Summary of City Growth and Changes in Australia
Growth of Cities
- All major cities in Australia are near the coast.
- In the 1800s, especially during the gold rush, many people moved to cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
- Australia's population grew from 405,000 in 1850 to over 1 million by 1858.
- Victoria had the biggest population increase during this time, jumping from 76,000 to 540,000.
- Melbourne and Sydney were the largest cities, with Melbourne being richer and larger than Sydney for about 25 years.
- In the 1880s, Melbourne was one of the richest cities globally and the second largest in the British Empire.
- Important buildings in Melbourne were built with money from gold mining, like the Town Hall and Parliament House.
- Melbourne hosted two big International Exhibitions in 1880 and 1888, with 2 million visitors in 1888, more than the whole population of Victoria!
Melbourne’s Cable Tram System
- The cable tram system started in 1885 and ran until 1940.
- Trams were moved by a cable under the street, and drivers were called Gripmen.
- The tram system was very big, with 75 kilometres of tracks.
Department Stores
- In the late 1880s, many new department stores opened, selling different kinds of goods in one place.
- The first David Jones store in Sydney opened in 1838 and had the first hydraulic lift in Australia by 1887.
- Tall buildings became possible thanks to lifts, leading to the first skyscraper in Melbourne, the APA Building, in 1889.
Shopping and Agricultural Shows
- People in the country also enjoyed shopping thanks to department store catalogues mailed to them.
- Agricultural shows started as places for farmers to learn and share knowledge and have since become popular events.
- The first show in Australia was in Hobart in 1822, followed by Sydney in 1823 and in other cities over the years.
- Melbourne had its first show in 1848 as a ploughing competition and is still celebrated today.
Feel free to ask for more information or clarification about any of these points!