This reduced the distance for conveyance to Williamstown and Geelong from Melbourne. In 1839 Captain William Lonsdale who was appointed as Chief Agent of Government, Police Magistrate and Commandant for the Port Phillip, established a punt on Salt River near the junction with Yarra. Nicholson Street, Footscray 1900 / Courtesy: State Library of Victoria Batman’s swamp, as the marsh formed by the overflow of the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers was known in the early days of settlement, extended from the Saltwater River to where North Melbourne now stands. Napier Street, Footscray 1940 / Courtesy: State Library of VictoriaĪboriginal name for the area between the Yarra and the Maribyrnong river was Iramoo. Sheep runs appeared in the Avondale and Sunshine, being the upper reaches of Maribyrnong river. Melbourne was built around Yarra River for its fresh water, but Maribyrnong River along which Footscray is located, also known as saltwater river presented an impediment for early settlers for its brackish water. With the arrival of Batman and Fawkner, the settlement of Melbourne began its life as a tent town. Maribyrnong River Bridge / Courtesy: State Library of Victoria He went a long distance by land, chiefly around the Saltwater River upto the Gumm’s corner at Keilor then crossed Moonee Ponds and reached Merry Creek, where he signed the famous treaty with the natives. Thirty-two years after Grimes exploration, on JJohn Batman’s Rebecca anchored in Hobson’s Bay, near the mouth of the Yarra. Footscray Town Hall 1930 / Courtesy: State Library of Victoria In 1824, explorers Hume and Howell crossed Saltwater River at the Keilor plains. On 2 nd February 1803, after reaching the mouth of Yarra River, Charles Grimes, Deputy Surveyor-General of New South Wales, explored Saltwater River for several miles. Aerial View of Footscray and Coode Island 1930 / Courtesy: State Library of VictoriaĮxplorers from NSW and Van Diemen’s Land were the first Europeans to visit the Saltwater River area in recorded history. The aborigines never had to change the landscape to suit their lifestyle as they moved from place to place depending on the seasons and the availability of food. The aboriginal way of life kept the river pristine until the European arrival. The area around Footscray was home to Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation before the arrival of Europeans. Aerial View of Footscray Park – 1930 /Courtesy: State Library of Victoria Beginning as Deep Creek, the Maribyrnong gathers Emu Creek, Jacksons Creek (south of Bulla), Taylor’s Creek (near Keilor), and Steeles Creek (near Essendon) before joining the Yarra River at Footscray. The Saltwater River which later became known as Maribyrnong River is one of Melbourne’s largest rivers stretching 130 kilometres from the Macedon Ranges to Port Phillip Bay. The history of Footscray and the surrounding suburbs, Yarraville, Flemington and Kensington were closely related to the Saltwater River that flows through it. Courtesy: State Library of Victoria History A house in Austin Street, Footscray – 1880. Footscray has come a long way from its image of a working-class suburb of noxious industries and is currently undergoing gentrification. People from around 135 countries call Footscray home, which is a testimony to its multicultural character. As per the 2016 Census, Footscray has a population of 16,345. The Inner Western Suburb of Footscray is located just 5km from the Melbourne CBD, in the city of Maribyrnong.
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