Australia – the continent country – is fascinating, to say the least. Each state and city of the country comes with its unique identity that sets it apart from the rest. In this write-up on ultimate Melbourne facts, we will take our first step towards discovering Australia.
So, if you have plans of visiting the country (and more specifically, the city of Melbourne), this Melbourne trivia list will become a handy tool for you.
So, what are you waiting for? Read on…
Melbourne Facts – The European Contact
Somewhere we believe that when we are out here to learn about Melbourne facts, we need to start with the history of Melbourne.
A quick glimpse of the Melbourne history can help us understand why Melbourne is what it is today. So, without further ado, let us begin.
Once inhabited by indigenous Australians
Fact 1: The area that is now known as Melbourne had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for nearly 31,000 to 40,000 years.
Fact 2: Around 2,000 hunter-gatherers lived in that area when the Europeans first arrived there in the 19th century.
Fact 3: Those 2,000 people belonged to three regional tribes – the Wathaurong, Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri.
Fact 4: The area of today’s Melbourne was, at one point in time, a very important meeting place for the Kulin Nation alliance clans. Not just that, it was also an important source of water and food.
First British Settlements
Fact 5: In October 1803, Colonel David Collins established the first British Settlement at Sullivan Bay (located near today’s Sorrento). It was the first British settlement in Victoria. At that time, Victoria was a part of the penal or exile colony of New South Wales.
Fact 6: In 1804 however, the settlers wrapped up from Sullivan Bay and settled at Van Diemen’s Land because of scarcity of resources at Sullivan Bay.
Fact 7: For 30 years that followed, there were no further British settlements in Victoria. In 1835 however, a person named John Batman explored the Melbourne area in months of May and June.
Fact 8: Batman was a prominent member of the Port Phillip Association of Van Diemen’s Land. Batman claimed that he had negotiation talks with 8 elders of the Wurundjeri tribe and managed to negotiate a purchase deal of 2,400 square kilometres or 600,000 acres of land.
Fact 9: Batman actually went on to select a site on Yarra River’s northern bank and declared that it would become the site for a new village. After selecting the site, Batman returned to Van Diemen’s Land.
Fact 10: In August of 1835 however, another group of settlers from Van Diemen’s Land arrived at the Melbourne area and established a settlement in the location where Melbourne Immigration Museum stands today.
Fact 11: In September 1835, Batman arrived there with his group. Finding another group of settlers, Batman’s group and the other group decided to share the settlement.
Batman’s Treaty Was Revoked
Fact 12: Richard Bourke, the then Governor of New South Wales, who governed the entire eastern Australian mainland revoked the treaty between Batman and Australian Aborigines. Because the treaty was revoked, Richard Bourke paid compensation to all the members of the Port Phillip Association.
Fact 13: Bourke then went on to declare the city as Port Phillip District’s administrative capital in the year 1836. In 1837, Bourke commissioned the Hoodle Grid. It was the first urban layout plan.
Fact 14: The settlement was briefly referred to as Batmania. It was however later renamed to Melbourne in 1837 on April 10.
Victorian Aboriginal Groups Lost Everything
Fact 15: European settlers almost completely stripped off the Victorian Aboriginal groups from their own lands between the years 1836 and 1842.
Fact 16: So horrible was the condition that by January 1844, only 675 Aborigines were left who were living in extremely dirty and filthy makeshift camps – all thanks to those Europeans!
Fact 17: Irony is that in 1839 five Aboriginal Protectors were appointed by the British Colonial Office. Unfortunately, the work of these protectors were completely nullified by a land policy that was introduced later.
Fact 18: Under this land policy, squatters gained favour and they took complete possession of the Aboriginal lands despite the fact that the squatters were not the legal owners.
Fact 19: Less than 240 very wealthy Europeans managed to get all the pastoral licenses by 1845. All these pastoral licenses were issued in Victoria.
