Hoddle Grid: The Great Land Grab

On 1 June 1837 Robert Hoddle stood on a log and began auctioning the first allotments of land in the newly-surveyed Hoddle Grid, now the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. The purchasers came from a wide variety of backgrounds, but most shared a common ambition: to build wealth in a fast-growing new settlement.

This exhibition introduces some of those early purchasers – from former convicts and publicans to merchants and investors whose fortunes were tied to global trade. They acquired land on Wurundjeri country for next to nothing, setting in motion changes that would shape the city for generations. Some went on to amass considerable fortunes; others lost everything. Every allotment reveals Melbourne's complex origins.

The exhibition also traces how these allotments have evolved. It looks at the buildings that once stood – and those that stand today. Melbourne began as an act of confidence and enterprise – and that speculative spirit remains part of the city’s character today.