City of Melbourne

About the area

Key Statistics

Location

The City of Melbourne is bounded by the Cities of Moonee Valley and Moreland in the north, the Cities of Yarra and Stonnington in the east, the City of Port Phillip and Hobsons Bay in the south, and Hobsons Bay City and the City of Maribyrnong in the west.

Included Areas

The City of Melbourne includes the suburbs of Carlton, Carlton North (part), Docklands, East Melbourne, Flemington (part), Kensington, Melbourne (part), North Melbourne, Parkville (part), Port Melbourne (part), Southbank (part), South Wharf, South Yarra (part) and West Melbourne.

Name Origin

Melbourne was named after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, former Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the Melbourne area were the Kulin Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from 1835, when a settlement was established along the Yarra River. The township of Melbourne was laid out in 1837, with growth during the mid 1800s, spurred by the gold rush. Rapid residential and industrial development took place during the late 1800s, and resumed again during the interwar period. From the early 1950s to the late 1980s the population halved, as residents moved outwards and industries and offices were constructed. This trend began to be reversed from the early 1990s, with the number of dwellings almost doubling during the 1990s, as many former industrial areas were redeveloped into residential areas. Much of the City underwent significant change, redevelopment, renewal, revitalisation and urban consolidation, leading to increased population and business activity. Factories, warehouses, wharves and railway lands were replaced with offices, businesses, technology centres, restaurants, shops, hotels, marinas, high density housing and parks. The estimated resident population of the City increased significantly during the 1990s, rising from about 45,000 in 1991 to about 56,000 in 2001. The population increased at an even greater rate from 2001, rising to about 81,000 in 2006, and then to nearly 101,000 in 2011. Much of the recent growth is due to gentrification and the construction of high density housing. Population growth is expected to continue, largely as a result of redevelopment.

Transport

The City of Melbourne is served by Citylink, the Westgate Freeway, the Port of Melbourne, and numerous trains, trams and buses.

City of Melbourne

economic profile