Fact 20: These less than 240 Europeans then went on to become a very powerful economic and political force in Victoria for several generations that followed.
Fact 21: Melbourne was later declared a city using Letters Patent (legal instruments in form of published written orders) issued by Queen Victoria in 1847 on June 25.
Fact 22: Moving forward, in the year 1851 on July 1, Port Phillip District became a colony of Victoria by separating from New South Wales with Melbourne becoming the capital of Victoria.
Melbourne Facts – The Victorian Gold Rush
To be honest, Melbourne facts remain incomplete without talking about the Victorian Gold Rush. So, here are some incredible facts about the same:
The Population Boom
Fact 23: Somewhere in the middle of the year 1851, gold was discovered in Victoria which started the Victorian Gold Rush.
Fact 24: Within a period of just a few months, the population of Melbourne, which the major port of the colony, nearly doubled.
Fact 25: Thanks to the Gold Rush, the population explosion allowed Melbourne to overtake Sydney as the most populous city of Australia by 1865.
Fact 26: Because of the Gold Rush, the southern banks of the River Yarra saw rapid growth of various slums including a tent city and a Chinatown.
Fact 27: The migrants included both international and intercolonial people. Most of the people who were attracted by the Gold Rush were Europeans and Chinese.
Fact 28: The Gold Rush was the reason behind the Eureka Rebellion (watch out for our upcoming article on Eureka Rebellion Facts) that took place in 1854. This rebellion led to major political changes and working conditions in manufacturing, agriculture, mining, etc., all improved.
Construction of Public Buildings
Fact 29: The Victorian Gold Rush generated a lot of wealth which eventually pushed the development and construction of public buildings.
Fact 30: Construction of many public buildings started during 1850s and 1860s. Some were completed over the years and some were not completed even as late as 2018. Yes, yes! 2018!
Fact 31: Some of the famous public buildings on which work started back in 1850s and 1860s were:
- The Treasury Building.
- The Parliament House.
- Victoria Barracks.
- The Old Melbourne Goal.
- University of Melbourne.
- The State Library.
- Customs House.
- General Post Office.
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
- The Melbourne Town Hall.
Fact 32: The central city was developing and so was the inner suburbs. The phase saw the development of radial boulevards, parklands, sprawling mansions, detached houses, terrace houses and more. Some major roads became shopping streets.
Fact 33: The Victorian Gold Rush pushed Melbourne to become a major finance centre. The first stock exchange of Australia came into existence in Melbourne in 1861. It also became the home for the Royal Mint (a bank).
Fact 34: Not just that, sports also gained focus with the now famous MCG ground acquired by the Melbourne Cricket Club back in 1855.
Fact 35: In 1859, the Australian football was codified by the members of Melbourne Football Club.
Fact 36: The first ever Melbourne Cup race was organised in the year 1861.
Fact 37: Bruke and Wills statue was the first public statue acquired by Melbourne in the year 1864.
Continued Growth of Melbourne
Fact 38: Here is one of the most fascinating Melbourne facts – it continued to grow even after the Victorian Gold Rush almost came to an end by 1860.
Fact 39: Though the rush came to an end, gold mining continued. But that was not the only reason for Melbourne’s continued growth. It became the major port through which Victoria’s agricultural goods were exported. Wool was the major agricultural product that was exported.
Fact 40: High tariffs protecting the growing manufacturing sector of Victoria also led to continued growth of Melbourne.
Fact 41: Starting late 1850s, the countryside saw development of radial railway networks.
Fact 42: During the 1860s and 1870s, the construction work for a few other major public buildings started. Those buildings are:
- The Government House.
- The Supreme Court.
- The Queen Victoria Market.
Fact 43: With continued growth, Melbourne saw a growth in warehouses, offices, workshops, hotels, major banks and more.
Fact 44: The saddest part is that amid all the growth, Melbourne saw a continued decline in the population of the Aborigines. By 1863, there was approximately 80% decline. Several reasons can be cited for the decline of the Aborigines. Those reasons include:
- Their land was gradually taken away from them.
