History

Melbourne Was Almost Named Batmania After Its Founding Settler

When John Batman arrived at Port Phillip Bay in 1835 and signed a dubious land deal with local Aboriginal people, the fledgling settlement was briefly and informally known as Batmania. The name did not stick, and the town was later officially named Melbourne after the British Prime Minister of the time, Lord Melbourne. Batman himself died of syphilis four years after his so-called treaty, aged just 37.

More detail

John Batman was a squatter from Van Diemen Land (now Tasmania) who sailed to Port Phillip Bay in June 1835 and claimed to have negotiated a land deal with Wurundjeri elders, exchanging goods including blankets, knives, and tomahawks for approximately 600,000 acres of land. The deed was quickly declared void by Governor Bourke, who stated that Aboriginal people had no legal capacity to cede land under British law. Despite this, Batman land claim prompted rapid European settlement of the area. The settlement was briefly called Batmania by some residents, though never officially. In 1837 Governor Bourke personally visited the settlement and proclaimed it a township named Melbourne, after Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Today Melbourne is Australia second largest city and regularly ranks as one of the world most liveable cities. John Batman history is considerably more complicated, having also been involved in violent frontier conflicts with Aboriginal people in Tasmania.