European settlement of Australia began in 1788. Before that, explorer Abel Tasman had landed Tasmania, an island off the coast of Australia. Tasman himself called the place Van Diemen’s Island. It was from here that settlers sailed to embark on a new journey and found a new settlement on the massive island continent.
On this day August 29th, in 1835, Tasmanian settlers found the city of Melbourne, Australia. Richard Bourke in 1837 would name the settlement in honor of William Lamb, the prime minister, who was 2nd Viscount of Melbourne.
Some consider Melbourne to be the culture capital of Australia. In 1851, when Gold was found in Victoria (which is the state that Melbourne is in), it was a catalyst for a massive intake of settlers looking to strike it rich, and was a center of commerce and culture. Melbourne today is a thriving city of 4 million in the south east of Australia. Its port is the most active in all of Australia, accounting for $75 billion in trade. Melbourne also has a large financial district.