- There were instances of frontier violence that led to the decline of the Aborigines.
- They became susceptible to the diseases such as smallpox introduced by the Europeans.
Melbourne Facts: Marvelous Melbourne
In this segment of Melbourne facts we are going to find out what led to the name Marvellous Melbourne – a name that Melburnians keep using even today. Let’s begin…
The Land Boom
Fact 45: Melbourne experienced what is called ‘Land Boom’ in the 1880s. It is this land boom that led to exponential growth of Melbourne, making it the richest city in the world at that point in time. It also became the second-largest city of the entire British Empire.
Fact 46: Several factors led to such growth which include increase in land price, easy credit access and increased consumer confidence.
Fact 47: The Exhibition Building that was purposefully built for exhibitions hosted the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880.
Fact 48: In the same year, i.e., 1880, the foundation stones for St. Paul’s Cathedral were laid and a telephone exchange was established.
Fact 49: 1881 – Eastern Market saw the installation of electric light.
Fact 50: 1882 – An electricity generation station was established which had the ability to provide supply to 2,000 incandescent bulbs.
Fact 51: 1885 – The first line of Melbourne Cable Tramway System was built by Melbourne Tramway Trust. By 1890, it had become one of world’s most extensive systems.
Fact 52: 1885 – The phrase ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ was coined by George Augustus Henry Sala – a visiting journalist from England. The phrase was very popular well into the 19th century and is in use even today.
Fact 53: The increased land value saw the construction of many commercial buildings, mansions, terrace houses etc.
Fact 54: 1887 – A hydraulic facility was established that allowed elevator manufacturing locally. This in turn led to construction of high-rise buildings. The most notable of all was the APA building that was completed in 1889 and was, at that point in time, the tallest commercial building in the world.
Fact 55: 1888 – The Melbourne Centennial Exhibition was hosted in the Exhibition Building. It was way bigger than the first exhibition.
The Economic Breakdown
Whether one likes it or not, Melbourne was experiencing what in common terms is known as ‘arrogant boosterism.’ That was one of the reasons for massive economic growth that Melbourne experienced. This changed when a severe economic depression struck Melbourne in 1890s.
Fact 56: Because of the depression 133 limited companies were liquidated.
Fact 57: Various Small ‘land banks’ and several building societies collapsed.
Fact 58: It was the Melbourne’s economic breakdown that led to Australian Economic Depression of the 1890s and also triggered the 1893’s Australian Banking Crisis.
Melbourne Facts: Government Seat and Post-War Boom
Fact 59: Melbourne became the seat of government on January 1, 1901 at the time of Australia’s federation.
Fact 60: It was the Royal Exhibition Building where the first federal parliament was assembled on May 9, 1901.
Fact 61: The federal parliament then moved on to Victorian Parliament House where it stayed until 1927 after which it was moved to Canberra.
Fact 62: After the conclusion of World War II, Australia say the influx of immigrants from the Mediterranean and Southern Europe. This immigration led to rapid expansion of Melbourne.
Fact 63: After the height limits in Melbourne (also know as The City or CBD) were lifted in the year 1958 and the ICI House was built, which was the first major step towards changing the skyline of Melbourne.
Fact 64: In following years as ownership of private motorised vehicles increased, new changes were made to road projects. Many roads were remodelled, many were widened, and freeways and highways were developed.
Fact 65: In 1969 and 1970, Australia experienced a mining and financial boom. As a result of this many companies established their headquarters in Melbourne.
Fact 66: Until the late 1970s, Melbourne remained the primary financial and business centre of Australia only to be gradually replaced by Sydney.
Fact 67: Between 1989 and 1992, Melbourne was once again plagued by an economic downturn and many local financial institutions completely collapsed.
