Metropolitan Melbourne Investigation Discussion Paper - Victorian ...

PART B
MELBOURNE – THE PLACE
AND THE PEOPLE
Metropolitan Melbourne has been shaped by the natural landscape. Aboriginal
family groups have occupied this region for around 40,000 years, adapting to
periods of extreme climatic conditions and the isolation of Tasmania from the
mainland by rising seas. The initial choice of location by European settlers was
largely determined by the presence of freshwater in the Yarra River, with a natural
rocky weir preventing the intrusion of saltwater upstream.
During early settlement, the landscape was rapidly modifi ed, most notably the
removal of features including Batman’s Hill located near Spencer Street, the
draining of swamps and the clearing of vegetation for both resource use and
establishing both agricultural and pastoral land. The natural basalt weir on the
Yarra was removed during construction and repairs on Queens Bridge and tidal
infl uences now extend further upstream to Dights Falls in Clifton Hill. 21
Large scale changes continue to occur with residential development in established
urban areas and expansion outwards along major growth corridors. Some natural
values have been diminished by these changes, and some fl ora and fauna species
are now lost from this region. Others are more resilient to change.
Part B of this discussion paper provides information about the investigation area
and its residents. It outlines the natural environment of the investigation area in
terms of the geology and geomorphology, hydrology, biodiversity and climate of the
investigation area. It also describes the Indigenous and non-Indigenous history and
heritage of the investigation area and discusses Melbourne’s population today and
what it will be like in the future.