Melbourne’s Georgian Gentlemen with Dr Liz Rushen AM

On 1 June 1837, surveyor Robert Hoddle auctioned Melbourne’s first allotments of land. The men and women who purchased the land were all born and raised in the reign of King George III. This talk will profile some of these merchants, army officers and civil servants who were successful bidders. Some made fortunes; others faced insolvency.

Every allotment reveals Melbourne’s complex origins. Dr Liz Rushen, curator of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria exhibition titled Hoddle Grid: the great land grab, will tell the stories that make up this remarkable part of Melbourne’s history.