Fact 68: In 1992, economic revival policies were introduced by the newly elected government, which started to promote the city as a tourist destination. During this time, Australian Grand Prix shifted to Melbourne from its previous location of Adelaide.
Fact 69: CityLink Tollway, Crown Casino, Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Federation Square and Melbourne Museum came to existence as part of government’s public works projects.
Fact 70: The government also went ahead and privatised certain public services like public transport and power.
Fact 71: Starting mid-1990s Melbourne managed to maintain a high employment growth rate and also a steady growth in population.
Fact 72: In late 2000s when financial crisis, most of the other Australian cities were heavily affected but the impact on Melbourne was very low.
Fact 73: The Globalization and World Cities Research Network classified Melbourne as the Alpha city in the year 2018.
From history to modern day, we have covered almost everything important about Melbourne’s history in this segment of Melbourne facts. It is now time to look at other things.
Melbourne Facts: Geography, Climate and Demographics
The Geography of Melbourne
Fact 74: If you look at Australian map, you can find Melbourne in the southeastern part. It is located within the state of Victoria.
Fact 75: From geological point of view, the city sits on the top of the confluence of Holocene sand accumulation found on the southeast, Silurian mudstones found on the east and Quaternary lava flows found on the west.
Fact 76: If you move east along the Yarra River, the city extends towards Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges located to the east.
Fact 77: Moving northward, the city extends through bushland valleys of the tributaries of Yarra River and extends into outer suburban growth corridors namely Cranbourne and Mount Martha.
Fact 78: Moving west, you can notice that the city extends along Maribyrnong River as well as its tributaries towards Sunbury and Macedon Ranges’ foothills. Slightly to the left, the city extends along flat volcanic plain country towards Melton located in the west. It also extends to Werribee located at the foothills of You Yangs granite ridge which is located to the south west of the CBD.
Fact 79: The city extends to the southeast through the suburb Dandenong, reaching Pakenham towards West Gippsland.
Fact 80: Melbourne extends to the south Dandenong Creek valley and Frankston city.
Melbourne Facts – The Climate of Melbourne
Fact 81: Melbourne sports oceanic climate. The winters are mild, but the summers can swing between warm to hot.
Fact 82: Melbourne sits right between cool southern ocean and hot inland areas. Because of this location, Melbourne experiences what is known as changeable weather conditions.
Fact 83: During the spring months and the summer months, the city experiences cold fronts which leads to various severe weather conditions ranging from hail, thunderstorms to gales. Heavy rains and large temperature drops are quite normal during cold fronts.
Fact 84: Winters on the other hand are pretty stable, but they are usually cloudy and damp.
Fact 85: There is something called Bay Effect that Melbourne experiences. This happens because Port Phillip, during autumn and spring, remains warmer compared to surrounding land masses and ocean.
Fact 86: Because of the Bay Effect, certain areas experience heavy by narrow streams of showers for extended time period while the remaining of the city remains dry.
Fact 87: Melbourne is famous for its isolated convective showers. This happens when a cold pool crosses the state of Victoria. These convective showers are frequent when the daytime heating is significant.
Fact 88: These convective showers are heavy downpours lasting only a few minutes. However, during the downpours, sharp decline in temperature is noted and the showers often include squalls and hails.
Fact 89: As mentioned, the convective showers end within a few minutes and the temperature rises back to the normal levels that were present before the showers. The weather quickly becomes calm and sunny.
Fact 90: Interestingly, the convective showers can happen multiple times in a day. This gave Melbourne the reputation of experiencing ‘Four Seasons in One Day.’
Fact 91: The lowest temperature ever that Melbourne experienced was back in 1869 on July 21 when the temperature dropped to 27.0°F or -2.8°C.
Fact 92: The highest temperature ever recorded in Melbourne was in 2009 on February 7. The temperature recorded on that day was 115.5°F or 46.4°C.
Melbourne Facts – The Demographics of Melbourne
Fact 93: In 2018. the population of Melbourne metropolitan area stood at 4,963,349.
