Melbourne: Foundations of a City- Launch week

May
07
Sunday, May 07, 2017 at 10:00 AM through May 13, 2017

Location

Old Treasury Building
20 Spring St
Melbourne, VIC 3002
Australia
Google map and directions

Event contact

Old Treasury Building

9651 2233

From fledgling village to bustling metropolis within a generation, this is the story of the astonishing growth of Melbourne, now told in a new exhibition at the Old Treasury Building.

Dramatic panoramic pictures of the city from the 1840s to 1900, trace the extraordinary emergence of a city, that was known by the 1880s as the ‘Queen City of the South’. 

When a visiting English journalist coined the phrase ‘Marvellous Melbourne’, locals were delighted. To outsiders Melbourne seemed like a modern wonder. With its wide boulevards of gracious buildings, its cable trams, coffee palaces and dance halls, Melbourne was the premier city in Australia. But of course there was a downside as well. The creation of Melbourne rested on the dispossession and systematic exclusion of the local Aboriginal people.  And the environment suffered too. Despite its glittering outward appearances, Melbourne was a dangerous city. The drains stank, the water was polluted and typhoid fever was rife, taking a fearful toll on young and old. Until a deep sewerage system was finally completed in 1898, ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ was also popularly known as ‘Marvellous Smellbourne’.

But for all that, Melbourne was the wonder of the age. This new exhibition at the Old Treasury Building shows us why.  

Join us for a week-long celebration from 7 May to 12 May, 10am to 4pm for free talks and giveaways. The full program is available at otb.org.au

Free entry.

Posted by on ,

About

The History Council of Victoria Incorporated (HCV) is the peak body for history in the Australian state of Victoria. Its vision is to connect Victorians with history and to inspire engagement with the past, their identity and the world today. The HCV champions the work of historians and the value of history. It recognises that history can be written about any place, any person, any period. The HCV advocates why history matters.


Read More

Events

Our calendar lists all upcoming public events arranged by the History Council of Victoria (HCV), plus events in Victoria, Australia, that are added by our Friends and Members.

If you are organising an event that relates to History, we encourage you to publicise it on our website.


Read More

Advocacy

As the peak body for history in Victoria, the History Council makes submissions on current issues. In doing this, the HCV Board is guided by its Advocacy Policy and by the Value of History, a statement developed co-operatively by the HCV and the History Councils of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.


Read More

Prizes

Since 2015, the HCV has been pleased to sponsor the Years 9 and 10 category of the Historical Fiction Competition organised by the History Teachers' Association of Victoria.


Read More

Support

Ways to support us:

Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://www.historycouncilvic.org.au/subscribe
Endorse the Value of History statement: https://www.historycouncilvic.org.au/endorse
Find us on socials: Twitter / Facebook / YouTube


Read More
 

Follow

Summary

The HCV was formed as an advisory body in 2001 and incorporated in 2003. It comprises representatives from cultural and educational institutions and heritage bodies; history teachers and curriculum advisors; academic and professional historians; and local, Indigenous, community and specialist history organisations.

As the peak body for history, the HCV has both ‘outward-looking’ roles (including advocacy and representation to government and the wider community, consultation, community education, and networking with allied interest groups) and ‘inward-looking’ roles (including member support, information dissemination, and networking between members).

 
 

 

 

Credits

Image acknowledgements to go here.