Rebels & outlaws
Colonial Melbourne
Convicts
PioneersPioneers
John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner are credited as Melbourne's first pioneers, but the question ‘who really founded Melbourne?' is still being asked today.
Early histories of Melbourne not only piece together the answer to this question, they
also reveal the fascinating, sometimes scandalous secrets of Melbourne's most revered men.
Learn
about Batman's womanising ways and his final battle with syphilis, Fawkner's convict past, and both of their colourful histories.
Even today, the contentious question remains: who is Melbourne's rightful founder?
This respected figure in Melbourne's history has a past that is fraught with scandal.
He was a man of strong opinions, and a central figure in the early years of Port Phillip.
Before Melbourne was even established, Fawkner was dreaming of how he wanted it to be.
They may have both been called ‘Eliza', but Batman and Fawkner's wives were very different women.
Most accounts of John Batman's life focus on his success, and overlook the tragedy of his final years.
It may have lacked complexity, but this ‘rag' was the beginning of Melbourne's media.
In the 1930s, an educational pamphlet taught children a version of their city's history.
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