A cattle yard and a benevolent asylum
The district's first institutions were built in the 1840s, and the earliest of them was a cattle yard. The area had no clear shape then: it reached over what is now Parkville and Royal Park, and took in part of West Melbourne as well.
A Benevolent Asylum was built in the 1850s, between Abbotsford and Curzon Streets. The gold rush brought a growing population, and the district needed space to take it in. The asylum stayed in the area until it moved to Cheltenham in 1911.
“The borough took the name North Melbourne on 26 August 1887.”
The Borough of Hotham
In 1859 the district broke away from the City of Melbourne and became the municipal Borough of Hotham. The borough was named after Charles Hotham, Governor of Victoria. The post office opened on 20 March 1860, and by 1861 the borough held over 7,000 people. It was among Victoria's first towns to hold municipal status.
The Hotham Football Club was formed in 1869. It went on to be one of the founding clubs of the VFA, the Australian rules competition, and is known today as the North Melbourne Kangaroos. The borough took the name North Melbourne on 26 August 1887. By then it had an imposing town hall and a meat market, both the work of the architect George Raymond Johnson.
Housing, industry and the tram line
By the 1880s North Melbourne had become predominantly a working class area, and most of the male population worked in local industry. Pockets of middle class housing survived in wide streets lined with trees, among them Dryburgh, Chapman and Brougham, but such streets were pockets within a wider working class suburb.
In the 1890s tram routes reached as far as Abbotsford Street, within walking distance of the Arden Street Oval. In 1905 the City of Melbourne took the suburb back under its administration.
Slums, new housing and the courts
In the 1930s many parts of North Melbourne, and the laneways in particular, became overcrowded and were defined as slums. Large government housing projects were proposed in response. They were eventually completed in the 1960s.
North Melbourne's court of petty sessions closed at the start of 1968, and the building was sold to a private buyer in 1981. In July 2008 the City of Melbourne became the local government for areas of Kensington and North Melbourne that had been administered by the City of Moonee Valley, a change that brought in roughly 4,760 residents and almost 3,000 workers counted in 2006.
What the suburb shows today
Victorian architecture, a cosmopolitan mix of residents, and commercial and older industrial areas are among the things the suburb is known for today. The heritage listed town hall and the former Meat Market are used as theatre and arts spaces, and "Spring Fling" runs each year and covers North and West Melbourne. Time Out magazine ranked North Melbourne 24th coolest suburb in the world.
The North Melbourne Football Club plays in the Australian Football League. The club's football department works from the North Melbourne Cricket Ground, its traditional home, which has been redeveloped. Since 2019 the AFLW and VFL teams have played there again, after a 34-year absence.
Timeline
- 1840sThe district's first institutions were built, beginning with a cattle yard.
- 1859The district separated from the City of Melbourne as the Borough of Hotham.
- 1860Hotham Post Office opened on 20 March.
- 1861The borough's population passed 7,000.
- 1869The Hotham Football Club was formed.
- 1887The borough was renamed North Melbourne on 26 August.
- 1905The City of Melbourne took the suburb back under its administration.
- 1911The Benevolent Asylum moved to Cheltenham.
- 1960sGovernment housing projects were completed.
- 2008The City of Melbourne took over parts of Kensington and North Melbourne.
Living in North Melbourne
North Melbourne sits about 3 km north-west of Melbourne's central business district. The western edge follows the CityLink freeway; Victoria Street marks the southern edge; O'Connell and Peel Streets the eastern; Flemington Road the northern. Its local government area is the City of Melbourne.
The suburb is known for its Victorian architecture, its older industrial areas and a cosmopolitan mix of residents. Landmarks include the heritage listed town hall and the former Meat Market, now theatre and arts spaces, and the North Melbourne Cricket Ground, traditional home ground of the North Melbourne Football Club.
Questions
What is the postcode for North Melbourne?
North Melbourne's postcode is 3051. The suburb is in the City of Melbourne local government area.
How many people live in North Melbourne?
In 2021 North Melbourne had 14,953 residents, with a median age of 31.
What is the history of North Melbourne?
The district became the Borough of Hotham in 1859 and took the name North Melbourne in 1887. Its first institutions were built in the 1840s, and government housing was completed in the 1960s.
What is living in North Melbourne like?
North Melbourne is an inner suburb about 3 km north-west of the central business district. The town hall and the former Meat Market are used as theatre and arts spaces, and the football club's home ground at the North Melbourne Cricket Ground has been redeveloped.
What is North Melbourne known for?
The suburb is known for its Victorian architecture, a cosmopolitan mix of residents and its older industrial areas. Its town hall and the former Meat Market are used as theatre and arts spaces.