Fact 94: Melbourne has comfortably outpaced Sydney in terms of international overseas immigrants intake. Melbourne also experiences interstate migration from Sydney and other cities of Australia. This happens because Melbourne has a low cost-of-living and affordable housing.
Fact 95: It is estimated that by 2028 Melbourne will overtake Sydney in terms of total population.
Fact 96: A census conducted in 2016 showed the following top 10 ancestries in the city of Melbourne:
- English – 28%
- Australian – 26%
- Irish – 9.7%
- Chinese – 8.5%
- Scottish – 7.8%
- Italian – 7.1%
- Indian – 4.7%
- Greek – 3.9%
- German – 3.2%
- Vietnamese – 2.4%
Fact 97: You can find people with Dutch, Maltese, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Polish and Lebanese ancestry.
Fact 98: The saddest part is that of all the population that Melbourne holds, only 0.5% of the people are Indigenous Australians (which includes the Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal Australians). That makes up only 24,062 indigenous Australians. This data is as per the 2016 census.
Fact 99: Among all metropolitan areas in the world, Melbourne is home to 10th largest immigrant population.
Fact 100: According to the same census, 63.3% of people living in Greater Melbourne were all born in Australia. 3.6% were born in India, 3.5% in Mainland China, 3% in England, 1.8% in Vietnam and 1.8% in New Zealand.
Fact 101: The same census of 2016 also reported that 62% of people living in Melbourne spoke only English in their homes.
Fact 102: Among the most commonly spoken foreign languages at home include:
- Mandarin (4.1% Melburnians use that language at home).
- Greek (2.4% Melburnians use that language at home).
- Italian (2.3% Melburnians use that language at home).
- Vietnamese (2.3% Melburnians use that language at home).
- Cantonese (1.7% Melburnians use that language at home).
Fact 103: Christianity is the most famous religion in Melbourne. The city is home to two large cathedrals – the St. Patrick’s (which is Roman Catholic) and St. Paul’s (which is Anglican).
Fact 104: If you are to break down the Melburnians by religious faith, the 2016 census data returned the following statistics:
- No Religion – 31.9%
- Catholic – 23.4%
- Not Stated – 9.1%
- Anglican – 7.6%
- Eastern Orthodox – 4.3%
- Islam – 4.2%
- Buddhism – 3.8%
- Hinduism – 2.9%
- Uniting Church – 2.3%
- Presbyterian and Reformed – 1.6%
- Baptist – 1.3%
- Sikhism – 1.2%
- Judaism – 0.9%
Melbourne Facts – Culture and Sports
This list of Melbourne facts will never be complete if we do not talk about the culture and sports of the city. So, let us take a quick look at those segments before we jump on to the fun and trivia segment.
The Culture of Melbourne
Fact 105: It is not at all surprising that Melbourne is often referred to as the Cultural Capital of Australia.
Fact 106: The city is the host to various annual festivals and cultural events such as Melbourne Fringe Festival and Moomba, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, etc.
Fact 107: The Melbourne City of Literature was, in 2008, recognised as second UNESCO City of Literature.
Fact 108: One of the oldest cultural institutions in Australia is The State Library of Victoria. It is not the only one. There are many such university and public libraries all across Melbourne.
Fact 109: Melbourne is home to the famous Melbourne Writers Festival. Local writers of Melbourne can compete for various well-known literary prizes such as Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and Melbourne Prize for Literature.
Fact 110: Various Victorian Era theatres can be found in The East End Theatre District. Some of the most famous theatres are:
- The Comedy Theatre.
- Regent Theatre.
- Princess Theatre.
- Her Majesty’s Theatre.
- Athenaeum Theatre.
Fact 111: Melbourne is known as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World.’
Fact 112: The National Gallery of Victoria is the largest and the oldest art museum in whole of Australia. This museum is also the most visited art museum in the whole of Southern Hemisphere.
