Time travelling back to 1858, it’s hard to imagine the shape of the community and the city in which the Melbourne Football Club emerged from the Yarra Park slopes. Melbourne’s population went from 29,000 in 1851 to 125,000 in 1861, courtesy primarily of a rapid expansion during the gold rush years of the early to mid-1850s.
The society which emerged after the Eureka Rebellion in 1854 was one of youth and exuberance, tempered somewhat by the realisation that gold could not actually be found lying in the streets. Those same streets were laid out on much the same lines as they are today – a neat grid pattern, established by Robert Hoddle, whose name can be heard on dozens of traffic reports every morning.
The physical shape of the city saw the leisure spaces being established away from its centre, and the base for the growth of the game in good order. In the same year – 1858 – other organisations were also springing into being, including Bendigo Pottery and the forerunner of today’s National Australia Bank. On the banks of the Yarra, meanwhile, the first hot air balloon ascent of the city was taking place, dominating the horizon as still happens on serene Melbourne mornings.
Events, places and institutions alike have all endured against the backdrop of a growing, thriving city, and have contributed to this strength. The ties of time and belief have brought them to this impending milestone, and the Melbourne Football Club is proudly at the forefront, awaiting the sesquicentenary with eagerness and a sense of ongoing achievement.
