VICTORIA
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It took us three hours to get from the Heads to the Wharf side. Reading Howitt's book, one had a certain preconception of the place. 1 I have no doubt that it describes accurately enough things as they then were;--but now--nous avons change tout cela. There is the low sandy coast--there is an agreeable undulating country in the middle distance, and behind here and there, ranges of distant hills, hardly deserving to be called Mountains, but blue and picturelike. Such is the country au naturel. But the shore is swarming with life of all kinds. There are boats, vehicles, horses and humankind. The waters are crowded with Ships of all sizes. There is a deep indentation of the Coast forming a Bay, at the extremity of which is a detached sort of Shipping place, or port, called Williamstown, being relatively to Melbourne what Gosport is to Portsmouth; and in this bay lie the Ships. Opposite to Williamstown is the shipping suburb of Melbourne, called Sandridge; about which and between it and Melbourne (properly so called) lies, what in Mr Howitt's time (that is 3 years ago) was canvass Town, then a swarm of Tents and huts, now a small and uninviting looking Town or Hamlet, evidently abandoned to the Immigrant class. Hark! there is the Railway bell. The Train is off! It goes every half hour, carrying you into the heart of Melbourne, about two miles off. 2
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We land at a long Pier or wharf, extending out some two or three hundred yards into deep water. Large Ships are lying along-side. It might be Southampton, only the Ships are of larger size and more of them. A tramway runs down to the end of the Pier. Our Steamer is warped alongside, and after prodigious trouble and confusion, and great anxiety of mind at the non-appearance of half your luggage, (an anxiety much aggravated by your being positively inhibited from looking after it) the whole contents of the Hold, with every body's boxes, trunks, portmanteaus and carpet bags, are packed higgledy-piggledy into a truck, and shoved off to the Station (just at the end of a Pier) where the locomotive is waiting. Our passage is franked to Melbourne, so Railway Tickets are served out to us as we land. A quarter of an hour's delay, and the Train is ready to start. The carriages are comfortable enough, and the whole concern is just like an English (no, I should rather say a foreign Railway). It is but a five minutes' affair to the Melbourne Terminus, across a piece of sandy swamp not yet built on. It was six o'clock before we were fairly at our journey's end. The first appearance of Melbourne as you approach from the Railway is not striking. Just at the Terminus we cross the Yarra, a contemptible little stream, over which there is a Railway bridge. Here we are in Flinders Street, an important thoroughfare, running along the banks of the Yarra, which below the Railway Station is navigable for good sized Ships. Large and imposing Warehouses front the River. Nothing like the Liverpool ones, but looking solid and respectable. There is bustle enough, and goods enough, in all directions. Piles of Packages of all kinds, just landed from the Mob of Ships, which are crowding into the Gold Market. There are lots of Irish Porters and Draymen, insisting on the privilege of helping you to your final destination. With us the question was, where that should be. One had an indistinct notion that if one could get a convenient dog-kennel at a guinea a night one might think oneself lucky. We were recommended to sundry Hotels. 'There is Scott's, Port Phillip Club House, and the Prince of Wales, or Menzies'.' I set off to try my luck. At Scott's the Waiter shook his head regretfully, as if doubting whether there were not some outhouse in which we might be put up. I trudged off to the Prince of Wales--they had one bed-room, but no sitting-room. The bed-room seemed clean and tidy enough, but there was a clammy beeriness about the aspect of the place which did not charm me. Still, as a dernier resort a bed-room to serve all purposes would be preferable to a dog-kennel. I went off again up the Town at least half a mile to Menzies'--apparently a quiet respectable house, but all full. The Waiter a civil man, recommended me to a good second rate Hotel called Hocking's. Thither I went, and found a very decently
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comfortable place, quite as good, if not better and cleaner than the same class of Hotel in Liverpool, or Plymouth. A very good sitting room, and a so so bed-room. Upon the whole we reckoned ourselves fortunate. Of course we only meant to take refuge for a day or two, till we locate ourselves elsewhere at less cost. We stayed there two days and a half. It cost us nearly £7. The rain came down in torrents. Elizabeth Street (in which we were) poured down a stream of water sufficient to turn a Mill. We were prisoners; but a temporary lull enabled me to go out on a tour of inspection, which resulted in our establishing ourselves where we now are, at a Boarding House, a sort of Todgers' 3 in a good part of the Town; high and overlooking the Town, with a far off view of the Sea, and distant Country. Opposite to us are what are called Carlton Gardens, at present a space of unadorned land, traversed in all directions by foot-paths; but meant to be laid out ornamentally. In due time it will no doubt be an agreeable object from the windows. Little is to be said in its favor at present.