Fact 113: The first feature film of this world was shot in Melbourne in the year 1906. It goes by the name ‘The Story of the Kelly Gang.’
Fact 114: Some of today’s most famous actors from Melbourne are:
- Chris Hemsworth
- Eric Bana
- Geoffrey Rush
- Rachel Griffiths
- Cate Blanchett
Sports in Melbourne
Fact 115: Melbourne is also touted as the Sporting Capital of Australia.
Fact 116: Melbourne earned the title ‘Sports City of the Decade’ in 2016 from the Ultimate Sports City Awards in Switzerland after Melbourne managed to grab the position of world’s top sports city three time in a row biennially.
Fact 117: The city played host to the 2006 Commonwealth Games. It is also the home to Australian Open, which is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the world.
Fact 118: The famous Melbourne Cup was first held in the year 1861. It is currently the world’s richest handicap horse race. The Melbourne Cup is also known as ‘The Race That Stops a Nation.’
Fact 119: Since 1996, Melbourne is the host to Formula One Australian Grand Prix. It is held at the Alberta Park Circuit.
Fact 120: One of the longest established sports known to Melbourne is cricket. The Melbourne Cricket Club was formed within three years of European settlement.
Fact 121: The world’s largest cricket stadium – the Melbourne Cricket Ground is managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club.
Fact 122: The Melbourne Cricket Ground is also the home to National Sports Museum.
Fact 123: The Melbourne Cricket Ground was the host to world’s first Test and world’ first One Day International played in 1877 and 1971 respectively. Both the matches were played between England and Australia.
Fact 124: The most popular spectator sport of Australia is the Australian Rules Football. The origins of the Australian Rules Football can be traced all the way back to 1858 in the matches that were played at parklands located adjacent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Fact 125: In 1859, the first laws of the Australian Rules Football were codified, making it the world’s oldest major football code.
Fact 126: AFL or Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian Rules Football. AFL is headquartered at Docklands Stadium.
Basic Melbourne Facts
All right! Now that we have covered Melbourne facts in quite some details, it is time to look at some fun facts about Melbourne. Basically, this segment will be trivia and fun facts with no specific categorisation.
Have fun…
Fact 127: Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria.
Fact 128: It is also the most populous city of Victoria.
Fact 129: In whole of Australia and Oceania, Melbourne is the second-most populous city.
Fact 130: Melbourne is an urban area with a total area of 3,858 mi2 or 9993 km2.
Fact 131: Did you know that even the city centre is known by the name Melbourne?
Fact 132: Melbourne has a total of 31 municipalities and 1 metropolitan area (it is nothing but a densely populated urban core with surrounding territories being less densely populated).
Fact 133: 19% of the total population of Australia lives in Melbourne. That’s a whopping 5 million people! People of Melbourne are referred to as Melburnians.
Fact 134: Some of the most popular landmarks of Australia are found in Melbourne. For instance, Melbourne is the place where you find National Gallery of Victoria, Royal Exhibition Building [listed as world heritage], and Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Fact 135: Did you know that the Australian Film industry, the Australian Television industry, Australian Rules Football and Australian impressionism – all were born in Melbourne?
Fact 136: Did you know that the city hosts a number of very popular annual international events like Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open and the Australian Grand Prix?
Fact 137: Australia once hosted Summer Olympic of 1956 and in 2006, it hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Fact 138: Melbourne has been recognised as a global centre for theatre, live music and street art. It is also the UNESCO City of Literature.
Fact 139: From 2011 to 2017, Melbourne was ranked as the most liveable city in the whole world. That was 7 years in a row!
Fact 140: The Melbourne Airport, which also goes by the name Tullamarine Airport is Australia’s second-most busiest airport.
Fact 141: Port of Melbourne is the busiest port in whole of Australia.
Fact 142: Melbourne is home to the largest urban tram network in the entire world!
Fact 143: The city is also the home to the most extensive freeway network in whole of Australia.
