Lyla Lindsey
John Batman was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur, and explorer who played a significant role in the founding of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. In 1835, Batman negotiated a treaty with the Aboriginal people in Port Phillip, offering them tools, blankets, and food in exchange for a vast expanse of land. This settlement, initially called Batmania, would eventually become the thriving city of Melbourne.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the city | Melbourne |
| Year founded | 1835 |
| Original name | Batmania |
| Current population | One of Australia's largest cities |
| Current status | Capital of Victoria |
| Founder | John Batman |
| Founder's occupation | Grazier, entrepreneur, and explorer |
| Founder's year of birth | 1801 |
| Founder's year of death | 1839 |
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What You'll Learn
John Batman founded Melbourne, Australia
John Batman, born on 21 January 1801 in Parramatta, Colony of New South Wales, was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur, and explorer. He played a prominent role in the founding of Melbourne, Australia, which was originally called "Batmania".
In the 1820s, Batman settled in Van Diemen's Land (modern-day Tasmania) and rose to prominence for hunting bushrangers and leading massacres of Aboriginal people in the Black War. He captured the bushranger Matthew Brady and was granted additional land by the government as a result. Batman also led an expedition to explore the Port Phillip area on the Australian mainland, with the goal of establishing a new settlement.
In 1835, Batman negotiated a treaty with the Kulin people (Aboriginal peoples of now central Victoria) to purchase 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) of land at the head of Port Phillip Bay. In exchange, he offered them tools, blankets, and food. However, the treaty was later declared void by the government and has been disputed by Aboriginal descendants.
Batman's Treaty negotiations with the Kulin people took place in June 1835 on the banks of the Merri Creek in present-day Northcote, an inner suburb of Melbourne. He wrote in his diary, "This will be the place for a village." Batman moved to the colony with his convict wife, Elizabeth Callaghan, and their seven daughters, settling on what is now known as Batman's Hill. He died of syphilis at the age of 38 in 1839, just a few years after founding Melbourne.
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The city was originally named 'Batmania'
John Batman was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur, and explorer who played a significant role in the founding of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. Melbourne was originally named Batmania by John Batman, who established the settlement in 1835.
In 1835, Batman led an expedition to the Port Phillip area on the Australian mainland with the intention of creating a new settlement. He negotiated a treaty with the Kulin people (Aboriginal people) in June 1835, offering them tools, blankets, and food in exchange for thousands of hectares of land. This treaty, known as Batman's Treaty, was later declared void by the government and has been a subject of dispute by Aboriginal descendants.
John Batman's expedition ultimately resulted in the founding of Melbourne, which became the capital of Victoria and one of Australia's largest and most important cities. The city was first established as a settlement on the Yarra River, known as Batmania, before being renamed Melbourne. The name Melbourne was derived from William Lamb, the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who was the UK Prime Minister at the time.
Despite his involvement in attacks against Indigenous Australians, John Batman is often regarded as having been sympathetic towards Aboriginal people. His treaty with the Kulin people stands as a unique attempt by a European to engage with Indigenous Australians through negotiation rather than simply claiming land. However, his motives and the validity of the treaty remain a subject of historical debate.
Today, there are several places and landmarks in Melbourne that bear John Batman's name, including Batman Avenue, the Fawkner Cemetery (named after his fellow colonist), and an obelisk inscribed with "circumspice," meaning "look around."
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He negotiated a treaty with the Kulin people
John Batman, an Australian grazier, entrepreneur and explorer, played a prominent role in the founding of Melbourne. In 1835, he negotiated a treaty with the Kulin people, the Aboriginal owners of Melbourne.
The Kulin are an alliance of five distinct but strongly linked nations in the area of modern-day Melbourne and its surrounds, including the Wurundjeri, who are the traditional owners of the Yarra Valley and much of Melbourne, and the Bunurong, whose lands span Melbourne's southwest, the Mornington Peninsula and parts of Gippsland.
On 6 June 1835, Batman met with a group of Wurundjeri leaders near a small stream believed to be along the Merri Creek in what is now Northcote. He had recently arrived in Kulin Country from Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), where he had been a key figure in the dispossession, colonisation and violence against Aboriginal people.
