Phillip and Melbourne were new in 1803, the British sent a group of convicts to the area as a way of securing it. However, large scale infrastructure projects were not built or planned. The worst problem was the lack of fresh water in the area and the convicts were forced to move to Tasmania the following year.

It wasn't until 1860 that fresh water was available for people, but even then many still preferred to bath and drink from the Yarra River.

Answer: John Batman

John Batman was a farmer from Tasmania where he had a lousy reputation. His neighbors thought he was a thief and a scoundrel. He originally wanted to locate to New South Wales, but he was forbidden to do so. Instead, he settled around Port Phillip and called his new settlement Batmania.

Batman had a friendly relationship with the Aboriginal people. However, what happened during negotiations for their land is unknown even to this day. Given Batman's reputation, it is widely believed he misled the Aborigines into ceding their land over to him in exchange for supplies and food. It is also believed that the Aborigines did not really understand that they were giving up their land to him. Batman's Treaty, as the agreement was called, was quickly overturned and the land was given to the crown but the city remained intact.

To this day, Batman remains a controversial figure in Melbourne and Australian history.

Answer: British Prime Minister

William Lamb was Prime Minister when Queen Victoria ascended to the throne and he was her mentor in politics and government. He is the last Prime Minister to be removed by the monarch, which happened to him in 1834 by Victoria's predecessor King William IV before Lamb returned to power. Other than having Melbourne named in his honor, Lamb is nowadays one of the lesser known Prime Ministers.

William Lonsdale is considered Melbourne's official founder since he was the one who had permission from the crown to start a settlement in the area around the Yarra River and Port Phillip.

Answer: Battle of Yering

The Battle of Yering took place on January 18, 1840. It started over a minor dispute over which group of people owned a piece of land home to a bountiful potato crop. Members of the Border Police lured several Aboriginal men to Yering Station and captured one of them named Jaga Jaga. The Aborigines then launched an attack on Yering Station to free Jaga Jaga. It is unknown how many, if any, casualties fell on the Aboriginal side but it is known that none fell on the Border Police side and that Jaga Jaga was freed by his people.

Pictured is the flag of the Aboriginal people of Australia.

Answer: Wool

Like most other cities in Australia, a mid 19th century gold rush brought a lot of people to the area. The Victorian Gold Rush may have been the most important in Australian history, in particular the Eureka Stockade Rebellion. The Eureka Stockade Rebellion led to the passage of universal white male suffrage in Victoria and is considered the birth of Australian democracy.

The discovery of gold and the expansion of the wool industry also led to a huge increase in Australia's population and infrastructure. Railways and telecommunication lines were built connecting Melbourne to other places.

By the 1860s, Melbourne was growing so quickly that there was a labor shortage in most industries and laborers were often working around the clock but for high wages, perhaps the highest in the world for certain positions. The overworking and less than stellar conditions led to an establishment of unions and labor laws, including an eight-hour work day. However, economic conditions later turned difficult.

Answer: Capital of the new Australian Commonwealth

Melbourne was chosen as Australia's capital because, at the time, it was the most populous city despite its bleak economic outlook and slow growing population. It was soon, however, surpassed by Sydney in terms of population. Melbourne was never intended to be the permanent capital of Australia.

It was just temporary until Canberra could be built, which happened in 1927, long after the expected date of completion.

Answer: Soldiers killed during World War I

Although originally dedicated to World War I soldiers, the Shrine of Remembrance is dedicated to all Australian soldiers who fought in any conflict. It is a popular site for observances on ANZAC Day, which honors the Australian and New Zealand forces which fought at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

It was designed by veteran architects Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop who modeled the memorial in the ancient Greek style.

Answer: Melbourne was essentially a military headquarters

Melbourne was chosen to house many military projects because its location in the south of the country made it a less likely target for bombings by the Japanese. Darwin in Northern Territory was bombed repeatedly by the Japanese and larger, more well known cities such as Sydney and the capital Canberra were seen as likelier targets than Melbourne. Melbourne was also home to a number of American servicemen and women during the war.

Because of the increase in manufacturing for the war effort, Melbourne had an incredibly low unemployment rate, even as the Great Depression hurt other cities. Factories were producing massive amounts of supplies which kept people working. However, the crime rate was not low. Organized crime bosses and gangsters managed to take control of large parts of the city as the police's attention was focused on the war effort.