This kind of Todgers' establishment is one of the institutions of Melbourne. There seem to be no private lodgings, at least none except by great chance. People live gregariously in these boarding houses, touching the enjoyments of which little is to be said. We are I think well enough off. We have only two companions, both young Mercantile 'Gents', harmless, and who smoke (but not in the house); but whose great recommendation is, that they are out all day, leaving the Drawing room vacant, and for the most part spend their evening elsewhere. The cuisine is of an ordinary description, but thinking of what one reads of in the early days of gold-digging we congratulate ourselves on our good fortune. We pay £3 a piece per week, twice as much as we should pay in London for the same sort of thing. The Mistress of our establishment who presides at the table, is a quiet harmless body, who looks wild and frightened at her company.
Well now about Melbourne. We have been here a week, and have seen all its principal features. If you ask what it is like, I cannot describe it by a resemblance. 'None but itself can be its parallel.' It is a great parallelogram cut up into a great number of broad streets, which are in gradual course of being indefinitely extended. It lies on sloping ground, rising from the Yarra. The Streets will be very handsome when the buildings become disciplined into shape and order. Now they are a strange heterogeneous mixture. Here a great pretensious building, a new Bank or Insurance Office, which might do for Regent Street. Next to it a boarded tenement of one story,
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then do-do--then a fine Shop, with plate glass, hung out with all sorts of tempting finery. Then a flash Hotel, half gin-shop, half gambling house. Altogether a rambling harum scarum congeries of buildings exactly symbolical of the history of the place. The main streets run at right angles with the Yarra. Bourke Street seems to be the Regent St. of Melbourne. At the extremity on rising ground, stands the new Parliament House (so called; I call it the Legislative Assembly; these Colonial legislatures are not Parliaments). The building is unfinished, and at present is a square black uninteresting mass of stonework, but I have no doubt will be a very handsome building. 4 I hear it will cost a prodigious sum of money. Fast young men these Colonies are, spending at a great rate, and setting up smart establishments. I hope no mischief will come of it. There is one great good in the laying out of the Town. All round it are large reserves of land for public recreation, Parks and Gardens, which when reduced into order, and nicely kept will be of inestimable benefit to the Town, both in point of health and ornament. As a whole ten or fifteen years hence, I have no doubt Melbourne will be one of the handsomest cities in the world. 5 As it is, it is one of the wonders of the world. It is hard to realise the fact that fifteen years ago this place was a wilderness, and even five years ago, it was hardly bigger than a tenth rate English Provincial Town. With all the clamours against Government, I, looking at the results as a stranger, must say that a great deal has been done, and I see no just ground of complaint, at least as far as the externals of the place are concerned. The Streets are fast being paved. They are badly lighted at present, but they will soon have Gas. The common street vehicles are inferior to those of Sydney. They are of all shapes and sizes. Not the least strange spectacle amongst them are the huge Machines which traverse to and fro between Melbourne and the Diggings. Queer American Coaches, 6 driven by American drivers, six in hand, two abreast, turning with unerring precision down the narrow gateways
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of the Hotel Yards. These vehicles travel they say at the rate of twelve miles an hour. I mean to go to the Diggings, and shall be able to write from experience.
[Sunday,]21 December 1856. Our life in Melbourne has afforded nothing specially worth noting. We have made some acquaintances, and I have been introduced to the Club. I have been frequently to the Meetings of their so-called Parliament! know the so-called Ministers--ci-devant Colonial Secretary, Treasurer, and so forth, but Ministers sounds grander. Laugh!! I am sick of these shams, and am ashamed of having borne a part in them.
Several people have called. We have dined at Mr Biddle's 7 (brother-in-law of Mr Hamilton's) and lunched at the Bishop's. 8 By the bye the Bishop has been extremely civil. He called and asked us to lunch there, which we did on Friday. Yesterday I was invited to join an excursion of the whole Legislature, and all the Members of both Houses, to a place called Yan Yean, where they have been constructing a huge reservoir, to supply Melbourne with water. 9 A very agreeable holiday, with its accompaniment of a capital dejeuner, iced champagne &c. The Country to my eye between this and Yan Yean extremely agreeable. You can imagine yourself all the way passing through a gentleman's park; grassy pastures, thickly dotted with single trees. Yan Yean itself is now a very fine sheet of water, lying at the foot of the Plenty Range. It is of great size, almost nine miles in circumference. I should think one of the largest sheets of artificial water in existence. Low grassy hills dotted with Timber, stretch down to the water side. On one side is the Plenty Range. Mount Disappointment, the highest of the hills, is about 1600 feet. I fancy it must be like a Cumberland Lake. Got back by seven o'clock and had some dinner at Biddell's.