Batman was accompanied by a number of First Peoples from Sydney who acted as translators, as well as Aboriginal employees from New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. He is understood to have met with eight Kulin clan heads, including Billibellary, who gifted his party fur cloaks, weapons and baskets.
Batman claimed that the Kulin leaders signed two treaty deeds, one covering the lease of the land surrounding Geelong, and the other of Melbourne. In exchange, he offered them tools, blankets, food and other goods, as well as ongoing payment as annual rent.
The treaty was later declared void by the government and has been disputed by Aboriginal descendants. It is recognised as being invalid under European law and Kulin lore and is now seen by many in the Victorian Aboriginal community as an attempt to disadvantage the people of the Kulin Nation.
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He was buried in the Old Melbourne Cemetery
John Batman, the Australian grazier, entrepreneur, and explorer, played a prominent role in the founding of Melbourne, the eventual capital of Victoria. He was buried in the Old Melbourne Cemetery, but his remains were later exhumed and re-interred in the Fawkner Cemetery, named after his fellow colonist and rival, John Pascoe Fawkner.
Batman's burial site in the Old Melbourne Cemetery was marked by a bluestone obelisk constructed in 1922. The obelisk was later moved to Batman Avenue, before being returned to the Queen Victoria Market site in 1992. The site of his original burial place in the Old Melbourne Cemetery was difficult to establish, and it was only after significant interest arose 40 years later that his remains were located and a bluestone monument was erected in his memory in 1881. This monument was publicly unveiled on the 3rd of June 1882.
The obelisk, which remains at the Queen Victoria Market site today, is inscribed with the Latin phrase "circumspice", meaning "look around". This phrase is indicative of the entire city of Melbourne being John Batman's legacy. The obelisk also states that Melbourne was "unoccupied" before John Batman's arrival in 1835, a claim that has been challenged and is considered inaccurate by the City of Melbourne.
John Batman's role in the founding of Melbourne is closely tied to his controversial dealings with the Aboriginal peoples of the region. He negotiated a treaty with the Kulin peoples (Aboriginal peoples of now central Victoria) in June 1835, offering them tools, blankets, and food in exchange for thousands of hectares of land. However, this treaty was later declared void by the government and has been disputed by Aboriginal descendants.
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He was a grazier, entrepreneur and explorer
John Batman, born on 21 January 1801 in Parramatta, Colony of New South Wales, was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur, and explorer. He played a significant role in the founding of Melbourne, now one of Australia's largest and most important cities.
As a grazier, John Batman, along with his younger brother Henry, journeyed to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) in December 1821 to settle on land near Ben Lomond. There, he acquired "Kingston," a property known for its large acreage and poor agricultural quality. Batman gained notoriety for hunting bushrangers, notably capturing the infamous bushranger Matthew Brady in 1826, which led to a grant of additional land by the government.
Batman's entrepreneurial spirit was evident in his involvement with the Port Phillip Association. As a leading member, he sailed to the Australian mainland in 1835, exploring the Port Phillip area with the goal of establishing a new settlement. He negotiated a treaty with the Aboriginal people, known as Batman's Treaty, offering them tools, blankets, and food in exchange for vast hectares of land. However, this treaty was later declared void by the government and disputed by Aboriginal descendants.
John Batman's exploratory endeavours were also marked by controversy. He led massacres of Aboriginal people during the Black War in Van Diemen's Land and participated in attacks against Indigenous Australians on the Australian mainland. Despite this, he is often considered sympathetic towards Aboriginal people, as evidenced by his attempts to engage with them through treaty negotiations.
John Batman's legacy is complex, with his role in the founding of Melbourne being celebrated while his involvement in attacks on Indigenous Australians is condemned. He died of syphilis on 6 May 1839 at the age of 38, leaving behind a controversial yet significant impact on the early history of Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
John Batman founded Melbourne, Australia.
Melbourne was originally called "Batmania".
Yes, there is a street in Melbourne named Batman Ave after John Batman.
John Batman founded Melbourne in 1835.
John Batman was a grazier, entrepreneur and explorer.
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