Fact 144: The largest tram network in the world is in Melbourne. It has 250 kilometres of track. With a fleet of 500 trams, the network caters to 206 million riders per year.
Fact 145: One of the first cities in the world to mandate the 8-hours working day was Melbourne. It then became a global movement in 1856. The number 888 is still remains inscribed on buildings of trade unions to commemorate that great achievement. Wondering what 888 stands for? It stands for 8 hours’ labour, 8 hours’ recreation and 8 hours’ rest.
Fact 146: Great Scenic Railway is the world’s continuously running and oldest roller coaster. It is located at the Luna Park in Melbourne and it has been operating since 1912.
Fact 147: 750 hungry Melburnians were served in 2013 Melbourne’s Food and Wine Festival by the famous Chan’s Yum Cha at Home. That was a world record!
Fact 148: The Foster’s Lager beer originated in Australia, but it was brewed by two Americans. The Americans did take it to America, but Foster’s remains a very popular authentic Aussie beer.
Fact 149: Do you know where to find the world’s largest stained glass ceiling? It is found at the National Gallery of Victoria, which is located in Melbourne. The ceiling was created by Leonard French – an Aussie artist.
Fact 150: In 1956, the first Myer Christmas window was displayed. It was an Olympic-themed display purposefully designed for celebrating the first Summer Olympic Games held in Southern Hemisphere.
Fact 151: Harry Ramsden’s served a whopping 12,105 portions of fish and chips in a single day in April 1996. Well, Melburnians do love fish and chips just like the British.
Fact 152: During the 1850s and the 1860s, North Carlton was the home for hundreds of criminals who were locked in the famous Collingwood Stockade that was opened on February 3, 1853.
Fact 153: Did you know that a chemist named Dr. Cyril P Callister was the person who concocted the famous Vegemite? But, it was made in a very suspicious laboratory located in Melbourne. As a part of marketing campaign, people were invited to submit a name for the new substance. Unfortunately however, the initial sales of Vegemite were very sluggish.
Fact 154: Mitre Tavern is the oldest building in Melbourne. It was built in the year 1837. Located at 5 Bank Place, the building was once a place for grabbing an evening drink after people went hunting for deer in the nearby bushlands.
Fact 155: Though Crunchie, Freddo Frogs, and Cherry Ripe chocolate bars are currently manufactured by Cadbury, they were originally invented by MacRobertson’s Confectionery located in Fitzroy, Melbourne. They were invented in 1920s and 1930s.
Fact 156: There are over 100 languages that are spoken in the city. Among the commonest foreign languages spoken in the city are mostly Indian languages which include Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati and Urdu. However, Italian and Mandarin are also extremely popular.
Fact 157: At Brighton Baths, men and women together was not allowed. In fact, just to allow men and women to swim at the same time, a partition was erected in 1909.
Fact 158: The first Victoria-born person to be hanged was the infamous bushranger named Ned Kelly. He was hanged on November 11, 1880.
Fact 159: At a height of 297.3 meters, Eureka Tower was the tallest building in Melbourne until it was taken over by Australia 108 was topped out in November 2019. The Eureka Tower has Eureka Skydeck 88, which is an observation tower. It is the highest public vantage point in a building located in Southern Hemisphere.
Fact 160: Eureka Skydeck 88 takes the entire floor of Eureka Tower and it features what is known as The Edge. The Edge is basically a glass cube that projects out 3 meters from the building with visitors inside the cube. The cube remains completely opaque when it moves out over the building’s edge, but once it is completely extended out and suspends at a height of 980 feet or 300 meters above ground, the glass cube becomes clear.
That completes our Melbourne facts list. We know, we know! There’s is much more to talk about and probably you are not satisfied with the list of Melbourne facts. So, here is a deal! Wait for a couple of days and we will give you another grand list of fun facts about Melbourne and only this time, it will be in form of a video. Sounds good?